The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced yesterday the formation of a new, nation-less team of athletes cleared to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil this summer. According to a statement released on the IOC website, the all-refugee team will be treated the same as the other teams representing the 206 National […]
When former US Vice President Al Gore warned about the consequences of global warming and climate change and was both applauded and condemned for his efforts, there were still more deniers than believers that our modern civilization was causing this two sided phenomenon. Since 2007, When Albert Arnold Gore Jr. was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace […]
Instagram photographer “m1rasoulifard” has been creating a visual catalog of Iranian architecture, shooting the interiors of mosques, such as Hazrat-Masoumeh in Qom (above), and cultural centers, like the Chaharbagh School in Isfahan. His images capture intricately detailed interiors rich in texture and kaleidoscopic colors. Tuck into this visual feast of Iran’s splendiferous ceilings; scenes lost to […]
So, you care about the environment and ensuring that you play your part in preserving the beauty of nature but how do you go about imparting these lessons to your children? It can be challenging for parents to impart these important lessons to their little ones. As the saying goes, “charity begins at home… ” […]
Morocco has activated the Noor I concentrated solar power (CSP) plant, the first part of a three-phase development in the Sahara Desert intended to supply more than a million homes with electricity by 2018. The 500,000 crescent-shaped solar mirrors of Noor I, which sits on thousands of acres of desert terrain near Ouarzazate, will generate up to 160 […]
Sit four people around the dinner table, and at see that least three are tethered to their smartphones (well, someone’s got to cook and serve). What’s a conversation-starved hostess to do? Head to IKEA Taiwan where designers have cooked up a table that encourages real-time relationships, eye contact and chat. You remember those once-essential ingredients to a […]
Interior Design & Textiles students from London’s Royal College of Art (RCA) have designed a piece of clothing with three distinct uses: it is a weather-proof coat, a sleeping bag, and a tent. Their prototype aims to meet the immediate needs of migrating people, with pockets specially designed to store passports, personal documents, and phones. […]
Things have gone terribly wrong in an Egyptian zoo where a group of baboons turned on one of their cage-mates, tearing at its legs and biting off its feet, according to eye-witness reports. Images of the African baboon, whose feet were cannibalized by his cage mates, have gone viral on Egyptian social media. “Due to extreme hunger, […]
A Dubai-based abaya fashion designer has come up with a way to take the traditional black cloak into the future by integrating nanotechnology into its sleeves, giving the garment the capability to charge a smartphone or tablet. Manaal Al Hammadi showcased her solar-powered abaya at the last month’s World Energy Summit 2016 at the Abu Dhabi […]
China’s state-owned ChemChina tendered a $43 billion bid for Swiss seeds and pesticides group Syngenta today as part of a strategy to improve domestic food production. Remember the classic board game Monopoly? It’s being played by multi-national agri-businesses in attempt to control the world food supply chain. China is the largest agricultural market on the planet. Syngenta’s […]
Google did a doodle marking the 151st birthday of the pharmacist who helped us navigate the chili peppers, the tiny veggie with the power to drop diners to their knees. Wilbur Scoville was the first person to measure the heat of peppers. His heat scale is still in use today, scoring the piquancy of peppers. (What […]
It’s all the rage. Eating Paleo, or like Paleolithic man has benefits, adherents to the New Age diet claim (here are 5 steps to going on a Paleo Diet). But while Paleo people cite red meat as part of the mainstay of their diet (eating what ancient Paleolithic man was supposed to eat), I have […]
In a region where the renewable energy market is still small, despite a natural and seemingly perpetual gas shortage, one startup is making big strides. KarmSolar is an Egyptian company dedicated to bolstering solar energy use. It is now the first company in Egypt with official permission to sell solar power off-grid. The Egyptian Electricity […]
A new report from the Climate Council of Australia revealed that last year’s global average temperature was the highest since global records began in 1880, with 2015 experiencing its hottest year on record – again – besting the 2014 stats by a jaw-dropping 0.16°C. To paraphrase Paris Hilton, that’s hot. Facebook Comments
It goes without saying that life in Gaza is bleak. But for domesticated animals for slaughter, it is living hell. Watch the shocking footage of numerous cow slaughtering attempts and the ways that civilians in Gaza gather around the animals, chained and held captive (below). Cows getting their eyes gouged out, trampled, kicked and mocked […]
According to a recent report, Sharjah – a city named after its state, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates criteria set forth by the Arab Council of Tourism Ministers. It must be actively attempting to: increase tourism exchange with other Arab countries, promote the region’s appeal on the international market, sustain natural […]
A few years ago, Jordan launched an initiative called BADIR to support budding young entrepreneurs, eager to contribute to positive change in their communities. Now Kuwait is following suit: the “n-mu” program endows participants with the skills and resources necessary to create real social change. N-mu? That’s a funny name, you might be thinking. But […]
Green is sort of a buzzword nowadays. People will say they are going green (like Zaha Hadid), but are they as good as their word? Usually not. In the world of Middle Eastern architecture and engineering, rest assured that there are several who are fighting for green choices. Clients often see lots of green – […]
“Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads!” Fans of the 1985 film “Back to the Future” watched the year 2015 slip from a promising future into a disappointing past with no sign of time travel, Mr. Fusion or flying cars. And while hoverboards came surprisingly close to reality, even these require roads (of solid […]
Anyone who has used their smartphone to make an online purchase or to make a video call knows that recent advances in telecommunications technology and the convenience that it brings is now one of the bedrocks of modern life. In addition, the truly amazing thing about the communications revolution is the way it has quickly developed into a […]
In these days, when jet setting around the globe is becoming less popular due to environmental concerns, it’s worth remembering there are lots of fascinating destinations right here in the Middle East. Try a staycation! Just a couple of hours on a plane can take you to cities full of breathtaking sights, fascinating historic buildings and museums full […]
An old pine tree in the courtyard at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem inspired architects Ifat Finkelman and Deborah Warschawski to design a modern treehouse. The slatted wood structure sits at the entrance of the museum’s Youth Wing for Art Education, and it’s attracting children and adults in equal numbers. Who would think a museum installation could incite […]
Could you be in Tel Aviv next week? Can you follow a focused and fast-paced discussion delivered in Hebrew? Then hightail it to a special meet up to hear how an innovator took his initial food tech concept and nurtured it to fruition. Must-have intelligence for anyone toying with a start-up. But reserve your seat […]
Soup for Syria is a beautiful new cookbook of delicious and easy-to-make recipes guaranteed to fill your belly and feed your mind with heightened humanitarian awareness. But at its heart it is a cookbook, a perfect primer for any cook seeking healthy and flavorful food made with no-fuss ingredients (mostly vegetarian) found in supermarkets everywhere. Facebook Comments
Does nature have a marketing problem? Headlines about climate change, extreme weather, and their catastrophic impacts to the built environment are overwhelming. It’s easy to feel helpless and at a loss for meaningful action. So the folks at a Colorado-based grassroots environmental group decided to do a bit of alchemy, mixing beautiful images of the natural […]
