![Trump’s banned words are “a glossary for resistance and rebuilding the world they are destroying” [Mike Small/Bella Caledonia]](https://obs.org.za/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Screenshot2025-03-17at19.05.24-150x150.jpg)
From New York Times The Alternative – 13 March 2025 Thanks to Mike Small for the cross-post from his Substack. Mike is editor of Bella Caledonia, who are running this fund-raiser – please support. In October 2017 the writer Robert McFarlane and the artist Jackie Morris produced ‘Lost Words’ – a ‘book of spells’ to conjure back into existence the words lost through…
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Giant rats and stench: There’s no end in sight for ‘Binmageddon’
Fly-tippers have seized on the disruption from Birmingham’s bin strikes Josh Sandiford – BBC News, in Birmingham Mountains of rubbish blight the streets of the UK’s second-biggest city with no end in sight to a dispute that has been going on for weeks. Wherever you stand on the contentious issue of Birmingham’s bin strikes, the…
Who owns digital data about you? South African legal scholar weighs up property and privacy rights
Donrich Thaldar – 16 March 2025 In the digital economy, data is more than just information – it is an asset with immense economic and strategic value. Yet, despite its significance, a fundamental legal question remains unresolved: Can data be owned? While privacy laws worldwide focus on protecting individuals’ rights over their personal data, they…
SEE | The many hands that turn fabric waste into backpack-sleeping bags for the homeless
A ‘backpack’ sleeping bag made from upcycled textile materials, designed by The Foschini Group. (News24/Paul Herman) Paul Herman – 19 March 2025 Johaar Samsodien is 76 years old. He spent his life as a cabinet maker, but for the past five years, he has been homeless and on the streets of Cape Town. In the…
Athlone’s heritage, resistance & art
Monuments, memories and community – this neighbourhood is only 15 minutes from the centre of Cape Town. But few have visited. Anthony Hartman, our guide, grew up here during Apartheid and now lives close by. Main themes of the tour are resistance and resilience. Anthony shows, through his own experience and research, how history shaped…
How to DIY your home security system inexpensively
Photo: Unsplash/Alan J. Hendry By Tasleem Gierdien, 7 March 2025 Yes, it is possible to be frugal about it – according to the specialists. CapeTalk’s Pippa Hudson speaks to DIY expert Angelo D’Ambrosio of IPMT remedial building consultants, and specialist Anne Darne of Intesec Electronics… LISTEN HERE
Have you seen someone abusing a demarcated wheelchair parking bay?
Take a photo, including the vehicle registration plate and the parking sign, as evidence and WhatsApp it to 0738539675. Please include the location, date and time. In Cape Town wheelchair parking bays are clearly marked with yellow borders and a wheelchair sign, and are meant for persons who use wheelchairs and drive themselves or are transported…
Sugary drinks are a killer: a 20% tax would save lives and rands in South Africa
Susan Goldstein – 6 March 2025 Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular conditions account for over 70% of global deaths annually. In South Africa, non-communicable diseases cause more than half of all deaths. Diabetes ranks as the second leading cause after tuberculosis… READ MORE
Expert testimony at the South African People’s Tribunal on Agrotoxins: Prof Leslie London
On Saturday 22nd of March, Prof Leslie London provides expert testimony at the South African People’s Tribunal on Agrotoxins. London is the Chair of Public Health Medicine in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town. He leads research on pesticide hazards and chemical neurotoxicity, farm worker occupational health,…
SA People’s Tribunal on Agrotoxins
The South African People’s Tribunal on Agrotoxins is a coalition of affected communities, civil society groups, trade unions, and academics dedicated to exposing the dangers of pesticides in South Africa and supporting those impacted by agricultural toxins. SAPToA is hosting the South African People’s Tribunal on AgroToxins on 22-23 March 2025 at the Protea Hotel…