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President Jacob Zuma says ‘Frack You’ to Karoo

The process that will be used to extract the gas – hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’ – is carried out by drilling deep into the earth and injecting hundreds of millions of litres of a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals into shale rock, which in turn releases shale gas. The flow-back liquid from this process is highly radioactive.


21 February 2014 0

Make Pinnacle a heritage and eco-tourism site

The history of Rastafari in Jamaica is marred by not so sweet stories. Nevertheless, sweeping it under the rug does the country no good and clearly says “Jamaica is still ashamed of Rastafari”. While the Jamaican establishment laments Rasta’s lack of political mobilisation and the fact that they often operate on the fringes of the economy, there is no denying the deep cultural impact they have had on the island.


9 February 2014 0

Plant a vegetable garden today

Plant a vegetable garden today JOBURG – Bring out your inner green thumb and start your own home garden patch. January 21, 2014 Grow your own vegetables in your backyard.…
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21 January 2014 0

Interview with Bene M’Poko – Ambassador from the DRC to South Africa

The Ambassador from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to South Africa, Bene M’Poko paid a visit to the Children of Fire in Auckland Park to thank the charity for sending another mission of occupational therapists to Kinshasa.


13 January 2014 0

Desmond Tutu’s Sophiatown connection

Maybe this is why, when 14 year old Tutu was diagnosed with tuberculosis, the popular priest would visit his beside every weekend bringing books and great conversation. Tutu was hospitalised for two years and it was this grounding with Huddleston that strengthened his faith in Christianity, eventually leading him to a life of service through the church.


8 January 2014 0

Are Joburg’s densification plans environmentally sound?

The city’s Corridor of Freedom plans to go through this area in its bid to develop Johannesburg as an easily commutable city. It hopes to dismantle the spatial and social legacy of apartheid characterised by racial segregation by creating easily accessible, high-density developments to break down the barriers of isolation and exclusion.


25 November 2013 0

Environmental implication of Joburg’s mining history

The epicentre of the tremor was said to be beneath UJ’s Auckland Park campus by the Council for Geoscience but Dr van Niekerk suspects that a more accurate analysis would find the tremor started at a nearby mine shaft.

“It is very difficult to come up with an epicentre because it takes a lot of reading data, but there are no old mine shafts underneath the university itself so it is highly unlikely. UJ may just have been used as it is a recognisable landmark. Now, if you go just over Brixton hill to the southern side of Brixton Ridge, there are many abandoned open mines. If these mine shafts collapse, they will obviously cause the place to shake.”


18 November 2013 0

Johannesburg – urban forest

Lucky for residents of the northern suburbs, we have the advantage of this lush greenery and other beautiful flora and fauna that make the natural environment an unforgettable part of living this side of the city centre.


14 November 2013 0

Why we need trees

The trees in our suburbs serve many purposes. They beautify our communities and release oxygen while offsetting carbon dioxide. They also moderate the climate by regulating the effects of the sun, wind and rain. What’s more is that trees and the soil they root in help to absorb run-off water associated with stormy weather.


13 November 2013 0

The European Bee-Eater stops in Joburg

The birds fly the treacherous journey from central and eastern Europe cross the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Desert to settle in Southern Africa. Bee-eaters from France, Spain and Italy fly across the Sahara to West Africa. Their ideal African grounds are sandy riversides or cliff sides – hence their attraction to Northcliff Ridge.


17 October 2013 0