For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.
For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.
For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.
For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.
For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.
For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.
For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.
For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.
A weekly Green Prophet series that looks at the Arabic “green” blogosphere and online communities.
After looking at “The Forum of the Ornithological Society of Kuwait and at the Saudi Green Blog, we are continuing our trip through the Gulf Countries and arrive this week at the Oman Eco Group Blog. This blog has been active since July 2008 and is administered by the Environmental Co-Op Group (ECO-Group). This group, as written in the blog, “has been the first environmental group founded in Oman consisting of teachers and students.” Its aims are to “make people aware of the environment” and to “share ideas and experience with people around the world in the field of environment & discuss environmental issues.”
Ruptures in natural gas pipelines like this one could cause a gas-fired power plant to shut down.
Ashkelon’s planned gas-fired power plant is being hailed as the first Israeli electric power plant to be powered exclusively from natural gas. It is also touted as being able to generate 800 MW of electricity at full capacity. But despite all of this fanfare, will the new, privately owned power plant in Ashkelon be environmentally friendly enough to be considered as a big improvement over existing coal and oil fueled plants?
Officials in Abu Dhabi launched the “Think before you waste” campaign to help prevent food from piling up in landfills during Ramadan
While Muslims are encouraged to internalize the principles of charity throughout their lives, during the ninth month of Ramadan, this philosophy is kicked into overdrive. Muslims demonstrate with even more intensity their devotion to Allah by abstaining from food, excessive sleep, and material pleasures. But each night, after the sun sets behind the mosque, dining rooms throughout the Arab world are transformed. Several recipes are realized in heaps, and guests are encouraged to pile up their plates. The more food, the greater the family’s generosity. Unfortunately, there’s a dark side to this abundance.
These common herbs can be added to tea to heal you
Herbal teas, as far as the eye can see, and all with healthy benefits.
Although visits to the doctor are often necessary in the winter if you have a serious case of the flu, tea can reduce those visits with their variety of health benefits from lowered anxiety to enhanced energy. We have listed a few kinds of tea and their potential benefits, though we do encourage that you take your serious symptoms to a specialist or your herbalist if you are self-medicating:
Chamomile – This is great for calming nerves and lowering anxiety. It is also a blood thinner and so reduces blood pressure, but be careful about using this if you are already on any heart medication. If you have any cardiovascular issues, check with a doctor before using chamomile regularly.
Wild chamomile in a crate
Chamomile also has external uses. It is very soothing for eyes: just take a cotton ball, soak it in warm chamomile tea and put it over your eyes. It can reduce sties as well as redness in tired, overworked eyes.
Ginger – If you have ever suffered from travel sickness, ginger is one of the teas you want to remember. Dating back centuries, ginger has been used to relieve indigestion as well as being a great natural relief for migraines.
Lavender – Not only is this an aphrodisiac, but it is also a muscle relaxant, which makes it an ideal way for reducing stress levels. In fact this is an ideal drink just before going to sleep since it not only relaxes, but also helps fight insomnia.
Lavender is the Swiss army knife of essential oils
Lavender is also very soothing in case of a headache. If you are not a fan of drinking tea when you have a headache, there are other options. You can find small bags filled with dried lavender that you place over your closed eyes when you have a headache to relieve the pain.
Nettle leaf – Sometimes what you really need is an immunity boost. Nettle leaf tea can provide just that. Nettles are packed with various vitamins and minerals, including iron, which makes it a great overall tonic. Use them fresh or dry but if fresh watch out for the stings. Better to pick them young before they go to seed, as in the photo below left.
Nettles and sage
Rosemary – Not only is this a great spice to add to cooking, but at the end of the day when you know you shouldn’t have another cup of coffee try some rosemary tea. It is a great energy booster as well as being an antioxidant. It was traditionally used as a disinfectant in sick rooms to clean the air, so it is a fantastic method of cleansing your body.
Rosemary for tea
Peppermint – Instead of suffering with endless nausea, which leaves you unable to function throughout the day and unable to sleep at night, keep some peppermint tea handy. It calms the stomach, eases digestion and relieves nausea. As an alternative to tea you can always add a drop of peppermint oil to a glass of water and this will do the trick as well. Nana and mint tea, a big pile of it stuffed in your cup fresh, is a common drink in the Middle East after dinner. Some add black tea to the mix.
This is a cup of hibiscus tea, packed with vitamin C
Of course it isn’t only when you are unwell that herbal teas are beneficial. There are many teas with various other benefits. So have a wonder around your nearest health food store and see what you can find, but remember to check with your doctor if you are on any other kind of medication.
When was the last time you checked the ingredients in your baby’s formula?
A mystery is unfolding in the central area of Wuhan and the capital of Beijing in China, where 4 formula-fed babies and toddlers began growing breasts. Tests showed abnormally high levels of estradiol and prolactin in the baby’s blood. Could it happen in the Middle East, where formulas have been retracted before?
If the California public approves, Brightsource Energy will proceed to construction in the Fall despite rare desert tortoise
Although BrightSource Energy pulled out of the Ashelim tender in the Negev desert, they are relentless elsewhere. Plans to build the world’s largest solar power plant in the Californian section of the Mojave Desert moves one step closer as California Energy Commissioner Jeffrey Bryon recommended in a recent 576-page report that the project be approved, according to mercurynews.com.
His report will move on the state’s five panel energy board for a final decision, and the public will be given 30 days to voice their opinions. If all the bureaucratic procedures run according to the plan, then the permits will be in place to start construction later this fall.
Caspian Day in 5 countries draws attention to the sea’s environmental woes, including a plunging sturgeon population
What better way to start the weekend than with a delicious new recipe and a slice of geological perspective? The Tethys ocean, that ancient hydrological bridge that connected the Pacific and Atlantic oceans 50 million years ago, receded. When it did, it left behind whale fossils in what is now Egypt’s desert, as well as the 1000km long Caspian Sea – the world’s largest enclosed body of water. Yesterday was Caspian Day, a day for 5 nations, including Iran, whose polluted capital city Tehran kills 27 people a day, to reflect on their compromised lifeline.
Israeli Haim Dotan incorporates the soul of nature into his art and architecture
Few things make our green hearts soar more than an architect with a gentle, artistic, nature-loving touch. Although we learned this week that cave homes built into volcanic rock withstood seven centuries of time’s wrath, it is also true that dense urban centers are more sustainable in the long run. Haim Dotan, the Israeli architect who designed Israel’s “Seashell” pavilion for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, and who is presently designing the Aora Solar Tower in Israel, describes his architectural philosophy for Shanghai Daily writer Yao Minji.
We have already brought you several summer time recipes, as well as new takes on watermelon, but here is another vegan or vegetarian option with a fun, exciting and intriguing Middle Eastern-styled flavor.
Salad: Couscous with greens and olives
This fulfilling and nutritional summer salad can act as a main dish on its own. A traditional Moroccan styled dish that just livens up the summer months with its neat texture.
Ingredients:
1 cup couscous,
1 cup Kalamata olives, halved
1/2 cup Parsley finely chopped,
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock (available at all supermarkets)
2 tomatoes without skin (soak in hot water for 5 minutes and then remove skin)
2 cups (steamed or lightly boiled) Broccoli
1 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs cinnamon
Chili to your liking
Start by adding the spices to the Couscous and cover; set to side and leave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes, mix it with the parsley. Add the mixture to the Couscous. Next, add in the olives and top with the broccoli and sprinkle some olive oil on top. Serve cold.
Main dish – Egyptian Roqaq with vegetables
Note: Roqaq is thin-layered wheat strips. You buy them hard and soften via water and they are used similarly to lasagna. Or you can make them easily.
Ingredients
1 to 1.5 cup of warm water
4 cups of flour
1 tsp of salt
Dough: iMix the flour, salt and water until a dough is formed and not sticky. You can add flour little by little until it is not sticky if needed. Divide the dough into 10 balls and cover. Let them rest. Warm over to 400 degrees F and place a tray upside down inside.Take the first ball and on a surface covered with flour, roll it into circular thin layer. Move the dough to the oven onto the tray for a couple of minutes. You have the basis for roqaq.
This traditional Egyptian lasagna-style dish is commonplace in restaurants, cafes and in the home. Usually served with ground beef and loads of cheese, we have taken them out to make it inviting and tasty for the non-meat eaters around. It’s still just as good, if not better.
How to make Egyptian Roqaq
5 layers of Roqaq pastry/bread
1 1/2 cup Vegetable stock
Filling:
2 cups olives, finely chopped
1 large onion or two medium ones, sliced
2 garlic gloves, minced
3 cups bell peppers, diced
2 Tbs olive oil
(you can add soft cheese if you are not vegan and nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan if you are)
Begin by preparing the filling. Fry the onion lightly until it becomes transparent; add the garlic and stir. Next, add the peppers until they become soft. Remove from skillet, add the olives and set to the side.
Tip the Roqaq layers one by one quickly in the room temperature vegetable stock until they become semi-soft. Do not prolong this process or they can get mushy. Add some olive oil to the round and semi-deep tray. Add the first two layers then add in the filing, then add the remaining layers of the roqaq.
Bake in the oven over medium heat for approximately 25 minutes.
Check out Merav Feiglin’s Trashlights, mosaics, and other recycled material artwork between August 25th-27th.
When Tel Aviv does something, sooner or later everyone else wants to do it too. For years Tel Aviv has devoted one weekend a year to celebrating its architecture, putting on a “Houses from Within” festival. (In recent years the festival has spotlighted green architecture as well.) Sure enough, other towns in Israel are catching on and Emek Hefer (located on Israel’s coast between Netanya and Hadera) will have its own “Open Houses” festival at the end of this month, between August 25th-27th.
In our guide to male sexual stimulants, we created an eco-sexy list of non-pharmacological supplements purported to increase a man’s libido and overall sexual well-being and performance. Here, we focus on natural ways to get a woman’s love-gears in motion. With a partner or without. And we looked to women around the world and their ancient traditions for some clues. Where science is yet to catch up, folk wisdom will carry us.
First, it’s important to note that female desire, arousal and sexual satisfaction are complex and subject to a myriad of emotional, physical and psychological factors. And while finding ways to tickle the feminine fancy is a hot topic amongst eco-sexuals searching for natural ways to enhance pleasure, it’s also seen as a huge, untapped market by big pharma companies seeking profit.
This past June, the FDA gave a thumbs down to Boehringer Ingelheim’s drug for female arousal disorder, Flibanserin. Known as “female Viagra” the drug was Intended to enhance desire in women (hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD)), but Flibanserin suffered from mixed results in clinical trials, most notably an effect not much better than placebo.
This ruling underscores an issue facing women in the Middle East as well, where the use of nutritional aids is popular. Even as industry is intent on generating a need for medical intervention – by shaping our concept of what constitutes female sexual arousal, and defining it in such a way to garner a larger percentage of potential users – eco-sexperts know that overall well-being improves sexual health and performance, often for far less than pharmacological agents.
A word of caution: the information provided here is not meant to be a substitute for visiting your medical health professional, especially if you believe you suffer from low libido, or other disorders such as sexually transmitted diseases, or pain during intercourse. Reasons for decreasing desire, arousal, or ability to reach orgasm can be attributed to many factors, including hormonal changes, menopause, drug therapy, pregnancy, or other health conditions that indirectly effect sexual well-being. These absolutely require medical attention.
And remember, be your own personal eco-sexpert and choose only organic and sustainably harvested supplements.
Herbal and vitamin supplements for women:
Arginine
Higher blood flow makes clitoral and vaginal tissues more sensitive and responsive to sexual stimulation and helps increase the possibility of reaching orgasm. Although there haven’t been nearly as many studies done on arginine supplementation in women as in men, one study found that postmenopausal women who took a supplement including L-Arginine experienced heightened sexual response.
Nuts are great for your libido
The study involving women of all ages found that after four weeks, 73.5% of the women who took a supplement including L-Arginine experienced greater sexual satisfaction, including heightened desire and clitoral sensation, frequency of intercourse and orgasm, and less vaginal dryness.”
Natural arginine sources include:
Walnuts
Hazelnuts
Pecans
Peanuts
Almonds
Cashews
Brazil Nuts
But if you are prone to cold sores or the Herpes virus, you should avoid arginine. There are other options below.
Bishop’s Hat
Bishop’s Hat: Also known as Epimedium, Rowdy Lamb Herb, Barrenwort, Fairy Wings, Horny Goat Weed, or Yin Yang Huo, it is probably the most famous of all natural aphrodisiacs. It has been used to treat erectile dysfunction in men in China for centuries. There is little evidence that it might work for women in published science journals. Ask in your circles.
What’s good for the Chinese man may also be good for the woman in more ways than one. Ask around about horny goat weed.
Horny goat weed contains chemicals that might help increase blood flow and improve sexual function. It also contains phytoestrogens, chemicals that act somewhat like the hormone estrogen.
It’s a potent PDE-5 inhibitor, that works by the same method of action as viagra and will increase blood flow to the genitals and increase the sensitivity of the sexual nerves, as well as increasing a woman’s desire for sexual gratification.
Black cohosh
Black Cohosh: Also known as squawroot, it may imitate the effects of the female hormone estrogen and help to balance hormone levels in menopasusal women. Black cohosh is purported to treat some of the most common symptoms of menopause including low libido, vaginal dryness, hot flashes and mood swings.
Israeli women use black cohosh for labor. Possibly for feminine health in general?
It’s given by midwives to induce labor and it worked, according to Green Prophet’s editor Karin Kloosterman who reported starting active labor an hour after taking black cohosh.
Boron
There is nothing boring about Boron: Boron is vital for reducing excretion of both calcium and magnesium.
This in turn assists in maintaining healthy bones. It is also essential for estrogen production, and can have a rapid effect in helping menopausal women. Sex drive may return within just a few days sometimes after it has been absent for years, and a rapid reduction in hot flushes. Boron raises the level of natural sex hormones in the body.
Natural sources of boron:
apples
coffee
dried beans
milk
potatoes
Calcium
Calcium: “Calcium supplementation can relieve the physical and emotional toll of PMS by almost 50%. At least half of the 497 women she studied who took 1,200 mg. of calcium supplements experienced fewer mood swings, depression/sadness, anxiety/nervousness; breast tenderness, bloating and other aches and pains.
The US Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research Center in Grand Forks, N.D. reported similar results after studying 10 women with PMS who spent half the study period on a daily diet containing 600 mg. of calcium, the other half upped to1300 mg. Women on the high calcium diet were less irritable, weepy, and depressed and averted backaches, cramping, and bloating.” (source)
Damiana
Damiana, also known as Mexico’s natural Viagra: “Damiana is a herb used traditionally by the Mayan people of Central America to enhance sexual function in men and women.
“It is reported to be an aphrodisiac, stimulant, mood enhancer, and a tonic….The use of damiana as an aphrodisiac is somewhat controversial because there is no scientific evidence that it works and yet it has been widely promoted as a sexual stimulant.” (source)
Fennel Seed
Fennel seeds, center, for female sensual health
Fennel Seed: “Fennel seeds contain a compound called phytoestrogen, which acts like a mild form of estrogen. This property makes it an effective remedy for regulating menstruation, relieving the symptoms of menopause and helping nursing mothers to increase their milk production.” (source)
Ginger
Ginger: “Ginger has been used for Centuries as a highly effective aid to digestion. But its classification as a natural aphrodisiac comes from its ability to increase circulation. Served pickled, candied or in the raw, ginger increases sensitivity in the erogenous zones.” (source)
Asian Ginger
Asian ginseng is purported to have estrogen-like effects on the female reproductive tissues and may prevent vaginal atrophy. Traditional Chinese medicine suggests ginseng can improve strength and promote longevity. Asian ginseng contains compounds known as ginsenosides that are thought to give ginseng its medicinal properties…
It is especially good over the long term, because it helps the body secrete moisture. [However,] the University of Maryland Medical Center says there is little research to support widespread beliefs that Asian ginseng can improve sexual desire.
Maca
Maca root may help to balance and encourage the production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. These effects may improve vaginal dryness in women and help restore sexual desire. Maca root contains a number of vitamins along with calcium, zinc and iron.
Maca is a sacred medicinal root vegetable that belongs to the Brassicaceae family and only grows around 4000m above sea level in a remote part of the Peruvian Andes.
Peruvian women have some screts to sensual health.
The Incan people call maca the “food of the brain” and consider it their most sacred plant that brings happiness and balance back to their body during stress. What is unique about maca is that it comes in 3 colours, with seeds from any colour producing all 3 colours again, according to Little Bird Organics.
Magnesium
Magnesium is important for regulating the flow of calcium between cells and is essential for adequate calcium uptake, which can lead to fewer PMS symptoms such as irritability, depression, headaches, backaches and menstrual cramps.
Labisa Pumila or Kacip Fatimah is a small woody and leafy plant that grows and can be found widely in the shade of forest floors in Malaysia that has been traditionally used as a tea by women who experience a loss of libido for over 500 years.
Kota Bharu, Malaysia. Women in this country swear by Labisa Pumila for sensual health.
Kacip Fatimah is known to rejuvenate the vagina, by tightening the walls and skin, increase blood flow to the clitoris and vagina, increase the length and quantity of orgasms, and above all greatly increase sexual desire.
Rose root
Rhodiola rosea appears to work by influencing key central nervous system chemicals–neurotransmitters called monoamines (dopamine and serotonin are examples). An imbalance of monoamines is believed to be involved in several hard-to-treat illnesses, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD); some herbalists believe taking rhodiola rosea to normalize monoamine levels may benefit these ailments.
Other studies on rhodiola rosea have shown benefits in such varied areas as increased learning capacity and memory enhancement, regulation of menstrual periods and infertility, reduction of side effects from cancer chemotherapy, increased sexual libido and erectile dysfunction, enhancement of thyroid gland function, increased capacity for work and endurance, and protection from environmental toxins.
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B3, also called niacin, niacinamide, or nicotinic acid, is an essential nutrient required by all humans for the proper metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, as well as for the production of hydrochloric acid for digestion.
Aadequate levels of B-3 are vital for the proper synthesis of insulin and the sex hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C influences a good sex life with its role in the absorption of iron, the formation of blood cells and the metabolism of the adrenal gland, all processes that affect your sex life.
The adrenal gland produces lots of hormones that influence your sex life, including a hormone that helps to stimulate orgasm. In addition, vitamin C also strengthens your immune system, protects against stress and helps keep your joints limber and active.
White Kwao Krua
White kwao krua (purearia mirifica) White kwao krua has been traditionally used by Thai women to enhance sexual health and libido. superba, locally named as red Kwao Krua is widely distributed in the Thai deciduous forest. mirifica is a Thai indigenous plant with a well-known local name as the white Kwao Krua.
Red Kwao Krua does not cure the body, but rather helps the body cure itself or helps the human body rejuvenate itself. Red Kwao Krua is suitable for men as a tonic, longevity drug in restoring sexual ability and relieving fatigue, hypertension and cholesterol in blood.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou61_Wtu5TY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube] These solar cookers are very inexpensive to make, and yet their impact on Darfur’s families is immeasurable
Spreading compassion for all things and attending to the suffering of others is steeped in the Jewish tradition, in part as a result of deep scars left behind by the holocaust. Nor does this philosophy extend to Israel alone. British Jews are doing their part to reverse environmental damage, while Jews around the world pay their respects to the world’s sadness on Tisha B’Av. So when Rachel Andres traveled to Darfur and learned that women, who had already endured the unthinkable horrors of genocide, were being exposed to rape and attack while collecting firewood for cooking, she decided to do something about it.
Since her launch in 2008, Egyptian fashion designer Nadia Nour has been wowing fashionistas with her elegantly glamorous and individual fashion range which also happen to be environmentally-friendly.
Graduating with a degree in Fashion and Philosophy, it’s seems that Nadia Nour was destined to create an ethical fashion range that gracefully combines her love for fashion with concerns for the planet. With a focus on organic cotton, silks and vintage fabrics, Nadia has also shown her commitment to her home city by producing locally in New York City’s Garment District.
She insists that you can still wear high-end fashion, show off your personal style and reduce your carbon footprint. I spoke to Nadia about what inspires her work, her top tips for eco-shoppers and how her Arab heritage shapes her work.
Ever thought of doing more with your watermelon than simply slicing and dicing?
Are you melting in the sticky Middle Eastern summer? Well here is a juicy fruit that is always a favourite, being nice and refreshing, the perfect thing for a summer’s day. There are many reasons for its popularity and not only because it is chock full of vital nutrients. Juices, desserts and decoration; watermelon is a lot more versatile than what you may have originally thought.
Collecteco gallery displays an impressive collection of eco design and art in central Israel.
A weekly Green Prophet series that looks at the Arabic “green” blogosphere and online communities. 
Israeli women use black cohosh for labor. Possibly for feminine health in general?
Since her launch in 2008, Egyptian fashion designer Nadia Nour has been wowing fashionistas with her elegantly glamorous and individual fashion range which also happen to be environmentally-friendly.