War stressful for geckos and reptiles
What is the taste of honey from bees collecting pollen during a war? Do snakes feel stress? A new study shows that war impacts the least expected creatures
war
Mudhif, an Iraqi guesthouse, from reed grass connects American veterans to their trauma
Mudhifs have traditionally been used for town meetings and ceremonies. At the Roxborough site, it will serve as a gathering place to share experiences of war through storytelling, healing and recovery among U.S. Veterans, Iraqi immigrant communities and the public.
World’s largest trash mural makes life in Syria a little less awful
Anyone who hasn’t been to Syria in the last few years can’t possibly grasp the full extent of the horrors Syrians have endured, but we do know it has been unspeakably hard. To take the edge off, a handful of artists in Damascus built what the Guinness Book of Records recently confirmed is the world’s […]
Syria’s chemical weapons will be dumped into the Mediterranean Sea
The good news is that 800 tons of Syria’s chemical weapons are scheduled to be destroyed before the end of December. The bad news is, the byproducts of this chemical weapon destruction will be dumped into the Mediterranean Sea where they could damage fragile ecosystems.
Rhino Skin Portable Bomb Shelter’s Got Your Back in War
We don’t want to perpetuate any kind of hype during this immensely sensitive time in the Middle East, but now does seem like a good opportunity to share an Israeli design for a portable bomb shelter that’s got your back during war.
Army Junk Sunk as Artificial Reefs off Lebanese Coast – Fish Tanks?!?
The Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Lebanon has seen better days. Elders might recall a time when the water was clear and teeming with color and life, but for the few last years, the waters have been practically devoid of life, and scuba diving more apocalyptic than fun. Until Dr. Michel Chalhoub, a Beirut-based engineer, […]
The Kiss in Syria – Tammam Azzan’s Golden Hope Goes Viral
It is rare for an artist from the Middle East to achieve global acclaim, yet Tammam Azzan’s name has appeared in all of the world’s major newspapers and blogs over the last couple of weeks – all for a golden kiss. Reaching his hand down to squeeze the hearts of passive observers in a way […]
A look at Islam’s Eid al-Adha 2012 Across the Middle East
This time of year marks one of Islam’s most sacred holidays, Eid al-Adha. The four-day holiday corresponds with the height of the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which draws two million Muslim pilgrims a year. Eid began Friday and will end Monday, the last day of the Hajj. When traveling in Palestinian […]
Israel Chemicals AquaTabs to Purify Syria’s Dirty Water
A deal was brokered over the weekend that will allow a subsidiary of Israel Chemicals to sell water purification tablets that will be used to purify dirty water in Syria. Already a near-dry state, Syria’s drinking water supply has deteriorated sharply since the onset of a bloody war that has displaced and killed thousands of people. Special […]
Kurdish Self-Rule Spreading in War-Torn Syria
Could a united Kurdistan mean a victory for the peoples’ natural resources: energy, and mighty rivers? Against the backdrop of the civil war raging in Syria, Syrian Kurds are moving towards self-rule. The Syrian government has relinquished many Kurdish communities to local control. Kurdish flags fly over former government buildings in northeastern Syria. Many new […]
Climate Change Could be as Dangerous to Syria as Bashar al-Assad
Five thousand Syrians have died since the uprising started but climate change could kill many more in this dry country. Approximately 5,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began in March last year, according to UN estimates, and an additional 600 detainees and political prisoners have died under torture. And yet there is […]