Comments on: Blood Coltan

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:13:00 +0000

do people really need the latest blackberry, samsung, Iphone no they don’t as long as it can ring family and friends and 999 then its okay it doesn’t have to ahve all this fancey applications and games or anything else jsut the absic mobile phone will get you through

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:10:00 +0000

I have a mobile phone like anyone else but its when people end up ahving like 3 mobile phones one for in school one for at home and one for going out to show off. so steve i donn’t think u should be that guilty yes its wrong what they do but if u where in an acciden tu would want teh phone to call 999 would u not? so u should have a phone it jsut doesn’t have to be like the newest blackberry or the newest Iphone just as long as you can ring home or ring friends when u need to then I don’t see any problem with having a mobile phone if its an older one then it means that damage ahs already been doen so your not forcing soem 10 year old kid to mine for coltan are you as it my have been done years ago

you should have a mobile phone but i do thnk that a lot of the money should go towards the the people of congo

if anyone is looking at this then the person i am replying to is at the bottom of teh page please look at his thoughts on the matter

By: amenace4422

amenace4422 — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:40:00 +0000

Same as us getting a loan for edu or a house its only to exploit you, and this is done by force normally Iraq, Afghanistan, wherever else USA steals resources, soon Iran. Watch zeitgeistmovie.com explains it all with a possible solution.

By: amenace4422

amenace4422 — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:37:00 +0000

They get to because its a “free market”, “Capitalism” and we live in a “feudalism” system of governing, no matter the candidate chosen the people are screwed. “Pick your poison”

By: jezebel finkelstein

jezebel finkelstein — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:08:00 +0000

if people want to stop this type of stuff from happening first people need to remember your kids and family and friends should always be more important than anything else,food and water comes next,so on and so forth your favoret tv show is not as important as the things people take for granted to watch that tv show or ball game..food for thought

By: jezebel finkelstein

jezebel finkelstein — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:56:00 +0000

me and my wife have one cell phone ive only owned one and im 29 and she has owned 2 she is 22 my phone is never on and is a prepay it has 20 bucks on it and we never ever use it cause its only use is when we break down on the road and thats never happened yet,im just pointing out that a phone is a waist of mony it cost 500 bucks and you have to pay 50 or more each month to use it…when people figure out that this is a waist of your money they will find out why they are broke

By: Bambi L'Amour

Bambi L'Amour — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:23:00 +0000

The world bank loaned the Congo 1.7 billion in 2007 even though the Congolese are the 3rd poorest country on Earth, in return the Congo will sell it’s resources for dirt cheap ensuring a windfall for the western corporations and constant poverty and economic slavery for the Congolese. Bastards.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 04:38:00 +0000

Agreed… except that I figure arms dealers sell to both sides simply for self interest (though the question is why do they get to), rather than being coerced (which is what I’m left to assume you meant by arms dealers wanting instability). Then I suppose they wouldn’t mind the extra incentive.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 04:33:00 +0000

Ironically cell phones (communication) are one the things that can help Africa’s economy. Also to be noted; if all the charity organizations where to collaborate with scientists and economists they could likely do at least 2 fold what they are now.

By: Ron Burgundy

Ron Burgundy — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 08:08:41 +0000

Any mineral coming from Africa seems to soaked in blood and it seems like the UN and people that profit like it that way, it keeps the price low. Stability is bad for business so arms dealers sell to both sides.

By: Soloman

Soloman — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 23:32:42 +0000

@TheDocumentarian~

Most agreed.
Very well said mate.

That is what *needs* to happen.

I often wonder if The People will ever give enough of a shit to get it done?

By: TheDocumentarian

TheDocumentarian — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:14:39 +0000

To Art:

The UN will never completely step into the congo, in order to stop what is occurring there. The reason being, is it is much more profitable and in common interest world wide to keep them the way they are. Just think about it. If the slave labor, rapes and massacres were affecting American or European economies, don’t you think they would have remedied that situation already? They don’t want it to change, only the people want it to change, but is this any different from millions of other corrupted systems the UN or other worldly systems perpetuate? End the UN, run the European Unionists out! and imprison all of those in the US Government attempting to supersede the constitution – that would end world war for peace. Think about it.

By: Ian D

Ian D — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 04:23:53 +0000

It’s a vicious circle, over paid corrupt executives of large corporations have to return dividends to their shareholder or they dump their stocks, Stock holders only care about increases at whatever the cost. If it wasn’t for our greed the Congolese and others in the same plight would be subsistent farmers and happy villagers as they were before.

Western civilizations produce roughly 25% of the world raw materials, here or abroad and consume 75% of what’s produced, we are the consumers, and the rest get a set of clothes and a pair of shoes. The brokers laughed and said it clearly, “who sets the prices, you do”, “the whites set the prices it’s the world market”, it’s you. You’re the ones who make the telephones”. We can change if we listen to our hearts, it’s not easy and we might have to go without that newer version cell-phone.

By: triplethrees

triplethrees — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 06:30:31 +0000

Very interesting piece. Although unfortunate for the congolese, they are a product of global capitalists. Blame not the outsiders that fund this expenditure but the peoples that pass this ore onto western borders. At the end of the day, ask yourself one thing as a congolese native, “how will i eat today?”
Then ponder your answer. Is it right? Obviously you know the answer. Let’s put the corruption on the people that are exploiting their own. Ask and they will come!

By: William

William — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:05:56 +0000

h.c.stark(Bayer)