Under the direction of Islamic arts expert İlhan Alemdar, the Louvre Museum in Paris recently open an exhibition on Islamic art and culture, containing some 20,000 drawings, paintings, sculptures, and other works of art acquired from private and corporate owners. The Hurriyet Daily News reports that Alemdar has 25 years of experience in Islamic art…

Greenpeace recently released its annual “Clicking Clean” report that scores Internet and tech companies on their energy choices and commitment to green energy — and Apple received a perfect score of 100 for the second year in a row. According to a May 12 Apple Insider article, Apple received A’s all across the board; earning…

One of Paris’s most iconic features is set to get a makeover, clearing the way for more joggers and bicyclists and eliminating car traffic altogether. CityLab reports that the banks of the Seine will be car-free by the summer of next year. Cars are already banned on a good portion of its left bank, but…

Muslims and Jews are at odds, again, over one of the most significant religious locations in the world — the Dome of the Rock. This time, it’s a result of a remodeling project that some say could actually have covered up hidden secrets from the Bible. What began as a routine carpet replacement project now…

The Edmonds (WA) school district is deliberating about whether to install field lights in a local baseball field at a former high school. MyEdmondsNews.com reports that Phil Olberchts, the City of Edmonds Hearing Examiner, recommended to the school board on April 10th that they should not install field lights as part of a planned restoration…

Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) have been doing very well in 2015 as their volume and ultimate popularity go up. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that although interest rates have gone up slightly, CMBS are growing at an impressive rate, surpassing quarter volumes from the past two years. Interest rates did increase, although that hasn’t stopped the issuance of CMBS.…

The United States Embassy and residences of diplomats in Moscow are getting a facelift with new window treatments, to the tune of $1.2 million. The U.S. State Department has finally settled on a contractor to complete the work, which will take place at the Embassy and diplomatic residences in the Russian city. The government contract,…

Laws are sometimes pretty hard to understand, considering the fact that they’re written in Legal English, which uses a different grammatical structure and often lacks punctuation. However, the message of one new law in West Hollywood is loud and clear: all single-stall restrooms in businesses and public places must be gender-neutral, and can’t restrict usage…

In the United States, tattoos are often more than a form of personal decoration: an estimated 29% of tattooed Americans surveyed said their tattoos made them feel rebellious, a sensation that is corroborated by the contempt many people still feel towards this type of body modification. A similar attitude towards tattoos reportedly exists in Iraq,…

As one runner crossed the finish line in last Sunday’s Tucson Marathon, he broke a world record: running marathons barefoot in all 50 states. “I have stepped in just about everything you can think of,” Eddie Vega told the local ABC affiliate on Dec. 7. “Dog poop half a dozen times, nails, screws and rocks.” But…