Perhaps the biblical teachings — and that of the youth — is that, instead of abolishing the free market system, we should simplify it
Environment
Posted inEnvironment
Botanical gardens re-imagined go beyond simply displaying plants
Covid-19 and its socioeconomic consequences has emphasised people’s need for these places: research, biodiversity conservation, plants for food, health and cultural purposes, and open space in congested urban settings
Posted inEnvironment
Crimson carbon footprint
Disposable menstrual products are a huge source of single-use plastic packaging. Tampon applicators, for example, ultimately find their way into marine environments posing as detrimental a threat to marine life as plastic straws do In January, South Africa joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global plastic pact network which encourages multilateral collaboration to accelerate the transition […]
Posted inEnvironment
Lockdown regulations stoke energy poverty
And people who cannot afford electricity resort to burning biomass for warmth and cooking which has a detrimental effect on health
Posted inEnvironment, Equality, General, Health, Lifestyle
How do we fight racism when our schools are racially disintegrated?
By Lehlohonolo Mofokeng The brutal killing of a black man by the police force in the United States of America evoked in me what Chabani Manganyi noted in his seminal book Being Black in the World. In this book, Manganyi argues that there are two interwoven existential realities of being black—one positive and the other […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, Lifestyle, Media
Art and mind: Healing arts in public health spaces
By Dr Thirusha Naidu Creativity, like mental illness, is mysterious to most. It is an inexplicable yet distinctly human attribute. Historically, creatives have been admired, revered, feared, ostracised and persecuted. From the genius of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity to JK Rowling’s Harry Potter, Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, to ingenious hackers or clever moms who conjure […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, Lifestyle
Now, more than ever, we need Social and Emotional Learning skills interventions
By Dr Gloria Marsay Covid-19 has shown globally that there is a need for people to learn strategies to deal with adversity. Strategies to deal with anger, anxiety, fear, depression, loneliness, sadness, grief and loss. Elke Van Hoof, professor of health psychology and primary care psychology at Vrije University in Brussels, wrote an article entitled […]
Posted inEnvironment, Equality, Gender violence, Health
Intersecting gender and resiliency – especially during Covid-19
By Amori Marais The grip of calamities is tightening across the world: Covid-19 is causing a global pandemic; parts of Australia are (still) burning; and war continues its reign. Additionally, there are individuals who, on a daily basis, are confronted with famine; drought; minimal access to running water; and other natural disasters, such as floods, […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, Lifestyle
Becoming “Hope Providers” during Covid-19: We can either choose anger or courage
By Dr Gloria Marsay There has been much debate around the concept of hope. There are opinions for and against the thought of whether hope is a strategy or not. World leaders have expressed their opinions. Barack Obama spoke about embracing hope and change. Rudy Giuliani disagreed with him and retorted that “change […]
Posted inEnvironment, General, News/Politics
Two dozen questions for the President
Dear President Ramaphosa, I have two dozen questions for you, please feel free to answer them in the comments section below. 1. Where are the success stories from Affirmative Action and Black Empowerment, that say the deserving beneficiaries as connected have started new businesses, not simply borrowed money to buy into existing businesses, that were […]
Posted inEnvironment, Equality, Gender violence, General, Health, News/Politics
At the trough or the bowl
Imagine for a moment that the human race was extinct and that instead in its place several billion humanoid pigs had taken up residence on planet earth. Pigs, yeah let’s say pigs — or dogs, or cats or birds for that matter, it doesn’t really make a difference. Let’s say that these pigs (or dogs […]
Posted inEnvironment, News/Politics
Patriotism is the last refuge of the coward
There are many things that signal the virtue of cowardice. A prolonged and deep reliance on patriotism is just one of them. To say that the South Africa in which we now live is a project in progress is to deny two things. Firstly that the republic is the same republic as from 1961 and […]