The carbon-neutral Masdar City seems to have been a concept for forever, it seems. In my mind, it has long been filed under “noble theory.” So I was surprised to get an email from Foster+Partners today. The Architects responsible for the Masdar Institute matter-of-factly announced the opening of the first building in the visionary city-to-be […]
Architecturally excellent, the following five projects are also deemed by His Highness Aga Khan to be the most likely to improve quality of life for Muslims throughout the world. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977. Every three years since then, His Highness Aga Khan, the Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili […]
Corruption, poor management, and climate change have driven away nearly half a million Eastern Syrians and impoverished thousands more. Nearly half a million people have abandoned an area in Eastern Syria near the Euphrates River that has shrivelled under a five year drought. Fierce temperatures and dwindling rainfall, as well as corruption and mismanagement of […]
Try turkey with a Middle Eastern flair this Thanksgiving. Sometimes an entire roast turkey is just too much. And often there’s so much left over, some of it goes to waste. You like to stick to tradition but need a recipe for a smaller, more intimate Thanksgiving celebration. This succulent alternative, with its fragrance of […]
In the next few days, a pilot project to test destructive oil shale extraction, backed with money from the Rothschilds and billionaire Robert Murdoch (who owns Fox News), is slated to begin. We call on David Rothschild to intervene on Adullam’s behalf. Dear David: We have followed your Plastiki initiative with great interest, but now […]
Which is a bigger environmental sin – imported produce or imported farmers? For the past few days Israeli farmers have been protesting a governmental decision to cut the amount of foreign workers legally permitted to come work in the agricultural sector, with the demonstration planned to continue tomorrow as well. The growers have been demonstrating […]
Mr. Sawaya makes no claims about changing the world, though his design could use a touch of green blush. Born and raised in Lebanon, the Italian designer William Sawaya once admitted to admiring the famous Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. Known for defying all reason and physics, Ms. Hadid’s architecture trumps convention with boundless (and genius) […]
How to make innovation and science as enthralling to a couch potato as contestants in a TV game show? Make scientists and inventors contestants in a TV game show! The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is trying just that, in an attempt to promote the development of innovation in the Middle East. […]
Muslim starts sustainable tree planting operation to make Ethiopia green once again. Visiting Ethiopia after a thirty year absence, Geshaw Tahir an Ethiopian-born Muslim was struck by one thing. The green landscapes and trees that once surrounded his home had all but disappeared and were replaced with dry fields, eroded and ruined after years of deforestation. […]
Accounting student from Gaza University turns from numbers to chips, and hopes to save lives with his new invention. When a plant that requires sunlight to grow is stuck in the shade, it will adapt by bending in the direction of the sun. Likewise, Gaza’s residents are adapting to a period of energy depredation by […]
Dating back to the second century CE, archeologists uncover Roman-era paw print this week. It’s not just ancient Roman baths being uncovered in Jerusalem this week. The Israel Antiquities Authorities are reporting a Roman-era dog’s paw print among its finds. Says Dr. Ofer Sion, excavation director in the Old City of Jerusalem: “Another interesting discovery that […]
Since the hype clearly failed, Masdar and Foster and Partners have turned to the nuts and bolts of building a sustainable city instead. Masdar and Foster and Partners (F&P) have eaten several servings of humble pie in the last few months. After a barrage of criticism related to the costs and failed expectations of Abu […]
The complicated nature of population growth and movement in the Middle East is highlighted by this note from the photographer’s site: “Shahryar is one of Afghanian children who was born in Iran…Iranian government said all of afghaninan must leave Iran as soon as possible.” Concerned environmentalists in the Middle East may find another worry to […]
Arava Power, based in Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel, is blazing the bureaucratic path for solar fields in Israel. Israel reached a milestone yesterday in its efforts to add a substantial solar component to its electric grid: National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau signed the country’s first power purchase agreement (PPA) for solar energy with Ketura […]
EV’s phone home: While charging EV’s at home are most convenient, the Israeli EV company is going for a monopoly – making customers charge at Better Place installed outlets. By the end of 2012, electric cars will be a definite addition to the millions of cars that already ply the streets and motorways of our […]