Posted in Business & Politics on Nov 18th, 2008
According to Forbes (2006), she is the richest woman in the Middle East, with assets totaling $5.5 billion. Today she has found a way to merge business and do-gooding for the planet, setting an example for future environmental philanthropists and clean technology experts. Shari Arison, who inherited the Carnival Cruise Line’s fortune and her late [...]
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Posted in Business & Politics on Nov 13th, 2008
The New York Time’s columnist Thomas Friedman presented his energy policy on The Daily Show yesterday, November 11, while promoting his book “Hot, Flat and Crowded: why we need a green revolution“:
Watch the video:
Tom Friedman: [. . .] A world where . . . energy technology - clean water, clean power - is going to [...]
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Posted in Architecture & Urban on Sep 26th, 2008
On of the most depressing bus rides I have ever taken in Israel was a late-night local from Kfar Saba to Tel Aviv. In addition to its sheer length (an hour and a half ride for a trip that should take 40 minutes), the bus went from suburb to suburb, revealing identical buildings and streetscapes [...]
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Posted in Science & Technology on Sep 22nd, 2008
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a bee virus leading to the widespread deaths of worker bees, has long signified a threat to agricultural industries.
It’s not the honey that’s important in agriculture–it’s pollination, and therefore the effects of CCD on this process can be devastating.
But now Israeli company Beeologics has discovered a cure for CCD, which has [...]
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Posted in Business & Politics on Sep 11th, 2008
There are many types of environmental activists. Not only are there those concerned with one type of environmental issue rather than another (such as being more of an advocate for organic farming than for alternative energy), but there are those involved to a higher degree than others.
No matter their differences, however, the big picture and [...]
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Posted in Business & Politics on Aug 12th, 2008
Can environmental professionals from Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority help solve the epic water battles in California? How similar are the issues of water scarcity and political conflict in the Middle East to those in the Western United States? Can recent examples of successful conflict resolution and cooperation for environmental gains in the Middle East provide valuable lessons for [...]
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Posted in Science & Technology on Jul 24th, 2008
Israel’s fastest-growing supermarket chain is the upscale Tiv Taam, where customers can browse shelves of international beers, pick through extensive cheese selections and even purchase pancetta to include in their gourmet dishes at home. At Hinnawi, a Yafo-based butcher with a branch inside the shopping mall in Ramat Aviv, customers can choose between 17 kinds [...]
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Posted in Lifestyle & Culture on Jun 27th, 2008
(Retro second hand lights for sale in the Jaffa flea market)
We had just settled into a quiet cottage near the Dead Sea. Despite the 40-degree heat outside our windows, we were still excited about getting out to float in the mineral-rich salty water. My friends had their swimsuits on and were just out the door. [...]
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Posted in Science & Technology on Mar 22nd, 2008
Analysts from Tel Aviv University and San Francisco offer sound solutions for looming energy crises:
With electricity rates soaring as much as 150% since 2001, and predictions of severe and regular blackouts in states such as Washington and Virginia, there’s a clear need for new thinking about electricity.
A recipe for preventing a dark future comes by [...]
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Posted in Lifestyle & Culture on Jan 17th, 2008
I recently had the opportunity to interview poet laureate and known environmental activist Robert Hass (full interview is here).Hass was in Israel for the “Poetic Natures” conference in Tel Aviv last week, and while he was here he explored some of Israel’s unique environmental features.Among many topics, Hass spoke about the environmental parallels between Israel [...]
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