Cell Phones and the War in Congo

On the verge of yet another new cell phone I thought it would be a good time to speak with my friend, Woody Collins about the conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. If you need to get caught up on the atrocities happening in the DRC related to technology check out enoughproject and playstation war.

------------

Is Coltan/Tantalum still being mined in Eastern Congo?

WC - Yes, as it's one of the few world sources of this mineral. Congo is the biggest source.

What are the mining conditions like now? Has it improved since some of the stories broke regarding the atrocities that were being committed?

WC - I have not read of any improvements in the mining conditions. Most of the news out of eastern Congo has focused on the renewed conflict between government armed forces and the various armed rebel forces. Also, the world economy has had big negative effect on the legitimate mining industries of cooper and diamonds. Hundreds of thousand of workers are now unemployed. Therefore, I suspect the coltan market is down, too.

Companies should be held liable if they have been a part of this mess but it’s so difficult to follow the trails. Why is it so difficult to track where the metal goes?

WC - Coltan mining is not an organized industry like cooper and diamonds. Most of coltan mines are run by rebel groups in eastern Congo . Therefore, there has not been an industry standard group willing to develop a tracking mechanism like the Kimberly Process for diamonds. But there is some moment towards a tracking mechanism. A German firm is developing a tracking mechanism for or with Congo government approval. I think they predicted summer of 2010 for testing.

I checked at places like Sony and Apple and of course they have what they call “supplier code of conducts” that state they only do business with suppliers who are "upholding the human rights of workers, treating them with dignity and respect, abstaining from indentured labor, not using children under the age of 15, etc…” Is the “code of conduct” working? What does it mean?

WC - That is meaningless statement. Since you can not track the coltan, they can always deny that their suppliers are in violation.

What can individuals do to help?

WC - Individuals need to pressure the manufacturers into doing more to self regulate beyond their current supplier code of conduct. But, nothing is really provable until a tracking mechanism is developed and implemented. However, the chance of someone individually tracking some coltan to Sony or Apple may prompt them to do more.

Indy Star Interview with Woody Collins

Athiesm, Africa

Very interesting post... As an athiest I truly believe Africa needs God.

what do you think?

Sink or Sit

My friend, Ron Lush, sent me this excerpt taken from: In a Pit with Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson, pages 114-115

Sink or Sit

Peter gets a bum rap. Peter is the disciple who denied Christ three times, but he was the only one who got close enough to Jesus to get caught. Peter is the disciple who impulsively cut off Malchus' ear when the lynch mob came to arrest Jesus, but he was the only one who came to Jesus' defense. And he is the disciple who sinks in the Sea of Galilee , but he was also the only disciple who walked on water.
It's so easy to criticize Peter from the comfortable confines of the boat.
I think there are two kinds of people in the world: creators and criticizers. There are people who get out of the boat and walk on water. And there are people who sit in the boat and criticize water walkers.
Here is what I think: Sinking is better than sitting.
I'd rather get wet than have a numb gluteus maximus. When everything is said and done, I think our greatest regrets will be the God-ordained risks we didn't take. We won't regret sinking. We will regret sitting. In the words of German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Hell begins the day God grants you the vision to see all that you could have done, should have done, and would have done, but did not do.”
Anything less than getting out of the boat is spiritual voyeurism.
It is so easy to criticize water walkers from the comfortable confines of the boat. But I think the other eleven disciples were haunted by this missed opportunity. Think about it. They could have walked on water. But they chose to stay in the boat. They missed a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity because they weren't willing to take a God -ordained risk.

Prayers and Action for Kenya

I received another email today about the unrest in Kenya. You can pray, of course. Also, if you feel led to check out the work that Nazarene Compassion Ministries does as well as one.org. Both do amazing things. (I know you're familiar with one.org because I've got their daily blog fed over there to the left.)

Also, I've learned that if you'd rather mail a check to NCM you can make it out to “Kenya Unrest ACM1199” and mail them to Global Treasury Services, 6401 The Paseo, Kansas City, MO 64131. (In Canada, checks should be made payable and sent to the Church of the Nazarene Canada, 20 Regan Road, Unit 9, Brampton, Ontario L7A 1C3).