Interview: Behind Niyya’s Design-Minded Prayer Mats with Founder Myhra Mirza

Balancing tradition and style, the brand encourages expression of identity with pride

Religious wares are oftentimes traditional, ornate (even outdated) and this makes sense considering they’re rooted in rituals that are thousands of years old. It’s not common that a religious object is functional and authentic while also being contemporary and design-forward. But for Brooklyn-based designer Myhra Mirza, prayer mats (used predominantly within the Muslim faith) existed on two ends of the spectrum: they were either traditional …

Test Drive: 2020 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC 63

We drive the atypical SUV through Amenia in upstate New York

The first clue that the new 2020 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC 63 differs from most other SUVs appears at the first intersection we arrive at after leaving the 250-year-old Troutbeck Inn in Amenia, NY. As the S version we’re in approaches the corner, a front camera view of the road appears on the center display screen with the name of the street ahead overlaid in blue, …

Researchers Find Emissions-Free Way to Make Cement

Researchers at MIT have developed a way (though admittedly experimental) to produce emissions-free cement—that means the manufacturing process “releases no carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.” This is a hugely significant breakthrough, as cement manufacturing (for the intention of making concrete) is responsible for almost 10% of global emissions. The process includes an electrochemical method, which would replace the current one, which is dependent on fossil-fuels. …