Middle East Countries Prepare For Natural Disasters

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From earthquakes to water scarcity, the Middle East faces its fair share of natural disasters but countries are only now starting to take disaster risk reduction seriously Over the last 25 years, the Arab region has suffered 276 disasters in which 100,000 people died, 1.5 million were left homeless and 10 million affected – yet […]

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Arava Institute Joins Forces With American Arabs

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The Arava Institue works with Palestinians and Israelis to cooperatively solve the region’s environmental challenges As one the most conflict-ridden regions in the world, the Middle East has it’s fair share of political problems. In fact, whenever the issue of environmental dangers are highlight many people will shrug their shoulders and say ‘we have more […]

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Cycling for Peace as Israeli Arabs, Jews and Bedouins Kids Get Free Bikes and Clubs

[youtube width=”560″ height=”400″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E43mUeMB_Go&feature=player_embedded[/youtube] The Bedouin village of Um Bateen, just outside Beersheba in southern Israel, has no paved roads – which makes it the perfect place for a new mountain bike club. Now the Bikes4All project sponsored by the Israel Cycling Federation and funded by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, has distributed free […]

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Yacobi Plumbs Israel's Built Environment in 'Constructing a Sense of Place'

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In Constructing a Sense of Place: Architecture and the Zionist Discourse (Ashgate, 2004), architect and planner Haim Yacobi has compiled a fascinating collection of essays on how the Israeli landscape was born. The book begins with the 1934 Levant Fair, for which the flying camel logo (right) was developed to represent the growing Jewish community […]

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A Dubai Disneyland Coming To Lebanon? Plans Call For Artificial "Cedar Island" Mega Development Deal

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(Illustration of Cedar Island, a new artificial island project proposed for off the coast of Lebanon). Environmentalists in Beirut’s American University are calling it a disaster:  A Lebanese company is looking to build mega artificial islands like Palm Island in Dubai, but in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Lebanon. They are calling it […]

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