Unexpected and Romantic: Hot Middle Eastern Valentine’s Getaways

Lee Nunley — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:00:00 -0800

This Valentine's Day, while others are surprising their lovers with routine island getaways, or for a lucky few, trips to romantic, and increasingly expensive Europe, wouldn't it be nice to rekindle your flame with a trip to an exotic destination?

The Nile (from WikiMedia)

These vacation spots, some undiscovered by Americans, and others now on the beaten path, but no less intriguing, are guaranteed to make anyone other beg for more. read more »

Making the Electric Car Work: Can Israel Succeed?

Lee Nunley — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 05:00:00 -0800

Renault's, soon to be electric, Megane. (from Channel4.com)

When a country can't buy oil from most of the Middle East, there are a few smart things to do: reduce consumption, buy from somewhere else, or, introduce the most revolutionary electric car infrastructure ever. For Israel, it's doing all three. read more »

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A Universe of Man-Made Islands Coming to Dubai?

Lee Nunley — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:00:00 -0800

The proposed Universe Islands, depicted just under The World Islands

Sunday, on the heels of the completion of a massive project, property development company, Nakheel, unveiled another Dubai mega-project. If given the go ahead, The Universe Islands would add more than 7,500 acres worth of man-made islands to an already crowded coastline. read more »

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A Second Life in Israel

Lee Nunley — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:10:00 -0800

Image from CO-STAR BlogSecond Life Israel was launched Sunday, enabling Second Life users from around the world to visit Israel's beaches and historic sites. The virtual state, preceded by a whole Jewish neighborhood in Second Life, is a work in progress, meant to, "present Israel to a global audience beyond the traditional media," according to co-founder Chaim Landau. read more »

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World Islands - Dubai's Groundbreaking Megaproject is Completed

Lee Nunley — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:58:00 -0800

Digital Rendering of the World Islands

The much touted World Islands in Dubai were officially completed Thursday, after the final stone in a surrounding breakwater was set. Stretching off the coast of Dubai, the World Islands are manmade islands in the formation of a map of the world. read more »

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A Dance Club for Gay Muslims

Lee Nunley — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:30:00 -0800

Gayhane at SO36 (from The New York Times)

Outside of the confines of the Middle East, where homosexuality is still expressly forbidden, a new community is springing up at a nightclub in Berlin. The nightclub, SO36, is hosting a monthly event called ‘Gayhane', which gives homosexual Muslims, mostly of Arab and Turkish descent, the opportunity to connect with others of similar backgrounds. read more »

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Saudi Blogger Detained Indefinitely

Lee Nunley — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:01 -0800

Fouad al-Farhan (center)

On December tenth, Saudi blogger Fouad al-Farhan was detained for questioning by the Saudi Interior Ministry. In a case that has invoked international condemnation, possible charges against Farhan have not been elaborated on, except for a brief statement by a Ministry spokesman, stating that, Farhan was detained "for violating rules not related to state security." read more »

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Islamic Car to Be Ready in 2011

Lee Nunley — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:42:43 -0800

Iran Khodro's Popular Samand Line

A spokesperson for Iranian company, Iran Khodro, says its "Islamic Car" should be readily available throughout the Middle East, parts of Asia, and Africa, in three years. The car will have options including a compass to find Mecca and a compartment for a Koran. read more »

Business Cars and Motors Fun Innovation International News Products Travel Islamic car Iran Khodro Iran Proton cars autos news middle east

Fighting Prostate Cancer with Fungus

Lee Nunley — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 04:27:10 -0800

The Lingzhi Mushroom (from WikiMedia)

Researchers at the University of Haifa, in Israel, have found a way to slow the progression of prostate cancer by using molecules derived from the Ganoderma lucidum fungus. read more »

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The Future of Despotism: Blogging the Iranian Presidency

Lee Nunley — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:04:07 -0800

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

While some in the U.S. may feel that a lack of governmental transparency here has led to significant shortfalls in recent policy decisions, those in Iran are getting the chance to chime in on policy while simultaneously learning a little bit about the mind of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Fun Funny Innovation International Lifestyle Miscellaneous Parenting Technology Travel Websites Weird or Wacky Iran blog blogging Mahmoud Ahmadinejad President of Iran censorship

AquaMaker Creates Water from Thin Air

Lee Nunley — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 06:06:06 -0800

The AquaMaker AM10

In Israel, where water is scarce, a new device allows people to generate water from air. read more »

Israel to Install Innovative Motion Sensors

Lee Nunley — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:24:29 -0800

Stock picture of IDF unit (from Wikipedia)

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is considering a move to install underground motion sensors at Israel's border with Gaza. These innovative new sensors, developed by Sonic Lynx, are capable of discerning different objects, including humans, animals, and vehicles. According to Sonic Lynx' CEO, the sensors distinguish objects by using "seismic and acoustic fluctuations". read more »

Business Gadgets Innovation International Invention Miscellaneous Products Technology Travel Israel Defense Gaza Palestine Occupied Territories Sonic Lynx motion detector IDF sensors

Pimp My Ride Going To The Middle East ?

Lee Nunley — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 04:27:35 -0800

mtvarabia

Friday, MTV unveiled an Arabic language music video channel. MTV Arabia now provides Arabic music videos, as well as other MTV programs, to Middle Eastern audiences. read more »

Your Gas Dollars At Work - The World’s Fastest Executive Jet

Lee Nunley — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:53:45 -0800

Aerion's planned interior.

Ever wonder where the 90 cents per gallon of gas spent on crude oil goes? Well, besides giant buildings in Kuwait and guaranteed education in Saudi Arabia, some of it goes towards more luxurious objects. Like Ferraris, or penthouse apartments at Time Warner Center, or maybe even a supersonic jet, capable of going 1.6 times the speed of sound. read more »

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Robot Camel Jockey Wins Invention Prize

Lee Nunley — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:42:35 -0800

A robot camel jockey preps for race (from National Geographic).

A robot camel jockey, invented by the Qatar Scientific Club, won for Best Invention at the First International Exhibition for Inventions. The robot camel jockey, a seemingly odd invention here in the West, is meant to replace child jockeys in the Persian Gulf. read more »

Only in Dubai: A VPN as Illegal as Porn

Lee Nunley — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 06:33:03 -0800

(from ITP.net)

On Thursday, the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), an organization that regularly bans websites in the Emirates, declared that subscribing to a UK based Virtual Private Network (VPN) is as illegal as ‘smuggled DVDs or pornography.' read more »

Kuwait Plans to Build World's Tallest Building

Lee Nunley — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:13:43 -0800

The Proposed Burj Mubarak Al-Kabir (from WikiMedia)

Perhaps inspired by nearby Dubai, Kuwaiti Municipal officials approved a plan Thursday, to construct what will be the world's tallest building when completed. The Burj Mubarak Al-Kabir, part of the Madinat Al-Hareer (City of Silk), is planned to soar to a height of 1,001 meters (3,284 ft). read more »

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Peace (Canal) in the Middle East?

Lee Nunley — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 05:49:47 -0800

Map of Jordan, Israel and Western Syria (from WikiMedia)

Though similar efforts in the past have failed, a prominent Israeli, Boaz Wachtel, believes that a so-called ‘Peace Canal' can bring peace to the Middle East. Well to Israel and its neighbors at least. read more »

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Revolutionary Refinery Gets More Out of Crude Oil

Lee Nunley — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 19:30:11 -0700

HS-FCC Test Refinery in Saudi Arabia (from Nippon Oil)

A newly designed, revolutionary refinery, capable of turning heavy gas-oils into higher value stock, has the go-ahead for an opening date in 2010. read more »

More Muslim Competition for Barbie

Lee Nunley — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 22:16:27 -0700

Salma Doll (from the Salma website)In the competitive world market for Barbie-like dolls a new contender has emerged. Salma, from the word ‘peace' in Arabic, is a new Barbie inspired doll that promotes positive Islamic values. The new doll, created by Sukmawati Suryaman, an Indonesian businesswomen, is the latest competition to Mattel's Barbie doll in the Muslim world. read more »

World's Largest Ad Debuts in Dubai

Lee Nunley — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 10:52:51 -0700

Aerial photo of Sorouh's advertisement.

The world's largest advertisement debuted in Dubai today. Sorouh Real Estate is paying UK based company, Ad-Air, an undisclosed amount of money for a 215,278 square foot (20,000 sq m) advertisement that can be seen by outgoing and incoming passengers at Dubai International Airport. read more »

Golden Era of Islam Becomes Video Game

Lee Nunley — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:59:08 -0700

Our Guest Blogger, Lee Nunley, is a recent college graduate who has
lived in Cairo and Budapest. He currently resides in Denver and is
working on a book-centered Web 2.0 project. He wanted to share news about the innovations in the Middle East with the readers of InventorSpot.com.

Here's his article:

* * * * * read more »

A new video game allows players in the Middle East to experience the historical period of the rise of Islam.

Facebook not Banned in UAE

Lee Nunley — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 05:29:57 -0700

Here's his article:

* * * * * read more »

Recent problems accessing the social networking site, Facebook, were not a result of censorship, the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced Thursday.

World’s Tallest Building, And It Isn’t Even Finished

Lee Nunley — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 03:01:54 -0700

Here's his article:

* * * * *

The world’s tallest building is now located in Dubai, UAE, but the surprise is, the building is not projected to be completed until 2008. read more »

Any Smart and Educated People Left in the Middle East?

Lee Nunley — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 05:01:28 -0700

Here's his article:

* * * * * read more »

While it has long been known that there is a serious shortage of educated talent in much of the Middle East, a new report by the Economist Intelligence Unit has painted a gloomy picture of the region’s ability to attract and retain educated workers.

Millions in the Gulf to Lose Visas?

Lee Nunley — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 03:38:32 -0700

Beach and Burj al-Arab: From TravelingDubai.com

Here's his article:

* * * * * read more »

Millions of expats living in the Gulf countries could lose their visas, and be forced to leave Gulf countries, if a new proposal by Bahrain is passed.