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Will Building Catastophes Make Smarter Occupants?

Faisal O'Keefe
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Will Building Catastophes Make Smarter Occupants?

beirut building collapse
Laurie escaped from the Trade Towers 11 years ago and as a building expert looks critically at standards in the Middle East. 

Building codes ensure that a  properly constructed building will safely stand up to predictable wear and tear. Codes specify fire-resistant performance for materials and prescribe safe exiting requirements for occupants. But what guides human behavior in a building emergency? How would you make out in a crisis?  In short, would you make it out?  This question takes on new urgency in the Middle East: Last July, firefighters battled a blaze that erupted in Manama, Bahrain’s capital city, destroying hundreds of shops in the popular Isla Town Market. Over 500 stalls were destroyed in the five hours it took to bring the blaze under control. In May, fire engulfed Doha’s Villaggio Mall, killing 19 people.  A 5-story apartment building collapsed in Beirut in January, killing another nineteen (see above photo).

I confess a strong personal bias on this topic, being one of fortunate thousands who walked away from the biggest building collapse in history. I trekked down the stairs of One World Trade Center with architects and engineers from my office (several who actually built the place 30 years earlier) and we building “professionals” barely knew how to exit.

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The Dihzahyners Paint Up Beirut and it Looks Awesome!

Tafline Laylin
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The Dihzahyners Paint Up Beirut and it Looks Awesome!

Beirut, Dihzahyners, paint, urban, art, design, We used to think of Beirut as a brown, concrete city lacking color and green space, but the Dihzahyners are challenging such dreary labels by painting the city white, pink, purple, green, orange and every other color of the rainbow.

A collective of artists and designers armed with buckets of paint (non-toxic, we hope?) and a whole lot of love, the group calls their current urban intervention “Paint Up.” They’ll be painting murals and steps throughout the city until 3 November, 2012. 

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ARTE for Artisans of the Emirates – A Middle East Craftsperson’s Extravaganza

Kelly Milone
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ARTE for Artisans of the Emirates – A Middle East Craftsperson’s Extravaganza

arte souk eyeglass cases
Not like Istanbul’s historic Grand Bazaar, the famous Emirati souk hosted by the Artisans of the Emirates, or ARTE,  is a baby – only seven years old.  But it has quickly grown from its humble beginnings of about 30 “artisans” or craft exhibitors from the United Arab Emirates in the network to over 3,000. ARTE “markets” are held at the public center of Dubai Festival City; ARTE “souks” are held in Times Square Center. These expositions are not everyday occurrences; usually once-per-month dates are advertised on ARTE’s homepage.

For example, the next souk event is scheduled for September 14, the next market event October 5, in their respective locations.  Usually, about 200 merchants set up shop on an exhibition day.

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Israeli Meat Fed With Feces and Pumped With Toxic Contaminants

Maurice Picow
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Israeli Meat Fed With Feces and Pumped With Toxic Contaminants

It takes only 38 days to raise a chicken for slaughtering – not a very nice existence

Eating meat products anywhere is under fire recently, including fears that humans are destroying the planet for beef. Even poultry products are under increased scrutiny, with all kinds of growth hormones, antibiotics, and even poisons like arsenic being fed to chickens raised in commercial poultry farms. Wost of all, processed meat products people buy in their favorite supermarkets are chock full of questionable ingredients, including the notorious transglutaminase otherwise known as “meat glue”. Read on to consider some very good reasons for buying a whole animal or meat from organic sources. 

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Post-Oil Stagnation in Kuwait at the Venice Biennale

Tafline Laylin
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Post-Oil Stagnation in Kuwait at the Venice Biennale

kuwait, Venice, Kethra, design, architecture, oil, developmentKuwait is making its debut at the 13th Venice Biennale this year, and they’re doing so with some serious style. The pavilion features a cavernous industrial space interrupted with dangling speakers, orange cushions and abandoned master plans, and it was commissioned by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCAA).

Unlike many of the exhibits on display as part of this year’s “Common Ground,” Kethra, curated by Zahra Ali Baba, takes a bold, multidisciplinary look at the social stagnation that has emerged since the nation first stumbled upon oil. This pavilion even received a special mention from Paolo Baratta – the Venice Biennale president. 

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Vandals Target Ancient Oaks and Pines With Chainsaw in Israel

Maurice Picow
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Vandals Target Ancient Oaks and Pines With Chainsaw in Israel

treehugger oak trees israelTwo Carmel forest oak trees lay on ground after being cut down: photo by National Parks Service’s Nathan El Baz

It wasn’t enough that less than two years ago Israel’s Carmel forest areas suffered one of the worst fires in Israel’s modern history . Nearby communities like the Ein Hod artist village and Kibbutz Beit Oren suffered considerable damage to both property and forested areas. A new menace has now destroyed some of this area’s oldest oak trees. This menace, in the form of sheer vandalism, has resulted in the cutting down of eight large trees, some of them indigenous oak trees said to be hundreds of years old. 

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Peak Helium – Is the Party Over for this Resource?

Brian Nitz
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Peak Helium – Is the Party Over for this Resource?

helium balloon

Silver, gold, oil, stocks, bonds, real estate!  I won’t pretend to know more than the investment experts, but many people lost a lot of money following their advice.  Why have these experts overlooked a resource that is guaranteed to rise– even if only within the confines of a lost balloon?  Yes I’m talking about helium!  Helium (He) is the second lightest element with an atomic number 2.  Unlike hydrogen, which destroyed the Hindenburg, helium adds non-flammable fun to birthday parties.  It also cools superconducting magnets in MRI medical scanners, helps with the manufacture of microchips and makes everyone sound just like Donald Duck.

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Turkey Starts Buying Kurdish Gas Over Baghdad’s Objections

Julia Harte
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Turkey Starts Buying Kurdish Gas Over Baghdad’s Objections

oil tanker arbil turkey BaghdadDefying the Iraqi central government, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has begun selling gas directly to Turkey. Crude oil sales will also begin soon.

Five tankers crossed the border from the KRG into Turkey in July, marking the first exchange of oil or gas between the two governments. The trade was just a harbinger of a bigger hydrocarbon trading relationship between them, according to a recent report in Reuters. For Turkey, the KRG represents a new source of oil and gas imports, to which Turkey has long been addicted. For the KRG, the opportunity to trade with Turkey is a way of flaunting its independence from Baghdad and demonstrating the value of its resources.

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The Lebanese Cedar Survival Passes Tipping Point?

Linda Pappagallo
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The Lebanese Cedar Survival Passes Tipping Point?

Lebanese cedar tree, climate changeThe cedar tree, Lebanon’s national symbol , has been for centuries overused by various civilizations. Reforestation might not bring them back from the brink. 

The Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus Libani, is an evergreen coniferous plant native to Lebanon, Syria and southern Turkey. Cedar forests once covered the entire Mount Lebanon chain but the cedar,an emblem of Lebanese patriotism, now represents only 2,000 hectares (0.4% of original estimated forest cover).

The history of Lebanon’s cedar tree decline is long. The superb quality of the cedar wood in terms of color, hardness, fragrance, resistance to insects humidity and temperature has made it one of the most sought after raw materials, resulting in mass deforestation. The sheer significance of the cedar of Lebanon to various civilizations and religions can be illustrated through its uses.

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Booksellers in Egypt Targeted by Security Forces (PHOTOS)

Tafline Laylin
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Booksellers in Egypt Targeted by Security Forces (PHOTOS)

Censorship, Alexandria, Egypt, Nabi Daniel BookstoresAlexandria’s newly-appointed governor, Mohamed Atta Abbas, ordered security forces to dismantle book kiosks in Egypt last week. A mainstay of local culture, al-Nabi Daniel street booksellers posted images of ransacked kiosks on their Facebook page.  The Minister of Culture has vowed to investigate the incident, according to Egypt Independent, but activists and writers are duly alarmed. We recently lauded the Bibliotecha Alexandria as a model for sustainable development in the region; has the new governor stolen that thunder?

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Honey Cookies for Rosh Hashannah

Miriam Kresh
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Honey Cookies for Rosh Hashannah

image-honey-cookiesBake a batch of honeyed cookies for the Jewish New Year.

Symbol of all things sweet and good, honey is part of many Rosh HaShanah recipes. Here at Green Prophet, we use only chemical-free honey.

Our popular honey cake (see below) is based on a traditional recipe, and so are these honey cookies. German immigrants brought the recipe to Israel in the nation’s early years, and now all ethnic groups regard them as standard Rosh Hashanah fare. Kids especially love these cookies, maybe because they fit into the hand comfortably and can be eaten on the run.

A recipe for honey cake is great for the Jewish New Year
A recipe for honey cake is great for the Jewish New Year

Honey Cookies – The Recipe

24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
1 cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Confectioner’s sugar to dust over cookies – about 1 -1/2 cup
Mix sugar, shortening and honey in a pan and cook over low heat till blended. Cool the mixture.
Mix eggs, vanilla, baking soda and ginger. Gradually add to cooled honey mixture.
Add flour to mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir well between additions until you have a smooth dough.
Form teaspoon-sized balls and roll each one in confectioner’s sugar.
Drop onto cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake at 350° F – 180° C 12-15 minutes or until a golden brown.
Enjoy!

Lamb Kebabs Marinated in Pomegranate Molasses

Miriam Kresh
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Lamb Kebabs Marinated in Pomegranate Molasses

grilled lamb kebab rosh hashanna

In the Middle East, grilled meat is king.

This recipe calls for marinating lamb cubes overnight in pomegranate molasses, a sweet, thick reduction of pomegranate juice. We have a recipe for it here. Then it takes only 15 minutes to cook. Have ready rice, a variety of salads, hummous to spread on your challah, and one holiday meal is ready to set on the table.

Lamb Kebabs in Pomegranate Molasses

6 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pomegranate syrup
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 kg. – 2 lb. boneless lamb shoulder, cubed into pieces 1-1/2 inch large. Read our post on visiting a family ritual slaughter in Jaffa, Israel.

How to make lamb kebabs

Combine pomegranate molasses, olive oil,  lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large container. Add the lamb, tossing it to coat with the marinade. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

Remove lamb from marinade and reserve the marinade. Skewer the lamb.

Grill kebabs over medium heat, turning often and basting with reserved marinade until the meat is brown on the outside and medium-rare on the inside, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipes to round out the menu starring lamb kebabs:

 

Tel-Aviv Bike Sharing: Green Prophet Hits the Road (VIDEO)

Tafline Laylin
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Tel-Aviv Bike Sharing: Green Prophet Hits the Road (VIDEO)

Tel Aviv, bike sharing, Tel-o-Fun, green transportation, travel, videoTwo weeks ago Green Prophet decided it was high time to put Tel Aviv’s bicycle sharing program to the test, since we are such fervent advocates of cycling. We hired two bicycles from a station at the corner of Ehrlich and Yefet streets in Jaffa, a predominantly Arab neighborhood just south of Tel Aviv, but only after struggling for more than half an hour to get them on the road.

We didn’t have a camera with us at the time, so we invited Tel Aviv native Daniel to join us at the same station about two weeks later in order to put the system to the test again. His experience was much better than ours. Hit the jump to watch our small video clip of Daniel hiring a Tel-o-Fun bicycle and find out how his experience compared with ours.

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Inflatable Solar Canopy to Power the Arabian Peninsula?

Tafline Laylin
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12
Inflatable Solar Canopy to Power the Arabian Peninsula?

cleantech, solar power, desert, Arabian Peninsula, solar canopy, Powerscape, Otto NgMIT student Otto Ng proposes to solar-power the Arabian peninsula with more than 10,000 square kilometers of Powerscape – a tensile solar-collecting canopy comprised of inflatable mirrors. The problem with solar power, says Ng in a TED presentation, is the great amount of space required to produce the same amount of energy as a conventional power plant.

So, unless we’re making beautiful power stations a la the Land Art Generator Initiative, we’re sapping up precious land with ugly, resource-intensive solar collectors du jour. Ng proposes instead to cover the desert with an energy-generating canopy that also provides shade and a comfortable microclimate.

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How Unsustainable Water Policies Crippled The Assad Regime (INTERVIEW)

Arwa Aburawa
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How Unsustainable Water Policies Crippled The Assad Regime (INTERVIEW)

We speak to Shahrzad Mohtadi about the devastated drought that crippled Syria’s food centre and shook Assad’s political stability

The link between climate change and political instability may still be ambiguous, but recent research is uncovering a connection between sustainable water and food policies and the survival of governments. Shahrzad Mohtadi found that whilst a prelonged drought in Syria may not have caused the political uprising, the Assad regime’s failure to deal with it effectively certainly did. “Assad promoted water intensive crops such as cotton, while not providing efficient methods of watering such crops. There were many such policies that created a scenario where the drought’s effects were even more devastating than they otherwise would have been,” say Mohtadi.

“So one can’t say climate change will create a domino effect of instability and migration whatsoever – but Syria’s case is a warning that developing nations… should create sustainable agricultural policies.” I spoke with Shahrzad Mohtadi to find out more about the devastating drought in Syria and what other Middle Eastern nations need to do to protect their dwindling water resources – and their political stability.

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