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I would like to think I am a nice person but when I notice not so nice things about others it gets me thinking. How come I recognise this in others if I don’t have it in me? Its always a good thing for me when this happens as it keeps me grounded. It does not allow me to take myself too seriously or to get my ego in a twist about been 'a good person'. I mean, I like to think I am but then that's what everyone will say about themselves-including  serial killers who probably can and will justify their reasons for killing from the same point of view.

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Beautiful and desirable, few people see beyond the sparkling surface of gold. This is true of both jewellers and the public. The many down sides of this fabulous metal are not commonly known. One of the most devastating is the toxicity and volume of the waste produced by the mining process.

Only 0.00001% (one hundred thousandth of 1 percent) of ore is refined into gold - the rest is waste.

In the US, metals mining was the top polluter in the most recent data.

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In 1998, in a kitchen in Pretoria, South Africa, an outreach project was born. This small one man venture has grown into a national network of grass-roots development projects across the country.

Demos Takoulas with his business background and with a strong sense of community saw an opportunity to empower marginalised people in a sustainable manner by filling a gap in the jewellery industry. In 1999 the first accredited 3-year National Diploma in Jewellery Manufacture & Design was offered - entirely for free. There were 12 positions available.

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