Yalla Parkour, directed by Areeb Zuaiter, captures this culture from within. The film follows Zuaiter’s long relationship with Ahmed Matar, a parkour athlete in Gaza, as she reflects on loss, memory, and belonging after the death of her mother. What begins as a personal search gradually opens into a portrait of how movement shapes young lives under constraint.
Al-Rumaydh describes the Sidr less as a single organism and more as a working ecological unit. Its deep roots reach down toward groundwater, while lateral roots spread wide to catch surface moisture. Its dense canopy slows wind instead of blocking it abruptly, reducing erosion.
The supply chain includes chemical and materials heavyweights such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Neste Corporation, Toray Industries, Mitsui Chemicals, Idemitsu Kosan, ENEOS, Hanwha Impact, Formosa Chemicals & Fibre, and SK Geo Centric, among others.
Yalla Parkour, directed by Areeb Zuaiter, captures this culture from within. The film follows Zuaiter’s long relationship with Ahmed Matar, a parkour athlete in Gaza, as she reflects on loss, memory, and belonging after the death of her mother. What begins as a personal search gradually opens into a portrait of how movement shapes young lives under constraint.
Al-Rumaydh describes the Sidr less as a single organism and more as a working ecological unit. Its deep roots reach down toward groundwater, while lateral roots spread wide to catch surface moisture. Its dense canopy slows wind instead of blocking it abruptly, reducing erosion.
The supply chain includes chemical and materials heavyweights such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Neste Corporation, Toray Industries, Mitsui Chemicals, Idemitsu Kosan, ENEOS, Hanwha Impact, Formosa Chemicals & Fibre, and SK Geo Centric, among others.
Yalla Parkour, directed by Areeb Zuaiter, captures this culture from within. The film follows Zuaiter’s long relationship with Ahmed Matar, a parkour athlete in Gaza, as she reflects on loss, memory, and belonging after the death of her mother. What begins as a personal search gradually opens into a portrait of how movement shapes young lives under constraint.
Al-Rumaydh describes the Sidr less as a single organism and more as a working ecological unit. Its deep roots reach down toward groundwater, while lateral roots spread wide to catch surface moisture. Its dense canopy slows wind instead of blocking it abruptly, reducing erosion.
The supply chain includes chemical and materials heavyweights such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Neste Corporation, Toray Industries, Mitsui Chemicals, Idemitsu Kosan, ENEOS, Hanwha Impact, Formosa Chemicals & Fibre, and SK Geo Centric, among others.
Yalla Parkour, directed by Areeb Zuaiter, captures this culture from within. The film follows Zuaiter’s long relationship with Ahmed Matar, a parkour athlete in Gaza, as she reflects on loss, memory, and belonging after the death of her mother. What begins as a personal search gradually opens into a portrait of how movement shapes young lives under constraint.
Al-Rumaydh describes the Sidr less as a single organism and more as a working ecological unit. Its deep roots reach down toward groundwater, while lateral roots spread wide to catch surface moisture. Its dense canopy slows wind instead of blocking it abruptly, reducing erosion.
The supply chain includes chemical and materials heavyweights such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Neste Corporation, Toray Industries, Mitsui Chemicals, Idemitsu Kosan, ENEOS, Hanwha Impact, Formosa Chemicals & Fibre, and SK Geo Centric, among others.
Yalla Parkour, directed by Areeb Zuaiter, captures this culture from within. The film follows Zuaiter’s long relationship with Ahmed Matar, a parkour athlete in Gaza, as she reflects on loss, memory, and belonging after the death of her mother. What begins as a personal search gradually opens into a portrait of how movement shapes young lives under constraint.
Al-Rumaydh describes the Sidr less as a single organism and more as a working ecological unit. Its deep roots reach down toward groundwater, while lateral roots spread wide to catch surface moisture. Its dense canopy slows wind instead of blocking it abruptly, reducing erosion.
The supply chain includes chemical and materials heavyweights such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Neste Corporation, Toray Industries, Mitsui Chemicals, Idemitsu Kosan, ENEOS, Hanwha Impact, Formosa Chemicals & Fibre, and SK Geo Centric, among others.
Yalla Parkour, directed by Areeb Zuaiter, captures this culture from within. The film follows Zuaiter’s long relationship with Ahmed Matar, a parkour athlete in Gaza, as she reflects on loss, memory, and belonging after the death of her mother. What begins as a personal search gradually opens into a portrait of how movement shapes young lives under constraint.
Al-Rumaydh describes the Sidr less as a single organism and more as a working ecological unit. Its deep roots reach down toward groundwater, while lateral roots spread wide to catch surface moisture. Its dense canopy slows wind instead of blocking it abruptly, reducing erosion.
The supply chain includes chemical and materials heavyweights such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Neste Corporation, Toray Industries, Mitsui Chemicals, Idemitsu Kosan, ENEOS, Hanwha Impact, Formosa Chemicals & Fibre, and SK Geo Centric, among others.
Yalla Parkour, directed by Areeb Zuaiter, captures this culture from within. The film follows Zuaiter’s long relationship with Ahmed Matar, a parkour athlete in Gaza, as she reflects on loss, memory, and belonging after the death of her mother. What begins as a personal search gradually opens into a portrait of how movement shapes young lives under constraint.
Al-Rumaydh describes the Sidr less as a single organism and more as a working ecological unit. Its deep roots reach down toward groundwater, while lateral roots spread wide to catch surface moisture. Its dense canopy slows wind instead of blocking it abruptly, reducing erosion.
The supply chain includes chemical and materials heavyweights such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Neste Corporation, Toray Industries, Mitsui Chemicals, Idemitsu Kosan, ENEOS, Hanwha Impact, Formosa Chemicals & Fibre, and SK Geo Centric, among others.
Yalla Parkour, directed by Areeb Zuaiter, captures this culture from within. The film follows Zuaiter’s long relationship with Ahmed Matar, a parkour athlete in Gaza, as she reflects on loss, memory, and belonging after the death of her mother. What begins as a personal search gradually opens into a portrait of how movement shapes young lives under constraint.
Al-Rumaydh describes the Sidr less as a single organism and more as a working ecological unit. Its deep roots reach down toward groundwater, while lateral roots spread wide to catch surface moisture. Its dense canopy slows wind instead of blocking it abruptly, reducing erosion.
The supply chain includes chemical and materials heavyweights such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Neste Corporation, Toray Industries, Mitsui Chemicals, Idemitsu Kosan, ENEOS, Hanwha Impact, Formosa Chemicals & Fibre, and SK Geo Centric, among others.
More than 45 percent of water in the US alone is lost through leaky pipes. Arad Group can reduce that loss by up to 20 percent with new remote-controlled planes. Image via Reuters blogs.
Actress Jennifer Aniston once said that she saves water by brushing her teeth in the shower. If she and other Americans knew that cities like New York are losing more than 45 percent of their water through leaky pipes, more people might be taking more drastic measures. Running the tap for teeth is nothing compared to what’s really going down the drain.
An Israeli company specializing in water measurement and managing technologies may solve the problem. Arad Group, owned by two agricultural communes in northern Israel, has invented a fly-by solution in the form of an airborne drone that quickly sizes up water meters and identifies leaks in the system. It could save up to 20% of the city of New York’s lost water from going down the drain.
The company has just made a sale in Texas and is in contact with many cities in America, India and the UK about the widespread deployment of its two-pound drone plane, monitored by a technician and a laptop. It can fly up to 900 feet above ground and detect leaks from the air.
We covered the grand opening ceremony of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa Tower, formerly called Burj Dubai. But amidst all the fireworks and fanfare, does this 818 meter high monument to human engineering achievement represent any innovations towards combating global warming, climate change, or other environmental breakthrough – or is it simply another “Tower of Babel,” constructed by misguided human beings still trying to build us a city and a tower with its top in heaven?
The newly completed tower is certainly impressive; with 158 usable stories, more than 50 super fast elevators, and a ground floor foyer that will house the world’s largest indoor fountain. The tower is expected to attract visitors from around the world as well as host a variety of high profile conventions and conferences.
Taking all of this into account, we must also consider the environmental ramifications of this structure which took six years to build, at a cost of more than 4 billion USD, The project’s designers claim that the building and its planned botanical gardens and series of man-made lakes were designed to be as environmentally sustainable as possible, when one takes into account that Dubai is located in a part of the world that has very scanty rainfall and some of the hottest summers on the planet.
It was constructed to withstand the extreme temperature ranges of this Persian Gulf city-state, where external temperatures during the summer can average more than 50 degrees C (122 degrees F).
Another possibly favorable ecological “by-product” of the massive edifice is the large amount of water produced by condensation and so far collected from the air conditioning systems used to keep the entire structure pleasantly cool (estimated at around 15,000 liters), and will be used to provide water for the garden complex that will eventually surround the tower.
The question many may have, however, is what fuel sources are being used to provide the electricity that powers the AC system as well as all the lighting and elevators needed therein?
Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, the development company behind this project was quoted recently as saying:
“Burj Khalifa is the Arab World’s tribute to the art and science of modern engineering and design. Burj Khalifa symbolizes the aesthetic union of many cultures – from Arabia and the rest of the world.”
For years now, Dubai has been trying to show the world that this little UAE sheikdom of less than 4 million people (including guest workers) has the world’s most impressive city from an architectural standpoint. Judging from past projects in this showcase Persian Gulf city-state, such as the ultra luxurious Atlantis Hotel Complex, the largest indoor ski slope in the world, and a series of off-shore island projects, including Palm Island and The World (whose ultra high debt crises is the basis for Dubai’s current financial morass), the completed tower could not have been finished at a more problematic time; both environmentally as well as from a financial standpoint.
Chef Moshe Basson and health expert Christina Pirello put a vegan twist on a classic Arab dish.
After changing location several times, Jerusalem’s Eucalyptus Restaurant has taken root in the prestigious Khutzot HaYotzer artist’s quarter in Jerusalem. Chef Moshe Basson hosted a “Biblical Cooking Class”, taught by visiting American health and nutrition authority Christina Pirello.
Maqluba is a traditional Palestinian, one-pot meal that feeds dozens. It can be made with or without meat.
While Ms. Pirello sliced fennel, onions, and lemons and chatted with the audience in the upstairs dining room, Chef Basson prepped the evening’s main dish in the kitchen. I was waiting to hear more about the foods of the Biblical period, but as the event progressed, it became evident that the focus was going to be mostly on macrobiotic and vegan cooking.
I confess I was a bit disappointed, but the rest of the audience, composed mostly of English-speakers, was content. From what I could see, most of those present were already knowledgeable about, or at least in favor of, the macrobiotic/vegan life.
The engaging Ms. Pirello had nothing but praise for local produce:
“I swear, I’m ready to move here,” she said. “It’s the wonderful food, the friendly people. I was in the shuk (open-air market) yesterday, and I’m telling you, I’ve never seen anything like the abundance, the colors, the aromas, the sensuality. I wanted to buy everything and cook it all.
“Israelis have a better relationship with food than Americans,” she continued. “Americans ask, what’s a sauté? Israelis ask, what’s the difference between a 5-minute sauté and a ten-minute one?” She added that she was impressed by Shabbat and how observing Shabbat rituals has preserved a strong connection to family and food.
I asked Ms. Pirello to describe her impressions of Israeli food habits.
“Israelis eat too much meat,” she said frankly. I don’t think everyone has to be vegan, but with all these beautiful vegetables and grains, there’s no excuse for Israel not to be the healthiest country in the world. And I’d stick to the local food. We ate at a Chinese restaurant last night and it was – not really Chinese. On the other hand, today we ate houmous at some little hole-in-the-wall and it was absolutely delicious!”
I confessed I know little about macrobiotic cooking.
“I don’t label my cooking macrobiotic anymore,” declared Ms. Pirello. She says that a strictly macrobiotic diet will move blood pH into a normal, slightly alkaline state where health and healing take place- but a body can’t sustain that forever. Judging by the mouthwatering recipes on her site – like vanilla flan (based on soy or rice milk) and spicy black lentils with candied onions, I’d say she’s right.
We learned to make a pressed salad from those onions, fennel, and lemons. It had a generous amount of sea salt in it, which surprised some of the audience. Apparently salt is harmful only when added “cold” to finished food – when cooked, it takes its place as an important nutrient. In this salad, lemon juice “cooks” the salt, and both act to marinate the vegetables. The result is that the salad isn’t considered raw.
Ms. Pirello rubbed added lemon juice into the salted vegetables with her hands, saying that when the salad feels cold in the hands, there is enough salt. Then she balanced a stack of heavy bowls over the salty, lemony vegetables to press them down and reduce in volume. This salad should be eaten in small quantities at the end of a meal, as a digestive.
Dinner, served after the cooking course, consisted of many little plates where lentils, black-eyed peas, stuffed Jerusalem sage (a specialty of Chef Basson’s), and the pressed salad disappeared almost as soon as they were served. To drink, water and hibiscus/sage tea.
But for me, the main event was the appearance of Moshe Basson, banging a big tin platter like a gong while ahead of him walked one of his cooks carrying a vast pot of Makluba.
This classic Arab dish is usually made with chicken, layers of vegetables, and white rice, all cooked slowly in broth “till the bones melt,” said Basson. To accommodate the vegetarians among us, however, roasted fennel bulbs took the place of poultry, pre-cooked brown rice substituted for white, and instead of chicken soup, the dish was cooked with vegetable stock.
I felt snobbish and thought that it couldn’t possibly come up to scratch, but was amused at the grand finale. Basson reversed the pot onto the big platter, and knocked on it a few times to loosen the food inside. Then he and Ms. Pirello stood with folded hands and prayed that when they lifted the pot, the dish hold its shape.
Success! And delicious it was, too. I was happy to be wrong. Carrots, zucchini, fat Portobello mushrooms, and fennel, each separately roasted in olive oil and spices – brown rice made aromatic with Basson’s secret vegetable stock – I was in vegan heaven.
Premature babies must gain a certain amount of weight before they can leave hospital. Listening to Mozart could help, finds a new Middle East research study.
Studies show that listening to music composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the 18th century has a positive effect on the brain of developing babies. Now a new study in Israel has found that Mozart’s music also appears to have a positive effect on babies born prematurely.
The researchers found that exposure to Mozart’s music causes preemies to expend less energy, which results in faster weight gain and an earlier release home. Conducted at the Departments of Neonatology and Pediatrics at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, medical researchers found that just 30 minutes of Mozart a day can make a world of difference in the development of premature babies.
According to the CICC, the Summit will be a full day showcase and series of presentations by Israeli cleantech delegate companies on April 27, 2010 in Palo Alto, California.
The tour will include the delegation of Israel companies and investors, and CICC sponsors and partners and will include private visits and meetings with leading California cleantech facilities, companies, investors, policymakers and utilities on April 26 and 28.
Running for green issues in Beirut: but will the government listen?
The year 2009 was bleak for Lebanon’s environmental track record, according to the country’s Daily Star.
Despite the impressive action of IndyACT, Lebanon’s delegation brought little effect at December’s COP 15 climate change summit; they were not able to accomplish much of anything insofar as solving the many serious environmental issues that now plague the country.
These issues include ones like serious forest fires, the destruction of Lebanon’s remaining cedar groves and forests, some of which date back to biblical times; and serious damage to Lebanon’s coastline due to pollution and eroding beaches which could become worse if a planned Dubai-type island project is undertaken Pollution to the country’s fresh water supplies. This adds to the already seriously polluted coastline was noted recently in our article dealing with a huge garbage dump near the city of Sidon, that can be “smelled before you see it” according to local fishermen.
Water can start wars, but it can also be a bridge to peace. And as a Middle East environment news blog, Green Prophet thinks “green” solutions – be it water, clean energy, clean air – can stimulate and lubricate peace. That’s why we engaged in a series of interviews with Israeli water experts in partnership with the Strategic Foresight Group. There’s been a lot of talk about how Israel manages its water, but what solutions do its experts, policy makers and business people see as viable for water security in the Middle East?
We launched into a deep investigation and found the influentials in the country’s water industry. (Scroll down for the complete list of interviews.) Today’s interview with the desk of the Ministry of Environmental Protection. We hope that loyal readers finds this series useful, and that policy makers, and journalists will have new channels of experts to approach.
The former businessman is working to solutions for peace and cooperation with the nearby Gaza City. He thinks through water is a good way to achieve that. Here are his views on the water situation in Israel and regional water cooperation:
Q. Turkey and Israel have had talks about freshwater supply and purchase in the past. The Turkish government has been positive in its overall response so far but there is some opposition to this in the Turkish political spectrum. If the Turkish government were to agree to supply 1 BCM of freshwater to Israel, is there a possibility that Israel will agree in return to share this water with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Jordan?
A1. This project that you mention between Turkey and Israel is not economical and therefore is not relevant.
Q2. Israel is counting on desalination as a major source of its future water supply. However, there are limits to the growth of Israel’s water supply based on marginal water alone. What are the other ‘regional’ solutions that Israel can examine in terms of water cooperation with other countries?
A2. Water shortage is a common problem amongst all countries in the Middle East. One of the regional solutions that Israel should consider is transportation of water. They have extra water in Lebanon. Perhaps we should consider transportation of water from Lebanon for all the countries in the region where there is shortage of water.
Q3. Lebanon’s Litani River has a particularly high quality of water, with a very low quantity of chlorates and nitrates present. Water cooperation with Lebanon would therefore serve Israeli interests but in order for this to happen, political cooperation between these two parties is required; in addition Israel-Lebanon relations are inter-linked with the Israel-Palestine conflict. Is it worth it for Israel to find political cooperation with Lebanon in order to secure its water situation or is this not a practical option?
A3. Israel wants peace with all the countries of the region and this could result in a very positive initiative. One of the outcomes of such peace would be cooperation on water. Water can be a cause for war but it can also be a good platform for peace.
Q4. Technical reports suggest that over-pumping is leading to the depletion of groundwater aquifers in the West Bank, both in terms of water levels as well as water quality. This could cause water shortages in the short-run and devastation of the eco-system in the long-run. What can be done to preserve these aquifers?
A4. Desalination is a part of the solution. Both the Israelis and the Palestinians are pumping water; the state of Israel supplies 40 -50 million cubic meters of water every year to the Palestinians. The best solution is for cooperation is the regional management of water.
Q5. Israel has experienced a severe drought period in the recent past. With environmental neglect and the effects of climate change, this can be a frequent and imminent risk in the future. What can be done to minimize the impact of such a danger in terms of national measures as well as well as regional cooperation?
A5. At the national level Israel has implemented the use of re-used water for agriculture. Israel should also utilize and manage a more effective water system. At the regional level Israel can assist and share its experience with others in the region. Another promising effort in regional cooperation is the pilot project that is being implemented in Gaza using sewage water for agriculture.
Will Israeli designed recharging stations keep America going?
Despite the world economic slowdown, a number of advancements were made worldwide in the fields of alternative and renewable energy.
The hottest energy trends of 2009, according to MIT review are:
Natural gas drilling technology
New batteries for hybrids
Carbon capture
Smart grid
Cellulosic ethanol (biofuel from algae)
Nanotech
And in lieu of cut backs in scientific research in areas dealing with solar (see our quick guide to Israeli companies), wind, biomass, and other forms of clean energy sources, significant advancements were made with massive US federal stimulus funding for batteries and renewable energy and programs. These include the US Energy Frontier Research Centers and Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (A Year of Stimulus for High Tech).
Published on MIT Technology Review, America’s industrial future is intertwined with high tech the magazine reports, of which alternative and renewable energy development is definitely part of.
If one takes the message of this article to heart, it’s easy to see that Israel is in a similar situation as many “low tech” industries, such as manufacturing of various products, textiles, and even diamond cutting and polishing have now been “outsourced” to countries in Southern and East Asia.
The Arab world is in a water crisis. That much we know from this week’s news. To encourage more regional cooperation, Green Prophet has been building on a series of interviews with influential water experts from Israel. In partnership with the Strategic Foresight Group we are gathering information to understand Israel’s water industry from the key players who maintain it. This series is intended to be a tool for policy makers to follow, for journalists to get on-the-ground contacts, and to eliminate some of the controversy vis a vis Israel’s water relations with the Palestinian Authority and its neighbours.
Today we interview Raanan Boral, who has been working in the field of nature conservation and environment for more than 25 years. He has worked as an advisor to the Minister of Environment in Israel and directed the Environment Protection Division at the SPNI (Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel). Today Boral works as a consultant to non-government and private organizations.
Click below for our questions and Boral’s answers:
Either the threat of increased international sanctions is finally convincing the Iranians that so much emphasis in “going nuclear” is not good for them in the long run. Or, perhaps, the mullahs there are realizing that there are feasible alternatives to using enriched uranium to provide fuel, as well as for using their petroleum reserves which someday will be depleted.
The Iranian project leader Dr. Mohammad Hossein Morowvat (not listed on the university directory) said: “Iran and many other countries are seeking new energy sources like biofuels.”
We’ve had our eyes on Greek-Israeli green architect, Elias Messinas, for a while.
President of the NGO ECOWEEK (active in Greece, Cyprus, and Israel), and an environmental consultant to the Kramim Eco Village project in Israel, he’s also been busy over the past year in organizing a “green” civil engineering lecture series for the city of Beersheva.
Apparently, he still has some time on his hands. He’s going to be one of the important lecturers in a permaculture and green building course starting January 22nd in Meshek Tapuchi in Beit Nehemia, Israel.
Meshek Tapuchi is a center for permaculture studies and is in and of itself an example of sustainable living.
The course, hosted by Yonatan Tapuchi, will host lecturers with a range of experiences including Messinas and Tami Tsoori from Tel Aviv’s City Tree among others. It will also grant participants an international permaculture planning certificate, and those who excel during the course will be integrated into relevant projects.
When we talk about water security in the Middle East, Israel could play a role in making water allocation a sustainable endeavour for this water-starved region. Partnering with the Strategic Foresight Group for its water series, Green Prophet interviews one of the most influential water company in Israel today: Mekorot.
We talk with Eli Ronen, the chairman of the board at Israel’s National Water Company – Mekorot. Founded in 1937, Mekorot has set up hundreds of water projects all over the country, and also globally – most recently it’s announced its intentions to desalinate California. Mekorot is also a pioneer in the field of new water technologies, handled by its WaTech division. Here are Ronen’s answers to the 5 questions we posed to him.
To get the needle or not, that is the question some of us are asking. A researcher looking at bacteria model, says these ancient organisms wouldn’t mass immunize.
In America, and Canada, large numbers of people are opting for the swine flu shot – to be on the safe side.
Yet, in countries like Israel, where the swine flu shot is now being offered, only a small part of the population is opting for protection, mainly healthcare workers. According to an Israeli researcher, only those people who are networked in public positions, or who contact many people in a day or in the week, should be immunized. Because there could be other risks by getting the shot, which has yet to be proven safe over the long term. Looking at the model of bacteria behaviour, here’s more on the research.
Who doesn’t want to live the longest, fullest life? We all do right? That’s why we go to the gym, fight for the right for clean air and water, and eat healthy organic food. As environmentalists with eyes wide open, some of us take vitamin supplements, like Omega 3, and other multi-vitamin packs, hoping to stave off illness and promote healthy tissues in our bodies. But buyer beware. Taking vitamins, like Vitamin E, a new Tel Aviv University study has found may do more harm than good.
The potent anti-oxidant has been used to stave off heart disease in those at risk, but indiscriminate use of the vitamin, without medical intervention, warn researchers, could shave time off your life.
More than 45 percent of water in the US alone is lost through leaky pipes. Arad Group can reduce that loss by up to 20 percent with new remote-controlled planes. Image via Reuters blogs.
We covered the grand opening ceremony of 
Chef Moshe Basson and health expert Christina Pirello put a vegan twist on a classic Arab dish.
