Even though it has no peat moss or bogs, the Holy Land is about to start producing whiskey.

Producing quality distilled whiskey in the Land of Milk and Honey has been tried in the past, but has not been  successful. This situation may change, however, due to efforts by a trio of young Israeli entrepreneurs who are determined to produce quality single malt whiskey that could rival anything now being produced in the world’s finest whiskey distilleries.

The trio: Tomer Goren, Simon Fried and Nir Gilat want to go a step beyond the average blended Scotch whiskey offered by large commercial distillers and produce a fine aged “single malt” product that will hold its own, quality wise, against traditional whiskies distilled in either the hills and moors of Scotland or the green glades of the Irish Emerald Isle.

To top everything off, the trio’s Milk & Honey whisky products are to be strictly kosher; so much so, that even the most discriminating ultra orthodox Jew will be able accept it. The whiskey will be made under strict rabbinical supervision and will be made from strictly kosher basic ingredients.

A renowned British chemist and scientific consultant for the whiskey industries, Jim Swan, will serve as the master distiller for the enterprise and will be instructed in Jewish kosher food production laws as well.

Israel’s previous experience in producing Scotch whiskey occurred more than 40 years back when a local spirits producing company, National Distillers, opened a Scotch Whiskey distillery in the Galilee development town of Carmiel in 1971. This was done under guidance from a Scottish company who provided the manufacturing know how.

For a while, the blended whisky product they made and marked under the Ascot label was received well by both the Israeli public and by purchasers abroad; until the Scotch Whiskey Association together with manufacturers of well known  Scottish brand whiskies sued National Distillers for misleading the public into thinking their product produced in Carmiel was true Scotch whisky. This ended the ill fated venture and put the idea of producing Israeli distilled whisky into the deep freeze – until now.

In order to produce a fine product like single malt whiskey, the ingredients must be undergo a fermentation and aging process that takes at least 3 years until it can be marketed. In order to provide income during this time (until the first batch is ready for sale) the trio plans to produce other alcohol products, including beer.

“We dreamed about whiskey, but in the coming years we’ll produce gin, rum, bourbon and local liqueur until the time for marketing our whiskey arrives, things will be interesting for us,” said Tomer Goren to Haaretz.

They also need to find  ways to come up with funds available to produce their products as local banks are not keen on giving loans for making alcohol-based products.

Goren says that they want Israelis to be proud of having such a fine product as single malt whiskey made locally and not only imported. When asked how another whisky product will affect the problem of excessive alcohol consumption the trio has an answer for that as well: “It’s very easy to blame the alcohol companies for all the bad things that happen to us (as a result of alcohol consumption related problems), but in the final analysis, it’s all a matter of education about the culture of drinking,” says Goren to a local paper.

More on alcohol in the Middle East:
Ancient Wine Press for “Pauper’s Wine” and Vinegar Unearthed in Israel
Boycott  Wine Until Vineyard No Longer Animal Death Trap?
Why Muslims Don’t Drink Alcohol
Drinking Beer in Cans and Other Middle East Regional Recycling Problem

The post Kosher single malt whiskey: Milk & Honey Distillery whisky appeared first on Green Prophet.

Jalal Elwalid is largely responsible for making kitesurfing such a popular sport in Libya, where the former regime outlawed certain sports, Brownbook Magazine reports.

He owns the country’s only dedicated kitesurfing shop in Gargaresh, an upscale Tripoli neighborhood, and recently arranged a gathering of some 30 surfers at Farwa Island.

One of our favorite Middle East beach getaways, this small strip of island in the Mediterranean is said to be great for kite surfers since there are wind and water conditions for everyone – from the trainee surfer to the most intrepid and veteran.

“It’s a great feeling,” Jasem Al Okez, a surfer from Zuwara, told Brownbook Magazine on a fishing boat packed with water sports enthusiasts. “We fought for such freedoms.”

Albeit predominantly a man’s sport in Libya, there were two women on the trip from Tripoli to Farwa Island that Elwalid arranged. One of them is an interior designer whose father disagrees with her hobby choice and a conceptual artist.

Apart from a lycra hijab, the women are virtually indistinguishable from the men in their wetsuits, and everybody is treated as equal in the group.

Surfing and kitesurfing have taken off in other parts of the Middle East as well, with small groups of water lovers popping up across the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf.

In some cases, water sports are something of a tool for activists – not just for locals, but for foreigners as well. Grant Shilling surfed for peace last year, a mission he discussed in an interview with Green Prophet, and Irish surf extraordinaire Easkey Britton became the first woman to surf in Iran.

And then in Israel, a kite surfer developed solar technology using tricks from his favorite sport.

Formerly something of a “western” sport, kite surfing has definitely taken on its own personality and style throughout the Middle East and North Africa. And we love it.

:: Brownbook Magazine

Image via Naziha Arebi

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As though arriving in Dubai for the first time with nothing but $272 in his pocket, the Pakistani-Canadian entrepreneur will first get a job as a scrap collector and then work his way up from there. He will live with eight or ten other men in squalid conditions – like so many do in Dubai – and document the entire process with a three-person film crew. 

Inspired by a young Pakistani scrap collector he met, Mirza wants to see how far he can stretch his initial sum of money in order to highlight opportunities for the poor.

Once he gets a leg up as a scrap collector, he intends to find other jobs either online or using newspaper classifieds. He will exchange his services for room and board, if he can.

He will then distribute the DVD that Mirza Productions will generate over the 33 day ordeal for free. He will also pass out 100 survival kits to some of the most enterprising people he meets along the way, which will include mobile phone top ups and a Nol card that provides a few rides on Dubai public transportation.

This kit will also include tips for eating well and suggest places for  purchasing nourishing food.

Mirza seems to suggest that with a touch of pluck and ingenuity, even the most uneducated person on the street can improve their lot. And it’s an interesting experiment.

But it’s also borderline insulting. With his camera crew and pedigree, employers won’t  treat him with the same disdain that many foreign workers experience in the Emirate and he already has “reached the top” if living in a giant skyscraper is one’s definition of the high life.

He does acknowledge this, but claims that his project is about demonstrating to Dubai’s shadow people that it is possible to get somewhere from nowhere. In theory at least.

“The idea is to bounce back in 33 days, not to make millions but be stable,” Mr Mirza told The National. “Let’s see what Dubai has to offer.”

We’re kind of hoping Dubai has a nice big serving of humble pie on the menu.

Image of Burj Khalifa, Shutterstock

The post Burj Khalifa Resident Arif Mirza to Slum it in Dubai Reality Show appeared first on Green Prophet.

By some accounts this is good. Quality of life has improved for some people, the place is modernizing. But this new world order has not only created environmental hazards such as poor waste and water management, it has also dealt cinema the death knell. And one man is valiantly trying to forestall its complete demise.Brownbook Magazine recently interviewed Hassan Belkady, the owner of the legendary ABC Cinema on Boulevard Mohamed V.

Belkady’s family took possession of the theater once a French ban in the 1950s, which prohibited Moroccans from owning movie theaters, was lifted and King Mohamed V returned from exile.

It was once a bustling place that shone during cinema’s golden age. From Black and White classics to local films, ABC Cinema was at the cutting edge of the moving image industry.

When Belkady’s father fell ill in the 1980s, there was no question but that he would take over. A self-confessed “Cinephile,” the dentist has plied his own money into this and three other cinemas to keep the industry alive.

He spent a decade slowly renovating each building so that they would have the comforts of a mega cineplex but the ambience of the original red curtain days when people dressed in their best clothes to see a new flick.

ABC Cinema continues to offer the best, including a weekly art house film put on with help from the French Cultural Institute, but Belkady admits that the tradition itself has suffered.

“Also, every year we lose many movie theatres here in Morocco,’ he told Brownbook Magazine. ‘This year, there are only about 30 theatres left and they suffer from a bad reputation for safety and cleanliness.’

While his theaters are clean and equipped with modern sound and seating, keeping people interested in the cinematic experience amid the new You Tube, iPad reality, where it’s easier and cheaper to watch movies on a tiny screen, is a challenge.

Belkady says that despite all the obstacles, he is ready to keep fighting.

:: Brownbook Magazine

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But out of such a place emerged a fascinating culture. The ethnic Tajiks and their simple, tribal way of life are not well known to the outside world, however, something that Chinese photographer XinZhao Li sought to change.

In order to do justice to a community that has lived in relative obscurity, it’s so important to become fully acquainted with their customs. Nothing is more disrespectful than an artist or photographer who does “drive-by” shooting without bothering to get to the know the people they are photographing.

Clearly this was not how Li approached her subject.

In addition to being beautifully-composed images with spectacular detail, they are sensitive and warm, and portray a kind of vitality that is not easy to capture on digital film.

Located on the historic Silk Road, Tashkurgan is now a market town. People travel there to purchase sheep and wool and woolen products, including carpets, and orchards circle the county’s circumference.

The Tajiks in this region speak Sarikoli and have very little access to the luxuries we take for granted: medical facilities are sparse, and electricity and communication networks are erratic.

Li’s images unveil the extraordinary resilience of the people who continue to eke out a life in this high desert environment. They are pictured with tools, a small beat up vehicle, donkeys, pets and in intimate settings rarely afforded to outsiders.

Called Through The Unknown Tashkurgan, this remarkable photographic series was captured with a Hasselblad large-format digital camera and Profoto lighting.

Read what the artist says about her experience living among the Tajiks:

In Tashkurgan, due to the cold weather, lack of nutrients and altitude sickness, I was ill half the time and was then unable to undertake the photographic mission.I have witnessed childbirth, tribal marriages, unforeseen sickness, snow storm, avalanche, gazing into the stars whilst bathing in mysterious hot-springs, discovered Saussurea – a rare and precious Chinese herb, saving the lives of endangered animals, being placed under gun points as a spy suspect, car accidents, punctured tires, spending chilly nights alone in road side warehouses in the midst of getting lost driving at the country’s border – a woman’s nightmare scenario for being raped, torn ligaments of my swollen ankles, and putting myself relentlessly into all kinds of joyful and stressful situations.

Visit XinZhao Li’s profile on See Me for more beautiful images of the Tajiks of Taskurgan.

Via Feature Shoot

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But I must say, looking at next year and beyond through the eyes of my young nephews, whose planet has been so radically altered in the last few decades, strengthens my worries about the future. And with it my motivation to do something about it, which is why I decided to sit down and map out a few ways in which I hope to reduce my environmental footprint in 2013. Here are six of my resolutions. Please feel free to share yours in the comment section.

1. Walk the green talk

For many years I have encouraged our readers to live lightly knowing all along that my own footprint could have been smaller too. For example, though I tried as much as possible to use alternative modes of transportation throughout my travels – such as buses and trains – flights between countries were inevitable and my carbon footprint soared. That will change now as I’ve just signed a lease on an apartment for the first time in six long years! My goal is to drastically reduce my travels and settle into a slower, more thoughtful life rhythm.

2. DIY furnishings

It is very difficult to collect a bunch of stuff while traveling, which has been such a liberating part of my travels that I’m determined to keep my more stationary life clutter-free as well. Although a few pieces of furniture will inevitably expand my short list of belongings, I don’t plan to run to the nearest Ikea store to populate my new home. Instead, I intend to scout out previously owned pieces on Freecyle or Craigslist, or in my local antique markets and thrift stores. Then I’ll re-finish them myself. Not only will this be a fun way to spend time and save money, but it gives me greater creative control of my personal sanctuary.

3. Compost and garden

I can’t wait to start growing my own herbs and vegetables. Although I won’t be able to do much of this on my rental property, my sister lives close enough that I’ll be able to grow some of my own food on a small patch of her subsistence farm. I feel increasingly certain that our future survival depends on our ability to reconnect with the earth. This means knowing how to find and grow food, how to stay cool and warm without mechanical assistance, and how to live simply in accordance with nature’s disrupted cycles. Luckily, where I’ll be living in Virginia, we don’t have  a shortage of water, so I don’t have to worry too much about that, though it would be worthwhile to harvest rainwater for use in plumbing systems.

4. Get to zero waste

Although this is changing slowly, it is difficult to find decent recycling facilities in the MENA region, something that always drove me bananas. Our resources are now so scarce and there’s so much waste cluttering every darn waterway from the Nile to the Mississippi that there is absolutely no excuse for throwing away perfectly good can or glass goods (and don’t even get me started on plastic.) Of course, people like the Zabaleen in Cairo and certain public and private organizations throughout the United Arab Emirates are beginning to take recycling more seriously, but I will admit that I look forward to being able to dispose of just about everything that I consume such that getting to zero waste in my own home is an achievable goal.

5. Support local growers

Of course it’s winter time now, so most of my local farms are on hiatus and there aren’t going to be any farmer’s markets on the weekends, but just as soon as the birds start tweeting on Spring mornings, I have every intention of supporting local farmers who grow wholesome, non GMO food. More than elsewhere, shopping for food is a tricky affair in the United States. Every time I walk into a store, I feel like I need to put on my armor. With such loose regulations and influential corporations run amok, it’s very important to read the labels to protect oneself against harmful ingredients. I don’t want to support irresponsible corporations. I want to put my money in the pockets of real people – the hard working mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters who are the backbone of a healthy community.

6. Get political

I’ve come to understand that getting more politically involved is one of the most meaningful contributions I can make to society, something that has been virtually impossible since I’ve been on the road. As soon as I am settled, I plan to pay closer attention to the bills that are passed which affect the food we eat, the water we drink, the land we plough and the air we breathe. Because how can we convince our governments that these things are important if we ourselves ignore them? Recently my sister called her congressman when a new farm bill was about to slip by unnoticed which would have given giants like Monsanto undue freedom they really don’t deserve, and then she convinced her circle of friends to do the same. This is how we make change. First by creating it ourselves in our own homes, and then by holding our elected officials accountable.

Image credit: Happy New Year, Distressed Furniture, Gardening Tools via Shutterstock

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Rumored to be full of fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamin E, argan oil cosmetics produced in the Maghreb are now available throughout the world, and that is a good thing for the women who make them.

Empowering women

There are now 137 cooperatives in Morocco that employ mostly women to produce argan oil, according to The Daily Star.

The argan tree is able to thrive in the desert environment of Morocco thanks to its deep root system that protects it against soil erosion and desertification. Even so, the once ubiquitous tree is now considered endangered and is protected under UNESCO.

In the past, Berber women collected undigested argan nuts from the waste of goats that used to climb into the trees and eat them. These were ground and pressed to make the precious oil. Modern technology bypasses the goats, and argan oil is made from nuts that are taken directly from the trees.

Hundreds of women who were previously unable to feed or clothe their children properly have benefitted from the oil’s surging popularity.

The Ajddigue cooperative alone employs 60 women, who collectively produce 1,000 liters of argan oil a month, though smaller businesses don’t fare as well, especially since the fiscal crisis in Europe has slashed frivolous spending.

Prices for argan oil have dropped by half, according to the Daily Star, to roughly $68 per liter.

Employees at the cooperative are concerned about the slump, but they expect a revival in time. In the meantime, the quality of life for the women living in the stretch of land between Essaouri and Agadir, on the country’s west coast, has improved dramatically.

“Before, they worked at home roasting and crushing the nuts and giving the oil to their husbands to sell. Now, by working together, they are able to earn money for themselves, to support their children and their families,” one assistant worker, Karima, told the paper.

Argan trees in Israel

While indigenous to North Africa, the argan tree grows elsewhere as well – most notably in Israel, where there are approximately 20,000 trees, according to experts. This is healthy for a species that is at risk of overexploitation and changing climes.

“Yields in Israel amount to an average of 60-80 kilos annually, compared to the 8-10 kilos from wild Moroccan trees,” Prof. Elained Solowey from the Arava Institute told Green Prophet.

While this is not expected to slash high prices and argan oil in Israel can’t compete with Morocco’s exotic reputation, Prof. Solowey hopes that within the next five years the country will be able to produce a high quality product that will diversify the industry.

In the meantime, European and American women are buying what they can, when they can.

“One woman from America came into my store and told me that she suffers from terrible skin problems,” the owner of Bubbles in Ghent, Belgium, told Green Prophet recently. “So I recommended that she try my argan oil cream, and she has had no problems at all. Now we ship to America.”

The post Morocco’s Berber Women Empowered by Rare “Miracle Oil” appeared first on Green Prophet.

We wrote a few articles about the potential dangers of cooking with ceramic coated cookware, and the resulting lawsuit filed by one of these cookware manufacturers against the Israeli TV consumer watchdog program, Kolbotek which warned consumers against using the company’s ceramic cookware products.

With all this in mind, the time has come to find out if any new updates have been published regarding safe brands of ceramic cookware that do not release poisonous metals and chemicals to foods during the cooking process.  Known by the scientific name of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), the substance is not only used as a non-stick substance in cookware but also in piping and containers where corrosive chemicals are used. PTFE has a fairly high heat resistance, and has has been found to be fairly reliable for cookware as long as pans containing it are not scratched (resulting in the substance being consumed) and as long excessive cooking heats are not used.

“Fire Sale” of ceramic cookware at Israeli supermarket

Ceramic cookware contains different substances, however; and some brands have been found to contain poisonous metals.

Metal cookware, especially aluminum, coated with substances to make frying easier and with less food sticking to the pan have been in the market for years.

These products began with pans coated with substances that “if consumed in large quantities could be hazardous to human health.”

Health issues related to using non-stick cookware  are still being reported however. A more recent one is an article on Yahoo News dealing with high exposure to  polyflouroalkyl compounds or PFC  by pregnant women resulted in babies born with lower birth weights than women who had not been exposed to these compounds.

The study dealing with these compounds which are also used in other food preparation products (including microwave popcorn bags) also noted that babies born from PFC exposed mothers also were larger at age 20 months, resulting in conditions of being overweight.

The study also concluded that women who were over-exposed to PFC’s during pregnancy more often gave birth to girls who later in life became overweight.

Study researcher Michele Marcus, a professor of epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, recommends the use of stainless steel and iron cookware. She also recommended not warming foods in a microwave using plastic containers.

A complete safe bill of health has still not been found regarding ceramic cookware; although there are some brands that are considered to be safe, as long as excessive cooking heat is not used and a small amount of cooking oil is poured into pan prior to cooking.

The bottom line is to use either ceramic cookware or those coated with PTFE of PFC at your own discretion.

Read more on ceramic and other non-stick cookware:

Ceramic Coated Cooking Ware My be Killing You With Color

Ceramic Cookware Fire Sale After TV Exposure

Ceramic Fry Pan Company Neoflam Sues TV Show for False Report

Image of microwave popcorn bag from Shutterstock

The post Are Cooking Coatings Messing With Birthweights and Bodies? appeared first on Green Prophet.

On the road, you were always by my side. Together we traveled from New York to Los Angeles, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and we braved mountain passes in the Rockies I never thought I could face. It was harder to find you in Africa and the Middle East. At times, I was too poor to afford your finer self and settled for the instant version of you instead. It always felt like cheating. 

We were inseparable and everybody knew it. Nobody dared come between you and me, especially during our fierce early morning embrace, but in the back of my mind I always knew there would come a time when I’d have to say goodbye.

See, Joe, it’s not healthy to love a thing too much. My passion for you was unreasonable. I would get anxious without you by my side and sometimes, lately, I would even get sick if we weren’t together first thing in the morning.

If I wanted to leave the city to trek in the desert or the mountains, I had to plan ahead: how will I bring Joe? Sometimes it seemed like I couldn’t leave, that I couldn’t even spend a single day without a little taste of your sweet love.

Surely, in real love, there should be a space between?

And every time I brought you into me, I knew I was paying the price. That you were sucking the hydration right out of me and quickening my heart rate, but I couldn’t get enough of you. You were my rebellion. With you I told the world I have the right to destroy myself and I kept after you.

Also Joe, and please don’t be hurt when I tell you this, but the earth pays a price to provide for you. It was innocent enough in the beginning, but you are so powerful that everybody wants, nay needs, your beans in their lives.

I wasn’t jealous, but many workers in Guatemala, Kenya and elsewhere also suffer on your behalf and I can’t forgive myself for that. So now is a time for healing: for the earth, for the workers and yes, even for me.

Trust me, it hasn’t been easy. I can hardly pull myself out of bed and I still feel sick for want of you. You’ve left your mark on my soul (and kidneys, no doubt) and I’ll always wonder if I’ve made the right decision. But I know that the pain of losing you will subside over time.

Although I will miss waking up to your intoxicating smile, it will get easier, and I will be healthy again.

Farewell my beloved Joe. Thank you for the good times we shared.

Image: a cup of coffee with a heart, Shutterstock

The post Ode and Farewell to my Daily Cup(s) of Joe appeared first on Green Prophet.

Steaming, not smoking

The National interviewed Gulf-based Leila Ostovar, the Marketing Director of Protract, which is the regional distributor of “healthy” shisha stones. Ostovar explains how Shiazo Steam Stone Shisha works:

“It’s a steam hookah that replaces tobacco leaves with 100 per cent natural stones,” she told the paper.

“People can use them in exactly the same way they would a normal shisha, except when heat is applied to the hookah-head containing the stones, the aroma fluids within them reach their boiling point and vaporise into a thick, flavourful steam instead of tobacco smoke,” she added.

Since users ingest no tobacco or sugar, Ostovar claims this is a far healthier way to enjoy the shisha experience, adding that a regular user, blindfolded, would not be able to distinguish between the stones or tar and nicotine-laced shisha. The steam doesn’t burn. Nor does it make hair and clothes stink.

The company reiterates this message and compares shiazo steam stones to e-cigarettes.

“Shiazo does not generate smoke, because smoke is defined as a combustion product of organic substances with a mixture of solid particles and air. Shiazo is also free of nicotine. By using Shiazo with an electronic charcoal instead of real charcoal also no PAH, heavy metals or carbon monoxide occurs either.”

E-hookahs

Believe it or not, there’s an entire forum devoted to e-cigs and what some people are now calling e-hookahs. A few members of this subculture went back and forth about which is better: e-cigs or e-hookahs.

“well i see e-cigs more of a personal vaporizer (pv) that you just have to yourself. i see hookahs meant to be enjoyed in a social gathering. social vaporizer (sv)? haha. also hookahs have the vapor passing thru water to cool it down. e-cig’s dont do that [sic],” wrote “ECF veteran” vi3tl2ice.

Hmm. Interesting choice of language: social vaporizer. I can’t help that it reminds me of the vapoorizer, a version of which an Israeli inventor actually developed!

In any case, what do the experts have to say about sucking down the steam of aromatic rocks?

The National talked to Shabash K from the Prime Healthcare Group in Dubai, who is not worried about people filling up their lungs with the steam from aromatic stones.

“Steam as such will not cause any problem; it humidifies the airways and liquefies phlegm in your lungs allowing you to spit it out,” the pulmonologist told the paper. “Unlike tobacco, steam won’t cause problems in terms of burning the pulmonary area.”

There are fundamental differences in how e-cigs and steam stones are made and function, but it’s too soon to give this new product the green light. After the fervor of “healthy cigarettes” swept some smokers off their habitual feet, studies emerged that e-cigarettes aren’t as innocuous as they first appeared.

:: The National

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