Coltan

One of the best articles I've read on Coltan. Basically, Coltan is the new blood diamond. It is a metal mined in places like Canada, Australia, and the Congo for tantalum. Tantalum is used in hi-rel capacitors because of it's great thermal properties. It is used in cell phones and laptops. Demand has forced the US gov to keep reserves. Price has gone way up and so has the fight for profits. Congo has been victim to internal and external profiteers, resulting in bloodshed, humanitarian and environmental crises, and little attention from the international community. Many companies including vodaphone and nokia have spoken to their supply chain to stop using the metal in their capacitors, and US-based Kemet is swearing that all coltan is from the non-Congo region. 

The birth of corrupt cops

Philip Morris has finally started bribing police for their time to handle their crimes (full story).

Is this $50,000 simple civic fundraising, or a return to corruption of law enforcement. Will this lead to a growing mercenary force known as the LAPD? Can I hire the police to patrol my Beverly Hills block or my quiet suburb instead of wasting time in crime infested ghettos?

On the flip side, why can't big companies sponsor police departments and buy them gifts and equipment? The government isn't pitching in as much as they should. As long as it doesn't directly correlate to their assignments, as long as no link can be made between priorities and money, I no change in how effective is law enforcement. And if LAPD does more contract policing, it will help them be accountable. It makes when giggle when I imagine the LAPD doing a cost analysis and calculating overhead into the project.

This latest event with P.M. rubs me a little in the wrong direction.