We turn to vending machines to offer us a quick fix: a hot chocolate, a pack of ear buds, a bag of chips, or a gold bar if you are in the United Arab Emirates. There is even a kibble vending machine for stray animals. But two Emirati female friends thought of using the vending machine concept to poke a bit fun at their local culture and also to dispense acts of kindness.

They started an Instagram project in 2020 during a lockdown and their culture-connecting Wild Arab West account has grown into a clothing and lifestyle business featuring products that fuse the east and the west. The Arabian Middle East culture is not commonly known to poke fun at itself although here and there standouts appear like No Woman No Drive from Saudi Arabia. 

Their interactive installation in a vending machine was on display at Dubai Design Week. And it will compliment you in Arabic and English and aims to improve mental health. 

At the press of a button, a small, colored box delivers cards from a vending machine with sayings like “I would give up coffee for you” and “Has anyone told you how great you are?” written on them.

Some parts of the installation aim to explain what’s going on between the lines in the Middle East, like “chicken nugget” an expression for a local who speaks and acts “western”.

Stationed streetside at Dubai Design District, the WAW Machine churns out compliments in Arabic and English, seeking to spread some positivity and put a smile on people’s faces.

“There was just last month mental health awareness week, and it’s definitely something that we wanted to focus on, especially now that everything’s going back to normal regarding COVID,” cofounder Almidfa told Al-Monitor, a local newspaper.

“We felt like we needed to start off with something positive. Our main aim behind all of our initiatives is basically to brighten people’s day and just lift people up because I feel, especially after COVID, we really need some self-love and to be kind to one another.”

WAW went on to exhibit artworks related to their “Wild Dictionary” series, which Almidfa describes as the “Urban Dictionary of the UAE.”

They take every day Arabic words or pop culture references and give each an English translation so everyone can understand it. Some of these words are printed on merch you can find in their online shop. 

::Wild Arab West

The post WAW machine dispenses kindness in Dubai appeared first on Green Prophet.

Sugar wax, sugaring or Persian waxing, whatever you want to call it there is an old, tried and true way to wax, naturally. Many beauty regimens do more harm than good as many products contain harsh chemicals including toxins, hormone disruptors and even pesticides!  That’s why we have scouted out an ancient Arabic beauty regimen that does not threaten your body or your bank account for that matter.

It’s an attractive recipe. This all-natural sugar wax is most popular in Egypt and Lebanon.  There are plenty of videos which present efficient instructions on how to proceed with the depilatory “cooking.” But we like the video better below.

Sugar wax sugaring recipe

Sugar, white or brown (1 cup)

Water (2 Tbsp)

Lemon juice (1.5 Tbsp)

Salt, optional (1 tsp)

Sugaring Wax Method

Combine these above natural ingredients in a saucepan and simmer on low heat. Allow the mixture to thicken and turn golden-brown.  (Just like freshly baked cookies you know it’s good when it’s golden-brown.)

Stir the mixture with a spoon, making sure the sugar crystals dissolve.  Within roughly eight minutes, it will thicken considerably and take on a syrupy consistency.  Be careful not to let it burn.

Watch as the mixture turns a darker brown, turn off the heat, and let the forming wax cool for a couple of minutes.

And voilà (as this is also called Persian waxing), there you have your wax.  Apply where desired and pull in the opposite direction of hair growth.

The wax is totally reusable so stick the leftover portion in plastic and put it in the fridge.  10 seconds in the microwave will be enough when you want to use it later.

The sweetness of this sugar wax cannot be denied: it’s sticky, like toffee, and the color of caramel.

It’s also effective, cheap, and non-harmful.

Great for sexy legs. So try it at home. I know I will!

UPDATE: Link here for my trial and error attempt (and part success making my own sugar wax). Or go in the reverse and do a Januhairy.

The post Make your own sugar wax appeared first on Green Prophet.

Did you realize you speak some Arabic? 

An estimated 175 million native Arabic speakers make it the sixth most-spoken language. As we draw connections between environmental actions in the east and west, let’s look at how some commonalities in language are shared by these cultures.

It’s natural that, over time, some words slide across linguistic boundaries, particularly into modern Castilian Spanish given Moorish rule in Spain from 711 to 1492.

But here are ten Arabic words that infiltrated English.  Current events render some instantly recognizable, but others will surely surprise.

 1.   Ghoul – The الغول (ghul) comes by way of Arabic folklore, specifically mentioned in “One Thousand and One Arabian Nights”.  This desert-dwelling shape-shifter feasts on the dead, with a particular appetite for children.  Just in time for Halloween, “ghoulish” describes a creepy fascination with the macabre.

 2.   Genie – The الجن (jinn) is also a player in “One Thousand and One Arabian Nights.” In the Middle East, genies are thought to emerge from smokeless fires: they enjoy free will and can be horribly bad or Disney-fied sweet.  They can influence human behavior and be obligated to grant wishes.

 3.   Mujahedeen – مجهدين (mujahedeen) are those who bear arms in defense of the faith. Its positive connotation in the 1980s (when the USA supported Afghani freedom-fighters battling Soviet communists) later morphed to connote any Islamist fighters who commit terror in the name of faith.

 4.   Jihad – جهد (ja-ha-da) stems from an original meaning of “making an effort” or “struggle”, particularly in regard to religious rightful action: jihad appears 41 times in the Qur’an.  Modern (Western) interpretation is darker, usually relating to sanctioned opposition to a non-Islamic practice, institution or individual.

 5.   Admiral – أمير البحر (amir-al-bahr) translates to “prince of the sea” and is used in English military parlance to describe highest ranking Navy officers.

 6.   Algebra – الجبر grows from a root that means “he set (a broken bone)”.  It makes a conceptual leap to describe setting two sides of an equation into equilibrium.  The specific mathematics of algebra was codified by 9^th Century Persian mathematician Muḥammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi.

 7.   Algorithm – الخوارزمية also comes from al-Khowarizmi, alleged to be a variation on the mathematician’s name, and describing a procedure for solving mathematical problems.

 8.   Ream – رزمة means “parcel” in Arabic and, in English, a pack of paper sheets.

 9.   Hazard – الزهر (al-zarh) means “dice”, which was adopted by the Spanish as “azar” meaning “risk” (recall that Arabs ruled Spain for almost 800 years). The dangerous connotation remains strong.

10.   Alcohol – كهل (kohl) is finely powdered antimony used as eye makeup throughout the Middle East (and by Keith Richards). Riffing on its meaning of fineness and subtlety, Arab alchemists gave the name of al-kuhl to any powder obtained by sublimation (transformation of a solid into vapor, and the reverse process).  Not a stretch to see how it came to be used for other products of distillation.

This is far from scholarly analysis.  Basic info came off a much-copied and anonymously authored “fun facts” sheet circulating at my daughter’s high school, but a quick Google search shows most of the etymology to check out, Insha’Allah.

The post The Arabic Roots of 10 English Words appeared first on Green Prophet.

On my first free Friday in Amman, I walked to the downtown end of Rainbow Street and turned left to find the merchants of Souk Jara just beginning to set up shop.  Souk Jara is Amman’s tidy Friday Market, and walking casually down the wide grassy lane, with abundant kiosks on either side – not to mention sampling watermelon slushes and other fresh fruit smoothies from the food stands down a perpendicular path – is a pleasant way to start the weekend.

While most vendors sell handmade jewelry or hand-painted kitchenware, Ahmad Kamal Azban sells copies of the books from the program he and his friend Tony Michael Anqoud created.  When I encountered Azban that Friday, he gave me a winning sales pitch about his products.

Diwan Baladna, or “Our Country’s Meeting Place,” is a set of two informative books on Arab-Jordanian life.  The first is on culture, the second on language.  The books were published in January 2010 and May 2011, respectively.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a source for learning about Arab culture as light and humorous as the first book.  Chapters are divided according to major aspects of life in the Arab world, including greeting behavior, the influence of the evil eye, wedding and funeral traditions, and even the practice of pigeon-keeping!  An impending second edition boasts fifteen new topics.

Then there is the language book, which is promoted as “The Unprecedented Spoken Arabic Dictionary…separated by topic and covering every conceivable eventuality” and an assemblage of “the best portions of all the major language programs in Jordan.”

What makes it unique is its focus on colloquial expressions and casual tone.  As an Arabic student, my school studies are restricted to fusha, or formal Arabic.

Diwan Baladna, on the other hand, teaches the vernacular as well as popular “metaphors, metonymies, signs, and similes.”

Azban authored these books in the hope that foreigners, Westerners especially, would gain better understanding – and avoid misunderstandings – of Arab-Jordanian life.  “As a Jordanian, I want to bridge the gap of understanding between my own culture and that of our Western friends.  Diwan Baladna is a resource that can do just that,” writes Azban on the product page.

For those who are in Amman but not able to make it to Souk Jara and meet Azban himself, Diwan Baladna books are sold in Books@Cafe, Wild Jordan, and the Good Bookshop.  They are also available in E-book formats.

A valuable guide and easy read for those interested in the Arab world, the Diwan Baladna culture and language set is a wise purchase.  Even King Abdullah approves; in Jordan, the King’s Academy uses the materials for its new Arabic culture course.

::Diwan Baladna

The post Diwan Baladna Books Are Arab-Jordanian Culture for Dummies appeared first on Green Prophet.

A building in the Lower Galilee which showcases traditional architectural Arab styles with ecological benefits demonstrates that modern concerns can be resolved with ancient techniques

One of the most important things we need to do to tackle climate change is reduce the amount of energy we use. One way to do this is ensure buildings are better regulated so we don’t have to spend lots of money and energy either heating or cooling our homes and offices. However, this doesn’t mean we have to jump on the latest energy-efficiency technologies.

As an award-winning traditional Arabic building in the Lower Galilee shows (which we featured in our 2009 video), ancient building techniques can work just as well. Designed by Abed el-Rahman Yasin, a student of Hassan Fathy, the green building which is located in Sakhnin features 20 different energy saving features ranging from patios to cool the air, water features and mashrabiyas.

The building which was constructed using local materials is now used as an educational centre for green building technologies.

The building uses particularly efficient thermal insulation and low energy consumption. Indeed, soon after completion the building was awarded first prize in a competition on energy conservation in buildings by the Union of the Mediterranean. It also received a $130,000 grant to invest in a wind turbine and solar panels.

The use of traditional building designs had dwindled in recent times but there is an effort by some to ensure that useful techniques are not lost.

“The Arab sector today is less prone to use the traditional methods used by our fathers, but our objective is to restore those methods,” said Hussein Tarabeih (who we’ve featured in our video here), of the Town Association of Beit Natufa.

“Our fathers were right,” continues Tarbiye. “Just look at the old mosques and palaces without electricity. They are still very tempered.”

Some of the central features of Arab architecture include patios and water features which are really useful in regulating heat and cooling the building during long, hot, summer days.

Cooling towers which consist of tall windows in chimneys are also important and help circulate air a little bit like air conditioners do. And domes function in a similar way by allowing hot air to rise and keeping base temperatures lower.

::Ynet News

For more on traditional green buildings see:

The Mashrabiya House Beats the Heat with Traditional Arabic Technique

The Epitome of Sustainable Architecture: 700 Year-Old Iranian Cave Homes

Ancient Nabatean Wisdom to Push Back Desertification Today

The post Arab Building Showcases Traditional Green Architecture appeared first on Green Prophet.

Israel’s Environmental Protection Agency recently launched a free online game and iphone application called Thinking Green, aimed at promoting eco-conscious consumerism. It is part of the Ministry’s Think Green campaign. The application (although it’s not really clear where to find it) offers tips on green behavior and a test to help users see if they were able to maximize their savings through such practices.

As of 2009 studies showed that the average Israeli emitted 9.19 tonnes (one tonne equals 1000 kilograms) of carbon dioxide a year from fuel consumption alone. That still puts Israel’s consumption drastically lower than other western nations.

For example, Australians emitted 18.75, the Irish 10.13 and the Japanese 9.68 tonnes each. But in Israel’s fragile environment resources such as water and energy must be cautiously safeguarded.

Other focus areas:

Driving at a steady speed and avoiding sudden acceleration can save us up to 150 shekels a month and save us from excess air pollution which endangers our health.

Reducing unnecessary printing and using two-sided printing can save up to 130 trees in a person’s lifetime, and save us from the substantial air pollution caused by paper production and transport.

Buying with the help of a shopping list can reduce extraneous purchases of up to 350 shekels per month and prevent excess waste which harms the environment.

Raising the air conditioner temperature by one degree can save 5% of the electricity it consumes and save us all from excess air pollution.

If everyone stops littering, our country will be as clean as Switzerland.

The Israeli Minister of Environmental Protection, Gilad Erdan, says that he hopes new media can be utilized to promote “smart consumerism” and help Israelis adopt practices that are easier on both their environment and their wallets.

::Green Life

The post Think Green in Arabic, English, Hebrew and Russian appeared first on Green Prophet.

The editor of the Arabic-language magazine Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia was awarded the Zayed International Prize for environmental action leading to positive change in society

Najib Saab, the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia (Environment and Development) and secretary general of AFED (Arab Forum for Environment and Development) won the Zayed International Prize for the role he has played in raising awareness about environmental concerns in the Arab world.

UAE minister of Environment and Water, Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahd, explained that Najib Saab had secured the award because his influential and successful magazine had “triggered unprecedented environmental awareness at all levels” and “built a new relationship between policy-makers and people of the Arab world with the issues of environment and sustainability, and placed the environment high on the national and regional agenda.” The prize will be handed out next week in a ceremony in Dubai.

The Zayed International Prize for Environment was setup in 2001 by Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and is worth $1 million. It is believed to be one of the most prestigious environmental prizes worldwide. Dr Mohammad Bin Fahd, Chairman of the Prize, told Gulf News; “The prize is named after the late Shaikh Zayed, who showed care for the environment long before it became a global issue, and this award represents Shaikh Zayed’s philosophy.”

Saab’s vision for a more environmental conscious Arab world meant that he setup the environmental magazine back in 1996 and as it was published in the Arabic language, it has been able to reach a wide Arab audience including pupils at schools and influential policy-makers.

Saab has also influenced the establishment of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) which is now an influential think-tank for environmental issues in the region. AFED has played an important role in highlighting issues such as water shortages and the need for urgent action to avoid the worst affects of climate-change induced water scarcity.

We featured AFED’s documentary Wet and Dry back in July 2010 although Green Prophet reporter Tafline Laylin raised concerns about the misguided notion that flashy projects such as Masdar should be considered as some sort of sustainable solution.

Even so, the efforts of Najib Saab in highlighting environmental issues in the Arab world does deserve recognition. Other winners include the environmental economist Partha Dasgupta, Dr Mathis Wackernagel who co-founded the Global Footprint Network and Lee Myung-bak, the President of the Republic of Korea.

: Gulf News and MidEast Environment

: Image via AFED.

For more on the Zayed Prize see:

Six Finalists Chosen for Masdar’s Zayed Future Energy Prize

Wind Giant Vestas Gives Half of its $1.5 Million Zayed Prize to Other Renewable Innovators

Win The $1.5 Million Zayed Future Energy Prize

The post Editor of Arabic Environmental Magazine Scoops Top Eco Prize appeared first on Green Prophet.

We’ve covered the work of the Israeli Arab eco-pioneer Hussein Tarabeih before for his work on solar power in Palestinian schools. Green Prophet’s own James has created a short film exploring the new TAEQ (Towns Association for Environmental Quality) Environment Centre, in the town of Sakhnin, Northern Israel.

It includes an interview with the NGO’s director, Hussein Tarabeih, and footage of inside and outside this remarkable building built on ancient Arabic building techniques which also happen to be eco-compatable.

::TAEQ website

The post VIDEO: James Interviews Hussein Tarabeih on Arabic Building Project in Israel appeared first on Green Prophet.

For many tourists to the Israeli Negev desert, a visit to the Bedouins includes a commercialized camel ride and perhaps an afternoon spent in a tent near Mitzpeh Ramon.

But as the Jerusalem Post writes, the Desert Sites tourist company is offering a revolutionary immersion Arabic course in the last week of July in the Bedouin township of Darajat (also spelled Dirgat), known as Israel’s first solar village.

Israel has 160,000 Bedouin Arab citizens. Between 50-60 percent  of them live in recognized communities and the other are strewn about the landscape in unrecognized villages in tin-roofed shantytowns. Darajat is a recognized village with a population of approximately 800.

Most residents have solar water heaters and electric systems, the school is powered by wind and sun, and students learn hands-on about alternative energy by reading the power meters in their classrooms. The village also boasts a solar mosque, below.

Students in the Arabic course will live with host families in Darajat for five days, during which they will chat in Arabic while learning about Bedouin weaving, baking bread in communal ovens, and watching traditional music performances.

Last year, Haaretz profiled Desert Sights and its founder Tomer Cahane, who started the company in 2000.

“We realized we wanted to bring the Bedouin and the Israelis closer, and to break down a number of stereotypes,” he told Haaretz.

“When I conduct a tour of Rahat, the participants say they would not have gone there alone. The image of the Bedouin has been terrible in recent years, and we must overcome anxieties and prejudices.”

The program costs NIS 1,850 and runs from July 26-30. For more information, check out the Web site.

(All photos by Daniella Cheslow)

More on Bedouins in Israel:

1. Bedouin and “Bustan” Green The Desert With Tree Planting Event 
2. Water & the Bedouin: Sharing the Resources 
3. Support Bedouin treeplanting and Green education with a Tel Aviv shakedown!

The post Immersion Arabic Course in First Solar Bedouin Village in Israel appeared first on Green Prophet.

Dr. Fuad Fares has a huge secret. It’s big enough to make sure his laboratory is locked tight when he’s not there. The Israeli scientist has been looking into the potency of ancient herbal treatments, and has discovered what he believes is a new family of antioxidants.

He’s tested the secret compound based on an inedible plant that grows in Israel, and has found it shows excellent results in stopping prostate and colon cancer in mice, and in human cancer cells in vitro.

Unable to disclose the plant’s variety until further tests are made, Fares is hoping that this plant, first described for its medicinal value in Arabic centuries ago, produces an entirely new antioxidant molecule which can stop cancer in its tracks. It could be ingested as a food additive, or like a vitamin, he hopes.The body of research in scientific literature on antioxidants to stop the spread of cancer is growing. Scientists know that antioxidants such as lycopenes, found in tomatoes, fight free radicals, which can lead to cancer. They also know that glucosinolates found in cabbage varieties have anti-cancer properties too.

New tests on the mystery compound done at the University of Haifa lab, in the Carmel Medical Center in Israel, have been overwhelmingly good, and in the future could be added to our arsenal for fighting cancer.

A significant difference in fighting cancer

Using a crude extract of the plant, Israeli-Arab Fares gave his test plant to mice as a preventive “medicine.” Then the mice were introduced with cancer.

Those that were given the crude extract were able to fight off the cancer tumors much better than the control group — only 20 percent of the treated mice developed cancer, while 80% of the control developed cancer.

An additional point to note, Fares tells ISRAEL21c, is that in the test group, the tumors were significantly smaller than the control.

In a second test, mice with cancer were given the plant-based extract as a medicine. “When we looked at the cells inside the tumors we saw these compounds induced cell death and decreased the tumors by 70 to 80% compared to the control group,” Fares says.

He also tested the extract on human cancer cells in vitro and saw “a dramatic effect.”

After Fares purifies the compound, he hopes it will yield a brand new class of antioxidants.

Inspired by Kabalistic cures?

“Just used as an extract it seems to be effective,” says Fares, who besides hunting for the next plant-based drug, is also a director of Modigene, a company he created while doing postdoctoral work at Washington University.

Modigene is a biopharmaceutical company using patented technology to develop longer-lasting, proprietary versions of approved therapeutic proteins that currently generate billions in annual global sales.

Now Fares is working on identifying the mystery substance, and will apply for a patent — and release the secret — if the compound is indeed unique.

After purifying it, he might get even more startling results. And it could well be a medical breakthrough, agrees Fares, who found mention of the plant in an ancient herbal remedy book written centuries ago in the region.

“It’s known that antioxidants help cancer prevention and treatment. We are focusing on plants not known in the literature. It’s not food, but a medicinal plant,” says Fares, who declines to say whether or not inspiration came from a book by Rambam – Moses Maimonides, a famous Jewish doctor writing medical treatises in Arabic in the 12th century.

The plant he says, is something that grows in Israel and it’s something that people don’t eat. As for more details, he is sorry, but we will just have to wait.

(This story was first published on ISRAEL21c – www.israel21c.org)

The post Ancient Kabbalah Recipe New Vitamin to Fight Cancer? appeared first on Green Prophet.