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How to henna your beard red

Beauty

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July 9, 2010

Who would have thought that nature could provide such vivid hues? Here you see the strength of “redbeard” henna.

Since the dawn of time, people have been finding ways to improve, change and diversify their appearance for cultural and personal reasons. These methods of beautifying yourself are just as diverse as they are natural and one of these, is the art of henna hair dying.

Henna has existed in the Middle East as well as areas of Africa and Asia since the time of the ancients, so it is definitely a tried and tested process for all different hair types. Of course it is not limited to dying hair, it is also used on skin, fingernails as well as leather, silk and wool. But when it comes to dying your hair, there are a few things you should take into account.

henna beard red, redbeard — How to henna your beard red if you aren’t a natural ginger

To begin with, if you are used to getting your colour from a bottle, you should be aware that this process is completely different. While there are several colours available which are all known today as henna, the truth is that natural henna, which comes from a plant called lawsonia inermis contains a property called lawsone and this turns your hair a red-brown colour, depending on your natural colour.

The colours known as black and neutral henna actually come from completely different plants, however the dye process is the same. Just be careful when you are buying your henna products, if they are labelled “compound henna” this means that it is not purely natural and are actually combined with various metallic salts which can damage your hair.

Henna itself is one of the natural ways to protect your hair. It penetrates your hair, preventing dandruff and split ends and is a natural way of making it shine. Once you have decided what colour you want, make sure you have enough time put aside because this is a slightly lengthy procedure, like many others which are purely natural.

In the Middle East, you can usually buy henna in a local shuk or market. Just ask around. Best to ask people with experience on where the best henna can be found.

How to henna your heard or beard red:

1. You need to start by making a paste. Take the henna in its powder form and make a thick paste by adding lemon, orange or grapefruit juice.

2. Leave this to sit over night.

3. Then when you are ready to start applying it, add some more lemon juice, or some herbal tea to make it about the consistency of yoghurt. It will feel like coating you head in a thick layer of icing, but don’t be afraid to really cake it on.

It might look strange, but wrapping your head in plastic is the next step, try it out! Image via pretendtious

4. Now comes the amusing part. You need to wrap your head in shrink wrap, for between 2 and 4 hours. While it will feel heavy, it is actually very soothing and is a natural way of ridding yourself of headaches and letting yourself relax. The final step is to rinse out the henna, which can take a bit of soaking and then shampooing normally. Be careful you do not get any henna on your skin. The dye is powerful.

The colour that you are first faced with is not the colour which will remain. As the henna reacts with the air, the colour will change, so it is only 3 days later that the colour will truly settle.

Enjoy nature’s own hair dye, but make sure you wear gloves, remember, henna also dyes skin and you don’t necessarily want to walk around for the next month with red hands!

Read more on natural ways to improve your health and appearance:
Aloe Vera – A Prickly Plant with Pizazz
RECIPE: Eco Friendly Summer Solstice Lip Balm
Sage Advice on Natural Deodorants

Top image Image via AfghanistanMatters

Libyan Oil Clout Now Pushing for Buying Stake in BP

Maurice Picow

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July 9, 2010

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Libyan Oil Clout Now Pushing for Buying Stake in BP

Libyan bargain hunters look to scoop up shares of BP. Should the world’s environmentalists be concerned? Image of Libyan president al-Gaddafi via Daily Mail

News that doesn’t bode well for the environment? Rich Libyan oil barons are vying for a controlling stake in British Petroleum (BP) the UK oil company leaking billions from the Gulf oil spill off the coast of Florida. Libya, who already had a deal in the works with BP for offshore drilling off the coast of Libya, look to increase their oil wealth clout even more by purchasing a sizable stake into the British oil giant.

Libya has been in Green Prophet news recently as the country involved in spending billions for lavish, possibly absurd, projects to “green” the country’s parched desert regions with projects such as circular pivot irrigation farming tapping ancient fresh water from deep underground aquifers.

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American University Cairo's Sustainable Campus Committee Address Waste Concerns

Cities

Tafline Laylin

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July 8, 2010

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Education puts Cairo one step towards getting rid of its nemesis: solid waste.

Within a 3 minute walk down Cairo’s streets, an environmentalist is bound to have an apoplectic fit: litter lies everywhere. Tiny trash bins – rare jewels – overflow with containers and water (read more about Cairo’s tap water) bottles that will live on long after the residents who used them are gone. And the Nile itself – that mighty river, the longest in the world – carries human debris north to the hapless dumping grounds that is the Mediterranean.

The numbers are overwhelming: the country’s current population is at least 80 million, while 16 million people spill out of the capital city’s cramped confines. Meanwhile, ecooptionsegypt.com, a blog committed to sustainability in Egypt, lists only 6 NGOs involved with environmental issues.

There is also a dearth of government solutions. The Zabbaleen, who used to collect, sort and re-purpose solid waste, and fed organic waste to their pigs, were replaced by the government in favor of a more modern system.

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A Bittersweet Test for Women with Gestational Diabetes

Health

Green Prophet

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July 8, 2010

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Family values, and having children are important in the Middle East. Here is a simple test done during pregnancy that if paid close attention to can help make women more health-smart in the long run.

We know that pregnancy can be the elixir of life, and fountain of youth, but anyone who’s been pregnant knows that the battery of tests done during that time can be annoying and stressful.

There’s good news for Mom during all the fuss: A common test to diagnose gestational diabetes ― a temporary condition which can harm both mother and child if left untreated ― also has predictive power for Type II adult-onset diabetes, a new Tel Aviv University study finds.

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Greenpeace Israel Boards Coal Ship At Sea To Protest New Coal Plant Construction

Business

Karin Kloosterman

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July 8, 2010

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Greenpeace activists from Israel today have boarded the 290-meter long coal ship Orient Venus on the high seas, and have since been arrested, Greenpeace alerts.

Joanna Jones, Mor Levy and Jense Loewe arrived in inflatable boats and climbed up the side of the huge vessel.

They proceeded to build a camp on the ship’s mast in order to stop the coal shipment from entering Israel. The protest was staged to show the public about Greenpeace’s concern that Israel plans on constructing another coal-fired power plant in southern Israel.

Police have boarded the ship and are attempting to take the activists down. They included 23 year-old Jones, pictured above, from Jaffa. This pic comes from one of her training sessions.

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Water Bills In Israel Go Up 40 Percent. Did Anyone Notice?

Business

Lisa Damast

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July 8, 2010

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Water Bills In Israel Go Up 40 Percent. Did Anyone Notice?

Water bill prices in Israel continue to rise while desalination plans and conservation efforts remain stalled. Image via IDE Technologies.

Not long ago the Jerusalem Post reported on a national water scandal that seems to have crept on most of the Israeli public. In the past year water bills have gone up 40 percent. Since 2008, the average price per cubic meter has risen 400%.

Despite these absurd numbers, no one seems to have expressed any disapproval. Maybe it’s because of the two-three month delay in sending water bills which makes people forget or maybe it’s because people are resigned to the thinking that because it is scarce, it should be high, but whatever the reason, it’s not completely right.

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Tesla Motors IPO Races Through Abu Dhabi, But Is the EV Practical?

Transportation

Maurice Picow

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July 8, 2010

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Faster than a Ferrari, cleaner than a Prius, Tesla’s EV roadster is only $100,000: Is this reason for Tesla’s high IPO result?

Tesla Motors, already a popular concept in Gulf countries, but whose high performance electric sports car has not turned a profit for them in the company’s seven year of operation, has suddenly put at least some of their financial woes behind them, by raising $188 million in a recent IPO (initial public offering) on the NASDAQ stock exchange in New York. Compared to other electric car ventures, including Better Place (whose battery swapping technology will be featured in Renault autos, beginning in 2011) which recently received funding of $350 million from the HBSC banking group, Tesla has been specializing in making very expensive high performance sport models that only the very rich and affluent can afford to buy.

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Could Spirulina cakes solve hunger?

Lifestyle

Green Prophet

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July 8, 2010

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Add a dash of cumin and you’ll get some “green cake” falafel? This wonder food, from algae is being grown by the UN to solve hunger crisis. It could work in the Middle East.

We know that kids in Gaza and Cairo aren’t getting enough high quality nutrients. And many other oil-less nations, like Syria, suffer agricultural hardships from drought; or from conflict like in Yemen. But “Green Cakes” made from algae (spirulina) could be the wonder food that could provide the missing link to nutrition in developing regions of the world.

“It’s as close as we will get to a miracle food,” said Mahamat Sorto, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) officer managing the green cakes cultivation project in Chad. He and other aid agencies see the plant as a possible cheap solution to global malnutrition.

Donors to the project indeed hope that spirulina, a blue-green, protein-packed algae, labelled a “wonderful future food source” 45 years ago by the International Association of Microbiology, will deliver on its promise by the time a $1.7 million USD cultivation project in Chad, funded by the European Union, ends in December 2010. We can imagine these “wonder cakes” will appeal to vegans and vegetarians the world over, as well.

The plant’s dry weight contains up to 70 percent of protein matter, based on chemical analyses from the French Oil Institute, university research laboratories in Malaysia and Bangladesh, and the Siam Algae company, a Thai commercial group. And imagine how many cow farts can be saved from cultivating and eating such a product?

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Rom Farm Brings Organic Goat Cheese to a Table Near You, With Some Help from the Handicapped

Health

Karen Chernick

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July 7, 2010

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Eat delicious organic goat cheese and feel good about helping the handicapped at Rom Farm in the Galilee.

Most organic farms have, at the very least, an environmental conscience. Many of them believe that not only is organic farming more traditional and more delicious, but better for the planet (and therefore very important). Not all organic farms, however, have a social conscience to boot. Rom Farm, located in the Galilee region of Israel and not far from Carmiel, has an abundance of good intentions. A family-operated farm specializing in organic goat cheeses and yogurts, it is also home to a rehabilitative farm where the handicapped can come daily, enjoy a hearty breakfast, and lend a helping hand.

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Gilatz to Develop Two Solar Power Installations in Northern Israel

Tech

Ira Moskowitz

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July 7, 2010

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Northern Israel: Not a cloudless desert, but still fertile ground for solar power.

While southern Israel is the focus of the country’s most ambitious solar energy plans, including the Ashelim project and activity in the Eilot regional council, northern Israel is also drawing some attention: Gilatz Investments, an Israeli property developer, plans to begin constructing two photovoltaic (PV) power plants in northern Israel, the Bloomberg news service reported this week.

According to Bloomberg (which transliterates the public company’s Hebrew name as “Gelats”), two rooftop PV systems are planned with a capacity of 1.12 megawatts and 1.3 megawatts, respectively.

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Electric Cars Are Coming – Are Israelis Ready For Them?

Transportation

Maurice Picow

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July 7, 2010

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Electric Cars Are Coming – Are Israelis Ready For Them?

Better Place electric taxi debuts in Tokyo. Is Tel Aviv next? Maurice volunteers himself to be the company’s test driver.

Israel’s debut with total electric powered cars is coming, and Shai Agassi’s Better Place electric car company is going to bring this reality in Israel sooner than many people may be prepared for, including having enough electricity mega watts to run them.

The technology being developed by Better Place is becoming so well known that international news media networks such as CNN , where Shai Agassi and his company were shown May 12 on a special program talking about his company’s technology.

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Enjoy Summer With 7 Mediterranean Recipes

Food

Naomi Ben-David

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July 7, 2010

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The temperature’s rising! Part of your perfect summer meal must be fresh and fruity! Naomi gathers 7 excellent recipes for your feast.

Did you ever feel like you were running out of options for summer meals? When it comes to meal time in the summer, it is always a challenge to balance the desire to eat something delicious and filling, with the need for something light and refreshing. Well here we have several mouth-watering summer treats, perfect for the humid heat of the Middle East.

(1) Pea Pod Soup: Winter nearly always means starting a meal with a nice hot bowl of soup, well there’s no reason not to transfer this tradition to summer – just replace it with a bowl of chilled pea pod soup.

Instead of shelling peas and throwing away the pods, you can use them to make a fantastic, nourishing cold soup with this simple pea pod soup recipe.

(2) Homemade sourdough bread: To accompany your soup, the best thing is a thick piece of toast and if you want to give your taste buds an extra treat, try out this recipe for home made sourdough. One of the advantages of eating sour dough, is that it controls your blood sugar levels, as well as helping with digestion.

Try having a slice in the morning, with (3) home made baba ghanoush, a classic Middle Eastern eggplant spread, and experience for yourself the long-lasting benefits of home-made sourdough.

(4) To continue a summer feast, it is always interesting to try something a little different, like a zucchini blossom frittata. This is not something you will find in the supermarket, but you might luck into some at a farmer’s market – or try growing some yourself. Turning them into a frittata balances your meal perfectly, with a combination of all the important parts of the food pyramid; vegetables, protein and calcium.

(5) Fava bean salad. Of course no meal would be complete without a tasty salad or two on the side, but we have some salad suggestions that are worthy of a central place at your table. Many salads combine multiple ingredients, but the fava bean salad is extremely simple, in fact it is so delicious, that you decide to try it as main course.

(6) Pomegranate salad: If you are looking for a slightly sweet take on the salad scenario, you can always try out pomegranate-nut-salad. While it uses ingredients which are traditional for Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, it can quickly become a welcome addition to your summer table since it is such a light and festive treat.

(7) Plum buckle: Going from slightly sweet salad, the next step has to be dessert. With the season of stone fruit upon us, there can be no better choice than a plum buckle.

This unusual name is one you won’t want to forget once you have tried and tasted this dessert, which is basically a simple fruit flan and easy to bake.

Your summer feast is now set, all light easy dishes, simple and quick to whip up. With the long days of heat ahead, you now don’t have to dread hours in front of a hot stove!

Read more about choices of summer desserts:
Indulgence, Locavore Style: Homemade Strawberry Jam
RECIPE: Home Made Ice-Cream

From Cairo to Alexandria – tourists trample the White Desert

Travel

Tafline Laylin

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July 6, 2010

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white-desert-egypt Oasis — *Egypt’s oases are getting ruined by tourism. Some locals fear that too much environmental regulation will imperil crucial source of income*

Prior to the installation of an asphalt highway connecting the once peaceful region of Bahariya to Cairo, the oasis was mostly hidden from the greater world. Then archaeologists re-discovered the Valley of the Golden Mummies and tourism in Egypt soared, generating valuable income for the local community. However, the influx with tourists travelling from Cairo to Alexandria stopping at the White Desert, comes with a considerable environmental cost.

Eleven million people visit Egypt each year, of which 10% forego the traditional tourist destination and opt instead for the desert oases, according to Jon Jensen, a Cairo-based journalist.

Tourists trampling and 4x4ing over the White Desert

In Bahariya Oasis, one-third of the 40,000 residents now work in the tourism industry, which accounts for a large portion of this community’s income.

Bahariya oasis siwa Egypt, white stone formations — *White stone formations at Bahariya*

In addition to archaeological gems, the mystic white desert lures tourists and the locals who guide them. 4×4 Jeep adventures and camping are favorite activities, but drivers travel without thought to ecological sensitivity, and the pack in and pack out concept has not yet caught fire. As a result, the landscape is sullied with tracks and litter abounds. Last year 4 tons of this waste was collected, tour guide Dina Mahmoud tells Jensen.

Not far away in Israel, Israelis are banned from bringing in 4×4 cars to Sinai for this very reason, with the early peace draft and environmental plan developed by an Israeli leader who understood why roads along the sea should be set back for tourists and hotels and that is what they did.

icahn school of medicine mount sinai — *St Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai*

In response to the now obvious degradation, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency established a national park in order to protect the region, fining drivers who go off established paths up to LE400. But it is not yet clear that these new policies are effective. A survey conducted by the Center of Environmental Research and Studies at Cairo University demonstrates that in the Giza protectorate, of which Bahariya is a part, garbage is one of the biggest barriers to enhanced environmental awareness.

The government also seeks to limit tourist traffic in order to maintain ecological integrity, but this idea is not popular with everyone. Assam Tawkif, who relies on sales to safari operators, explained to Jensen that the government needs to encourage even more visitors, not less. And others still doubt that the government will follow through at the of risk financial loss.

But eco-tourism, by design, need not deter from the economic and environmental plight of sensitive areas. The International Ecotourism Society includes these principles in their definition of a truly sustainable operation: minimal impact, heightened environmental and cultural awareness, positive experience for visitors and hosts, direct benefits for conservation, financial empowerment, and raised sensitivity to host country’s political, environmental and social climate.

Although Egypt’s overall environmental record is paltry, these may be steps in the right direction, combined as they are with recent educational programs aimed at improving environmental awareness. Once locals understand that protecting Bahariya in the short term will generate more income in the long term, it is possible that the community will adjust.

More News From Egypt:
Red Sea Spill Causes Oil Company Stocks to Drop
Egyptians Question the Health of Their Tap Water
Taking Israel’s Lead, Solar Water Heater Use on Rise in Egypt

Israel Cleantech Intelligence: Water Fights and 10 More Headlines

Tech

Lisa Damast

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July 6, 2010

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Israel Cleantech Intelligence: Water Fights and 10 More Headlines

Researchers attracted to Israel, good news for cycling freaks, Israeli investments in Asia and more headlines related to Israeli cleantech and the environment. Image via hoyasmeg.

The annual Tel Aviv Water Fight took place this past Friday but pales in comparison to other water problems in Israel, including ongoing disputes between Arabs and Israelis and the latest class action suit against bottled water companies Neviot and Mey Eden. Meanwhile, cleantech is offering a renewal for Israel’s kibbutzim and an annual cleantech conference last week showed the promise of cleantech as a growth engine for Israel. For these stories and more, see this week’s headlines below.

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Enjoy EcoBike’s Eco-Friendly Cycling Tours of Israel with a Cold Beer (Or Clean Conscience)

Travel

Karen Chernick

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July 5, 2010

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Bikes, beer and maybe even babes part of EcoBike: bringing eco-friendly cycling tours to a whole new demographic – the beer lover.

Cycling, as fellow Green Prophet Karin has pointed out, has become very popular in Israel. Despite the dangers of braving streets shared with temperamental Middle Eastern drivers, cycling has evolved to fulfill a variety of functions in Israel – from eco-tourism to messenger services, and simple daily transportation to powering eco-friendly rock concerts. Joining the ranks of Israel’s emerging cycling eco-tours is EcoBike with a new spin (pun intended) on seeing the country and cycling: Bike & Beer.

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