Coltan - The Blood Diamond for the rest of us!

[Raziaar]

Was reading an article on yahoo news just now, about a certain ore called Coltan that I had no idea existed and was used in our games and electronic devices, that caused as much of an effect in African countries by militant groups forcing people to mine like such things as blood diamonds being mined.

Wow... what a tough pill to swallow!

http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/playstation-2-component-incites-african-war/1231745

Allegedly, the demand for coltan prompted Rwandan military groups and western mining companies to plunder hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the rare metal, often by forcing prisoners-of-war and even children to work in the country's coltan mines.

"Kids in Congo were being sent down mines to die so that kids in Europe and America could kill imaginary aliens in their living rooms," said Ex-British Parliament Member Oona King.

So where's the connection to Sony? According to Toward Freedom, during the 2000 launch of the PS2, the electronics giant was having trouble meeting consumer demand. To pump out more units, Sony required a significant increase in the production of electric capacitors, which are primarily made with tantalum. This helped drive the world price of the powder from $49/pound to a whopping $275/pound, resulting in the frenzied scouring of the Congolese hills known for being ripe with coltan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coltan


I never knew about this, and I doubt many other people did, so I find it very interesting, especially since we owned and loved our PS2.

 

[delusional]

Ya I heard about it last quarter at school. The thing is, Coltan can be reused so if people just properly recycled their cell phones and other electronics their would be less demand from Africa.

 

[Raziaar]

Reading wikipedia, it seems that 75% of world tantalite production comes from Australia.

I blame Australia for not adequately supplying Sony.

 

[Jintor]

Yeah guys, looks like you've caught us. There's roving military groups all over our outback enslaving kids and making them mine for tantalite in the 'bush. We're sorry, we'll try and triple production.

 

[Raziaar]

No... that's what you SHOULD have done, to alleviate the burden of the already war-torn and suffering populaces of Africa.

 

[Jintor]

By transfering their suffering over here?

 

[Raziaar]

You guys are the ancestors of hardened prisoners. You can take it. The African people have been nonstop shit-stormed and need a break! Plus you guys produce the most!

 

[highlander]

Well it's all over fellow Australians..
*throws towel over shoulder and walks towards sunset*

 

[Jintor]

Soon our continent will be engulfed in ceaseless war, and we will only have Raziaar to blame.

 

[Krynn72]

I for one welcome our new dancing cow warlord.

 

[Naph]

You guys are the ancestors of hardened prisoners. You can take it.

Correction...

0.02% are ancestors of convicts brought over from England.

 

[Jintor]

Don't tell them that! They'll think we all immigrated in from other countries, or something!

 

[Naph]

Don't tell them that! They'll think we all immigrated in from other countries, or something!

Each one of us did.
Unless your aboriginal...

So did the Americans, they migrated D:

 

[Raziaar]

No, we preceded the Native Americans.

 

[15357]

I must send a letter to our president about the strategical importance of Austrailia.








It could be a "humanitarian mission".

 

[jverne]

Aus-tre-lia...uh..what?...isn't that some kind of floating land somewhere in the middle of the ocean? I've heard legends about it, but that's about it.

 

[highlander]

Soon our continent will be engulfed in ceaseless war, and we will only have Raziaar to blame.

It was nice while it lasted.