Page 419 – Green Prophet

Scientists at the University of South Carolina (USC) have devised a way to turn the material in a cotton T-shirt into a source of electrical power. They envision a future where electronics are part of our wardrobe.

A few years back, my daughter haunted me for a hoodie with built-in ear buds, a novelty garment that allowed her to look stylin’ and also stay connected to her ubiquitous digital music device. USC Professor Xiaodong Li, the tee-shirt project mastermind, takes tech fashion to new heights, anticipating an emerging need for flexible energy storage: new methods of juicing our technical tools in remote locations, off the grid, and on the go.

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Obese Gulf Boy Suffers Fatal Heart Attack Aboard Flight to Bangkok

Lifestyle

Tafline Laylin

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July 17, 2012

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Obese Gulf Boy Suffers Fatal Heart Attack Aboard Flight to Bangkok

The Gulf obesity epidemic in has come under increased scrutiny recently. Supersized boys and girls are barely recognizable and four of the world’s fattest countries hail from Gulf nations – a staggering number that has increasingly tragic consequences.

Just 19 years old, an Emirati boy who weighed 170 kilograms was flying from Dubai to Bangkok to receive treatment for obesity when he suffered a fatal heart attack. The pilots of Emirates Airline Flight EK 374 were then forced to make an emergency landing in Hyderabad, where the teenager was pronounced dead at the Apollo Clinic.

His body will be flown back to Dubai on another flight.

Government officials in Dubai have launched a fitness competition that will take place during Ramadan in order to combat this growing problem. Although people fast during the day, at night, when they break the fast, they tend to make up the lost calories without doing any kind of exercise.

The event sponsored by Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktourm, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and Fitness First Middle East will award massive cash prizes to the “Fittest Man” and “Fittest Woman” in Dubai and hopefully encourage more citizens to lose the extra weight they’re carrying around.

:: Gulf News

Qatar’s City of Birds and Islam’s Teachings On Animals (INTERVIEW)

Travel

Arwa Aburawa

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July 17, 2012

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Qatar’s City of Birds and Islam’s Teachings On Animals (INTERVIEW)

“In Qatar, the birds have built their own hidden city. They live in the towers and stairwells of an abandoned palace…”

Over at Guernica Magazine, I stumbled across a beautiful short story by Autumn Watts who is a lecturer of writing at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. Evoking the hidden and unseen aspects of nature and the animal kingdom, ‘The Cities of Animals’ is a stunning must-read. In it she talks about the dark and abandoned places that animals such as birds, cats and horses learn to live and also harsh ‘kingdom’s of asphalt’ where they die. A thought-provoking story which I just had to share. Especially as it reminds us of the rugged beauty and resilience of nature in the Middle East. I also got in touch with Autumn Watts to ask here what inspired her short story.

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Turks Trade Gold for Iran’s Energy Allegiance

Julia Harte

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July 17, 2012

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Turks Trade Gold for Iran’s Energy Allegiance

To continue feeding its addiction to Iranian oil, Turkey exported eight times as much gold to Iran in the first five months of 2012 versus 2011.

In March, the United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on Iran in response to its uranium enrichment program. Later that month, Iran was cut off from Swift, the global bank communication network, barring the country from international financial transactions. To keep sales of its main export, crude oil, from crashing, Iran has since begun accepting alternative currencies — including a very large amount of Turkish gold, reports the Turko-file at Eurasianet.

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Spencer Tunick Plans Naked Dead Sea Shoot Anniversary Float

Travel

Tafline Laylin

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July 17, 2012

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Spencer Tunick Plans Naked Dead Sea Shoot Anniversary Float

Spencer Tunick will return to Israel this September to celebrate the anniversary of last year’s wildly controversial Dead Sea naked photo shoot. Designed to draw attention to the plight of the hyper-saline (and dangerously endangered) lake shared by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories, the art campaign was enormously successful even though it drew widespread criticism from local politicians and religious groups opposed to public nudity. This year’s float serves a dual purpose: to maintain the momentum against activities that jeopardize the lake and to support freedom of artistic expression.

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Deluxe Iranian Residential Complex is Built Around the Trees

Cities

Green Prophet

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July 17, 2012

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Deluxe Iranian Residential Complex is Built Around the Trees

This building is located in Niavaran, Tehran – a district in the northern foothills. The climate in this area is completely different than the south and center of Tehran because of the nearby Alborz Mountains. Unfortunately, many old gardens in the area have been destroyed by urbanization projects over the last century. But Mohammed Reza Nikbahkt took a different approach with the Niavaran residential complex by building around existing trees in order to preserve them.

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Better Place Electric Car Sales Now Open to Public in Israel

Transportation

Green Prophet

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July 17, 2012

1

Better Place Electric Car Sales Now Open to Public in Israel

After a test trial on about 250 cars Israel’s Better Place electric car company has opened its doors to the general public this week. Apart from announcing new pay-as-you-charge deals, instead of the off-putting flat rate, the company offers a new twist on the limited mobility of EVs: battery switch stations located throughout the country for people who need a quick charge. Normally it can take hours for an electric battery to recharge, thus limiting the range and driving distance of cars.

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Biofuel from Plastic for this Young Egyptian Scientist from Alexandria

Energy
Tech

Linda Pappagallo

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July 16, 2012

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Biofuel from Plastic for this Young Egyptian Scientist from Alexandria

Azza Abdel Hamid Faiad was the winner of the 2011 European Union Contest for Young Scientists for finding a new way of turning plastic into biofuel.

A sixteen-year-old Egyptian student, Azza Abdel Hamid Faiad from the Zahran Language School in Alexandria has identified a new low-cost catalyst which can generate biofuel by breaking down plastic waste.

The idea of breaking down plastic polymers into fuel feedstocks, the bulk raw material used for producing biofuel , is not a new idea. But Faiad has found a high yield catalyst, aluminosilicate catalyst, that breaks down plastic waste producing gaseous products like methane, propane and ethane, which are then converted into ethanol to use as biofuel.

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President Morsi Takes on Nile River Issues in Ethiopia

Business

Tafline Laylin

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July 16, 2012

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President Morsi Takes on Nile River Issues in Ethiopia

On his first visit to Ethiopia as President of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi stressed his country’s desire to peacefully negotiate with other Nile Basin countries regarding a longstanding dispute over Nile River water rights. That Morsi visited Addis Ababa at such an early stage of his presidential term reflects his determination to maintain Egypt’s annual share of 55 million cubic meters granted in a 1929 treaty. But it won’t be easy.

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Lebanon’s Trash Theatre & the True Cost of Rubbish

Travel

Arwa Aburawa

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July 16, 2012

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Lebanon’s Trash Theatre & the True Cost of Rubbish

Trash Theatre is a free theatre performance about trash – it’s taking place across Lebanon’s coast

Lebanon is drowning in trash. Now artists are making theatre out of the mess. I think it’s safe to say that ‘10453: A Story About Life in 1 km2 of Trash’ is unlike any theatre production you have ever heard of. I’s free and takes place outdoors in various locations across the Lebanese coast. Secondly, the stage and props (and some of the costumes) are made entirely out of everyday trash collected and reclaimed by the artists over a couple of months.

And thirdly, the play is taking place in collaboration with the Lebanese environmental NGO IndyACT and hopes to encourage locals to recycle. So, for these reasons we got in touch with the organisers at (B)IM project to find out more.

“Theatre has to power to move people emotionally, or at the very least, to make them take notice,” explains Denise Maroney, producer of The (B)IM Project to Green Prophet.

“Our collaboration with IndyACT allows the audience to take action and learn concrete facts about where to recycle in Lebanon, how to reduce daily waste and what NGOs/initiatives are currently working to improve Lebanonʼs environment.” As well working in collaboration with IndyACT, a fair will take place at each (B)IM production to showcase various local green initiatives and pass on practical advice.

Beginning on the corniche of Tyre, the (B)IM project will move across the corniche of Saida, Beirut and Tripoli. 10453: A Story About Life in 1 km2 of Trash is an original play developed with a cast of five actors and written and directed by Camille Brunel-Aoun. It examines Lebanese social behaviour towards trash whilst injecting a dose of humour and original music to inspire people to take action.

“The play is a journey through the life and habits of 5 characters who deal with garbage, both consciously and unconsciously,” explains Maroney to GreenProphet.com. “The play offers metaphors for the absurdity of a society that ignores the dirt it is breathing in every day and the danger it is creating for itself. The title ‘10453’ references the official square area of Lebanon (10,453 km2). We added an extra kilometer (10453) to allude to the growing kilometers of trash that are popping up across Lebanon’s coast,” she adds.

Denise Marony told me that she hoped the play will strike a chord with the audience about the tragedy of trash pollution in Lebanon. That it will help ‘sensitize’ them once more to the trash all around them and inspire them to take individual action to stop the pollution.

Brunel- Aoun who wrote the play added: “It is necessary that we reflect upon ourselves, both our familial and social life. We must break the infernal cycle of things we produce, consume and dispose… We nee to criticize bad behaviour with humour – this is what we are doing with a crazy hope that theatre has the power to transform people!”

Cast: Daniel Balabane, Hadi Deaibess, Tony Kahoush, Raghda Mouawad & Kholoud Nasser

Writer & Director: Camille Brunel Aoun

Set Design: Charbel Samuel Aoun

Costume Design: Denise Maroney

Sound Design: Jana Saleh

Produced by: The (B)IM Project

For more information about the play and when the performance will take place go to http://www.thebimproject.com

For more eco-initiatives in Lebanon see:
Burning Tires the Bokja Way – A Colourful Protest Against Beirut Pollution
Green Wheel is an Energy- Harvesting Machine for Beirut Runners
Mayor Launched ‘Beirut is Amazing’ City Greening Plan

Ramadan Food Waste and Green Tips for Cutting it Down

Religion

Arwa Aburawa

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July 15, 2012

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Ramadan Food Waste and Green Tips for Cutting it Down

Muslims will probably throw away more than 40 percent of all food prepared daily during the upcoming Ramadan – read our food saving tips below

According to Bahraini environmentalist Mohammed Aman, food waste during the upcoming Ramadan will continue – despite the contradiction it poses to the spirit of Ramadan and a growing global demand for basic food commodities. Aman, a waste disposal unit senior environment specialist at the Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife, urged Bahrainis to be more economical during the Muslim holy month of fasting.

Speaking to Gulf Daily News, he explained that, “People in this part of the world (the Middle East) tend to show off the amount of food they have on their Iftar (the evening meal when Muslims break their fast) table,” Aman said.

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Safari Animals Get Blood, Fish and Fruit Popsicles to Cool Off

Travel

Green Prophet

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July 15, 2012

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Safari Animals Get Blood, Fish and Fruit Popsicles to Cool Off

Safari animals in Israel get giant popsicles to help them beat the heat.

The worldwide heatwave is also showing effects in the Middle East. To help its zoo and safari animals cool down, the Israel Ramat Gan Safari Zoo has started introducing popsicles into the diets of the animals. The popsicles cool down the body’s core temperature, having a physiological effect on the animals, safari curator Amelia Turkel told Sky News.

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Glaciers and Polar Bears Rome Tel Aviv this Week

Uncategorized

Karin Kloosterman

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July 15, 2012

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Glaciers and Polar Bears Rome Tel Aviv this Week

Unlike the dubious global warming theme park in the United Arab Emirates “Ice Land”, where extraordinary amounts of water go to waste, Israelis are trying to tackle northland conservation in a more sane manner. Thanks to Greenpeace Mediterranean, a sliding glacier with polar bears will be visiting the streets of Tel Aviv, Israel this week to educate locals on the problems caused by energy companies rallying to grab their stake in the arctic and North Pole. The campaign is part of Greenpeace’s “Save the Arctic” movement.

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Israel Social Protestor Sets Himself on Fire At Jerusalem Rally

Cities

Karin Kloosterman

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July 15, 2012

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Israel Social Protestor Sets Himself on Fire At Jerusalem Rally

New rallies are taking place across Israel to mark the one year anniversary of the country’s mass social protests last summer. Some believe the Israeli movement influenced the Occupy Wall Street movement in the US last summer. In Israel, protestors took over the city streets in tent cities in protest of the high cost of living in Israel and lack of social services. To mark the anniversary of the tent protests a man in Jerusalem poured flammable liquid over himself, and then set fire to himself.

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