at what cost....

PS2 Sparks African War In The Congo?

www.psxextreme.com/ps2-news/4453.html

Sure, Sony has sold 140 million PS2s worldwide over the past 9 years, but at what price?

If you're at all familiar with the film, "Blood Diamond," this situation is eerily similar... According to Yahoo! Games and an activist site called Toward Freedom, the need for a particular component in the PlayStation 2 once caused a "brutal conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo." Do you know what coltan is? It's an unrefined metallic ore which, when ground into a powder called tantalum, becomes an extraordinarily popular material used in all sorts of electronic equipment. They use it in cell phones, computers, and yes, even video game consoles like the PS2. Now, when Sony started to mass produce their system, they obviously needed a whole lot of coltan, and when that happened, all hell apparently broke loose.

The new and exhausting search for the material set Rwandan military groups and western mining companies into action, and because they needed so much, they allegedly forced "prisoners-of-war and even children" to work down in the coltan mines. Ex-British Parliament Member Oona King said- "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." Well, if that doesn't make you feel guilty, backing over your neighbor's kitten with your car probably won't faze you, either. When Sony required more tantalum to meet consumer demand, the price of the powder shot from $49/pound to $275/pound, which of course resulted in a widespread fevered search of the Congolese hills.

Researcher David Barouski had this to add:

"Sony's PlayStation 2 launch...was a big part of the huge increase in demand for coltan that began in early 1999," he explained. "Sony and other companies like it, have the benefit of plausible deniability, because the coltan ore trades hands so many times from when it is mined to when Sony gets a processed product, that a company often has no idea where the original coltan ore came from, and frankly don't care to know. But statistical analysis shows it to be nearly inconceivable that Sony made all its PlayStations without using Congolese coltan."

If you're wondering whether or not this may still be going on, it may be, but it won't have much to do with Sony's PS3. Sony has since said they won't use any tantalum from the Congo, and they further state that all current PS3s, PSPs and even PS2s do not use Congolese tantalum; they simply found the material in other countries. It's very difficult to tell what raw materials are used in the pieces of machinery we use every day, so it hardly makes sense to say Sony is the only corporation on earth that may have incited civil unrest for production purposes. It's an intriguing story, to be sure, and just goes to show how far removed from certain realities we really are..

no kids

whats everyone doing?

id like to get some fun in!!!!!

anyone?

oooo im ExCiteD ~

because....
I see us all becoming filled with happiness
so much so that our hearts burst with joy
and in this joy we recognize service
and what helping each other means
ooo
im also excited, because
i see us beginning to understand that our food sources are tainted with chemicals and toxins
and that we are going to stop producing cattle on levels that are to our own demise.
imagine how many humans there are on earth now double it, thats how many cow live here too, just to be killed for our supper. this causes huge toxins to our earth as well as the amount of garbage , but
oooo
im excited, because soon we are going to have products that arent packaged the way they are . which is the biggest nightmare of it all. the fact is the packaging on things is like slavery. they kill and rob people of their indigenous (they= greedy m.f'S )communities , in order to put up big plants that manufacture stuff that we use and then throw away. literally peoples lives are thrown away so that we can have our STUFF.
www.storyofstuff.com/
please watch that .....its a must see.
but im excited because the change is here, we can no longer kill people for our desire to have these things, that studies have shown, do not make you any happier anyway!!!!
after all thats said and done , folks who thought being so rich would make them happy and many just arent.
so im excited that they are going to start loving people and stop thinking about their pockets getteng fatter.
and im just excited we all are going to be here and bring peace on earth together!!!!

love

Chihuly

At the deYoung now!

America's Got Autism.........uh, I mean Talent

Last night a cutie who has autism was on the show America's Got Talent.

Not too much to say there but , yeah its sweet.
Id like a show called,

america's got autism.

a reality show that features different families every week and how they are getting help in the different cities and counties in the U>S> for their kids with autism.We could learn so much from a show like that, right?


love

Affirmation 5-6-08

I am Love
I am a loving mother who cares deeply for her children
I attract people into my life who's values are filled with integrity.
I am a beautiful healthy woman with a positive happy outlook
I create my life.
I believe in my self!
I love myself.
I am open and free !
I love!

Next on the agenda.........IMPORTANT.......Please Feel THIS!!!

I see the war in Iraq ending.
I see all war ending and peace prevailing!
I see the people who have suffered there and from any war healing.
I see the people of our Universe loving each other and sharing what they have.
I see the children in Irag and in all war torn countries including our own Oakland having everything they need from love and nurturing to clothes food and shelter and all else they may need in their beutiful minds, body and souls to heal!
I see our war leaders changing!I see new bodies entering into our white house who want to love people and help people!!!Keep people LIVING!!!
I see us voting for this change.
I see myself forgiving those who have harmed others and me.
As i want to be forgiven, too!


Please!!!

O Blessed Creator

Thank You oh kind one who looks upon us
Bestowing us with YOUR grace!
For your mysteries are our gifts!!!
May we look deeply into ourselves so we may know you, O great Source!!!
On bended knees i humbly Thank You for my beautiful life!!!!

Amen