#amnesty university

[reasoningdaily]

Children still mining cobalt for gadget batteries in Congo

A CBS News investigation of child labor in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo has revealed that tens of thousands of children are growing up without a childhood today – two years after a damning Amnesty report about human rights abuses in the cobalt trade was published. The Amnesty report first revealed that cobalt mined by children was ending up in products from prominent tech companies including Apple, Microsoft, Tesla and Samsung. 

There's such sensitivity around cobalt mining in the DRC that a CBS News team traveling there recently was stopped every few hundred feet while moving along dirt roads and seeing children digging for cobalt. From as young as 4 years old, children can pick cobalt out of a pile, and even those too young to work spend much of the day breathing in toxic fumes.

What's life like for kids mining cobalt for our gadgets?

So, what exactly is cobalt, and what are the health risks for those who work in the DRC's cobalt mining industry?

What is cobalt?

Cobalt – a naturally occurring element –  is a critical component in lithium-ion, rechargeable batteries. In recent years, the growing global market for portable electronic devices and rechargeable batteries has fueled demand for its extraction, Amnesty said in its 2016 report. In fact, many top electronic and electric vehicle companies need cobalt to help power their products.

The element is found in other products as well.

"Cobalt-containing products include corrosion and heat-resistant alloys, hard metal (cobalt-tungsten-carbide alloy), magnets, grinding and cutting tools, pigments, paints, colored glass, surgical implants, catalysts, batteries, and cobalt-coated metal (from electroplating)," says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than half of the world's supply of cobalt comes from the DRC, and 20 percent of that is mined by hand, according to Darton Commodities Ltd., a London-based research company that specializes in cobalt.  

Health risks of chronic exposure 

According to the CDC, "chronic exposure to cobalt-containing hard metal (dust or fume) can result in a serious lung disease called 'hard metal lung disease'" – a kind of pneumoconiosis, meaning a lung disease caused by inhaling dust particles. Inhalation of cobalt particles can cause respiratory sensitization, asthma, decreased pulmonary function and shortness of breath, the CDC says.

The health agency says skin contact is also a significant health concern "because dermal exposures to hard metal and cobalt salts can result in significant systemic uptake." 

"Sustained exposures can cause skin sensitization, which may result in eruptions of contact dermatitis," a red, itchy skin rash, the CDC says.

Despite the health risks, researchers with Amnesty International found that most cobalt miners in Congo lack basic protective equipment like face masks, work clothing and gloves. Many of the miners the organization spoke with for its 2016 report – 90 people in total who work, or worked, in the mines – complained of frequent coughing or lung problems. Cobalt mining's dangerous impact on workers and the environment

Some women complained about the physical nature of the work, with one describing hauling 110-pound sacks of cobalt ore. "We all have problems with our lungs, and pain all over our bodies," the woman said, according to Amnesty.

Moreover, miners said unsupported mining tunnels frequently give way, and that accidents are common.  

Miners know their work is dangerous, Todd C. Frankel wrote late last month in The Washington Post. 

"But what's less understood are the environmental health risks posed by the extensive mining," he reported. "Southern Congo holds not only vast deposits of cobalt and copper but also uranium. Scientists have recorded alarming radioactivity levels in some mining regions. Mining waste often pollutes rivers and drinking water. The dust from the pulverized rock is known to cause breathing problems. The mining industry's toxic fallout is only now being studied by researchers, mostly in Lubumbashi, the country's mining capital."

"These job are really desired"

Despite the dangers and risks of working as miners in the cobalt industry, at least of the some miners in the Congo "love their jobs," according to Frankel.

"When I talked to the miners there, none of them want to lose their jobs or give up their jobs. They love their jobs," Frankel said Tuesday, speaking on CBSN. "In a country like Congo, mining is one of the few decently paying jobs to be had there, and so they want to hold onto these jobs."

They also want fair treatment, decent pay, and some safety, "and they would love for their kids to not work in the mines," he said.

"It's a poverty problem," Frankel said. "These parents I talked to – they don't want their kids working in these mines. The problem is that their school fees – schools cost money, and you know, food costs money, and they sort of need their kids to work in there."

Poverty also drives children into the mines instead of school – an estimated 40,000 of them work in brutal conditions starting at very young ages.

The thousands of miners who work in tunnels searching for cobalt in the country "do it because they live in one of the poorest countries in the world, and cobalt is valuable," Frankel wrote in the Washington Post article.

"Not doing enough" 

CBS News spoke with some of the companies that use cobalt in their lithium-ion batteries. All of the companies acknowledged problems with the supply chain, but said they require suppliers to follow responsible sourcing guidelines. Apple, an industry leader in the fight for responsible sourcing, said walking away from the DRC "would do nothing to improve conditions for the people or the environment."

Read company responses here

Amnesty said in November, however, that "major electronics and electric vehicle companies are still not doing enough to stop human rights abuses entering their cobalt supply chains." 

"As demand for rechargeable batteries grows, companies have a responsibility to prove that they are not profiting from the misery of miners working in terrible conditions in the DRC," the organization said. "The energy solutions of the future must not be built on human rights abuses."

An estimated two-thirds of children in the region of the DRC that CBS News visited recently are not in school. They're working in mines instead. 

CBS News' Debora Patta spoke with an 11-year-old boy, Ziki Swaze, who has no idea how to read or write but is an expert in washing cobalt. Every evening, he returns home with a dollar or two to provide for his family.

"I have to go and work there," he told Patta, "because my grandma has a bad leg and she can't."

He said he dreams of going to school, but has always had to work instead.

"I feel very bad because I can see my friends going to school, and I am struggling," he said.

Amnesty says "it is widely recognized internationally that the involvement of children in mining constitutes one of the worst forms of child labour, which governments are required to prohibit and eliminate."

[mysharona1987]

[historyforfuture]

The country of freedom and ridiculous democracy.

The moment of the violent arrest of the economics professor of Emory University Caroline Fohlinin in the state of Georgia

After these scenes, there must be a position for all universities around the world to stand with the people of Palestine in Gaza. All hypocritical authorities and rulers who support the Nazi terrorist Israelis must be confronted.

[mantisgodsdomain]

BREAKING NEWS: area wizard previously only tangentially aware with podcast's second campaign via its first two arcs and the falling-off of its viewership finally actually gets around to listening past Arc 2 and realizes abruptly that OH SHIT the wizard liked this podcast because it's Really Fucking Good

[nando161mando]

In Iran, a female student has reportedly stripped down to her underwear in protest after a confrontation with security officers.

Amnesty Iran appeals to Iran’s authorities to immediately & unconditionally release the university student who was violently arrested on 2 Nov after she removed her clothes in protest against abusive enforcement of compulsory veiling by security officials at Tehran's Islamic Azad University.

The woman was able to walk around for a few minutes before being dragged into a van and taken away.

Strict dress codes apply in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which are increasingly being ignored by the younger generation. Compliance with them is also monitored by so-called morality watchdogs. Since the nationwide protests in autumn 2022, for example, many women in the major cities have been resisting the headscarf requirement.

https://x.com/AmnestyIran/status/1852759513494909228

[bpb-games]

BPB Games is back with some killer Savage Worlds Adventure Edition content just for you! We've launched the TOME OF MONSTERS on KICKSTARTER!

Tome of Monsters is a book of 50+ brand new monsters for use with your favorite Savage Worlds horror settings! When I say I'm beyond happy with the final product, I mean it. Each page is dripping with approachable lore, unique mechanics, and stunning art.

Each monster uses a direct and action-oriented design style to make sure things stay FAST FURIOUS AND FUN. Will your players be smashed flat by the ravenous Railrunner, be dragged away by the deadly current of the Riptide Prowler, or get lost in the mournful memories of the Mori? These are just a few examples in a wildly diverse book that's perfect for cosmic horror, kid-friendly chills, college student hunting, or cowboy's fighting back reckoning forces!

If this sounds like something you'd want, GO CHECK IT OUT!

During the campaign we've also included Add-Ons of all of our favorite Savage Worlds materials that BPB Games has produced at their lowest price ever! New rules for horrific symbiotic transformations, a supplement of completely out-there spiders, a treasure trove of Arcane Backgrounds and Powers, and more! You don't want to miss it!

SUPPORT THE TOME OF MONSTERS NOW!

[north-wilkesboro-moonshine-cave]

proud to announce I survived my shift and that one more day separates me and my roommate from the great big Universal Amnesty Weekend. We are not gonna pay attention to any food or kitchen habits, deliveries, most CERTAINLY not what we are drinking, and any strange noises in our apartment are not gonna be our business. We are sharing the booze.

[drsonnet]

“Freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly are fundamental to society – particularly when there is sharp disagreement on major issues, as there are in relation to the conflict in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel,” -UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk United States of America: UN Human Rights Chief troubled by law enforcement actions against protesters at universities | OHCHR

[iiiiiiits-m]

Yo yo yo

Hi!! Call me M!!

So I, like any cool neurodivergent person, have an insane amount of fandoms up in my cool lil jello ball of a brain. I have created this blog in order to have a place to put all my silly thoughts!!! (I have many silly thoughts)

Some cool things to know about me!

I play 6 instruments!

I'm fluent in English, my French is pretty okay, and I'm attempting to learn Russian (I might post in French every once in a while)

I use they/them pronouns!!

I have AuDHD (Autism + ADHD)

I practice shifting!

I constantly create ideas for fanfics but never actually write them...

I can crochet!

Some fandoms I'm in!

Ace Attorney

The Adventures of Tintin

Pokemon (specifically XY, SM, and ScarVio)

Fire Emblem 3 Houses

Miraculous Ladybug

TAZ Balance, Amnesty, and Ethersea

Howl's Moving Castle

Steven Universe

Moomin

Scott Pilgrim

Lupin the Third

I swear there's probably more fandoms I just have a crap memory.....

My only requests is that if you want to say something you send an ask (labeled inbox) instead of messaging me

Have fun exploring my blog!!!!

[thesnakethatmarches]

I cannot stop thinking about Indrid Cold in Dust season 2.

He came to Earth at some point before Amnesty? Maybe he’s been here the whole time? There was a period of time when all these fantasy creature, all the ghosts and werewolves and vampires were real? Or maybe it’s a different Earth and he somehow got to the current Earth?

Indrid Cold, transient mothman on the run, unable to stop or else.

Indrid Cold, who took up a role as a patron of a God who’s whole thing is forever moving, never stopping never making connections always going in order to survive in a world he’s not a part of.

Indrid Cold, <33

[ducknewtonistrans]

Okay so hear me out. Steeplechase is set after Balance ends and Dentonic is monetizing the events of the Balance campaign. Then it's revealed that hardlight uses the same magic system from Ethersea, and this segues into the Ethersea campaign.

[thecheshirerat]

Dear Aubrey

(danbrey fic for @tazsapphicweek ! this has been so fun. I'll put it on AO3 if anyone wants, but idk how collections work. also the prompt was technically "home" but I've done like three based on that prompt so...)

Dear Aubrey, 

Do you know how many casserole dishes I’ve washed for the privilege of control over the TV? Jake said that if I keep putting on Supernatural I’ll owe him three bags of the fancy squid chips he likes just for his suffering. 

That’s not it. 

Dear Aubrey, 

I’ve been watching Supernatural. You were right, it’s pretty good. 

Dammit. 

No. 

Dear Aubrey, 

They didn’t have TV shows in Sylvain. You know that. You’ve been there. But of the three that I’ve encountered so far, Supernatural seems pretty good. Definitely better than streaming old episodes of America's Test Kitchen, which is all Barclay wants to watch.

FUCK.

Dear Aubrey, 

Do you know how many perfectly good sketchbook pages I’ve spent, trying to draft a proper letter to you? 

I know you’re not, like. Living far away. You’re going to be back in a few hours, actually, probably, unless you’re killed, but I don’t think you will be, and then you’ll eat something terrible for you and pass out like, two floors above me. 

Maybe I could pass this to you through the vents. 

Did you know that passing notes between bunk beds is common to both our worlds? Sometimes I imagine you’re in the bunk above me, and we could just, talk. In the darkness. About everything. 

The truth is, I’ve got a lot to say. But you’re not here, so I’m writing it down. In my sketchbook. I really should buy a notebook or something. 

Goddamnit. 

I could’ve sketched so many cedar branches on this. 

Dear Aubrey, 

This is going to sound insane, but you smell like home. A little smoky, a little like flash-paper, but there’s also this strong ginger smell. That part is familiar. It’s orange and spicy and makes my teeth flinch in their illusion. 

When you walked by the other day it felt like every spark of heat in my body rushed towards you, like there’s a current between us. What do you guys call it, bird bumps?

For a moment, I was just, frozen. And then you looked over my shoulder at the vase of flowers I was drawing and said something like, “Oh my gosh, that’s so cool!” And you joked that I could make hundreds of dollars online if I drew Deacon Winchester. Your hand brushed my shoulder, and all the warmth came back, just like that. 

I’ve never felt anything like it.

Well, I have. You know about the crystal, right? It felt kind of like touching that. 

God, Dani. Don’t bring that into this. 

Dear Aubrey,

I’ve spent so long trying not to stand out.

I can have my identity, so long as it's quiet enough that no one looks too closely. 

I can doodle on the cover of my sketchbook. I can be the quirky alt girl who doesn’t have her license at the age of… what age do I tell people. I don’t even remember. I can stare into the mirror, smiling at the freckles that show up on my nose, and people will forgive me for not wearing makeup, but they can’t see my skin when it glows, they can’t see my teeth. They must never see my teeth. 

You, on the other hand. Your flashy gestures, your vibrant hair, your jacket that you can barely see under all the pins. When you walk, they clink, alerting people (people whose skin didn’t tingle the moment you arrived, people who are not me) that you’re here. You’ve got an identity strong and colorful enough to be armor. You wear your teeth on the outside. 

I want to know what’s under all that. Not to be- nevermind. 

I want to know what it’s all protecting.

Or maybe, it’s protecting us. 

Dear Aubrey, 

I miss Sylvain a lot. 

It’s hard to describe the feeling of missing your former planet. It’s like an ache, but sharper. It’s hard, and scratchy, and it eats a cavern inside of me. It’s empty in here. It tingles. My pain chimes, and the chimes echo. 

It chafes at you, when the world you’re in is not yours. I don’t belong here, and Earth has no qualms about reminding me. Alien customs. Alien holidays. Alien people, but… not so much you. 

It went away, the other day, when you touched me. Just for a second, I was full. 

In that second, I felt so free. I felt so untethered. I felt like I could go and be anywhere as long as it was with you. So, not untethered. Re-tethered. 

Sometimes I imagine there’s a string between us, and when I see you fidgeting with your fingers, it’s being pulled, looped and tied. I want you to make me into jewelry, to set me around your neck. I want to swing there, next to that gemstone you always wear. I want your heartbeat to warm my skin.

To be a vampire is to know that you are empty, and that other people fill you up. 

Here you are, with all this vitality. If I soaked myself in it, if I tucked myself like a bunny rabbit into your arms, if I bottled up vials of flame to warm my bath and make my tea, would you even notice? I don’t want to hurt anyone. Sometimes I feel like I’m scraping away at the walls of a cave inside me, and one day my willpower will collapse. I keep shoring up my inhibitions. 

Why does it feel like I’ve awoken from the most restful sleep of my life after talking to you? Why do I feel relieved when you brush my arm? I just want to close my eyes. I want to take off this disguise. I want to follow you. 

God, I barely even know you. 

This is so weird. I’m sorry. 

Dear Aubrey, 

I have one episode left of season five of Supernatural. I thought I’d take your advice about stopping there. And now I get the joke you made about chevy impalas! 

Do you want to watch the last episode together? 

Love, 

Sincerely, 

Yours,

Dani <3

PS: See on the back my drawing of Dr. Harris Bonkers :)

[stardustsea]

apparently i really overestimate how much the average person thinks about mothman bc I've mentioned him to 3 separate people this week and they all had no idea who or what i was talking about 😭

[historyforfuture]

✌🏼🇵🇸

⭕️ Izzat Al-Rishq

Member of the Hamas movement’s Political Bureau

-John Kirby's accusation that Hamas has changed some of its conditions regarding the ceasefire is baseless.

-Kirby's allegations that Hamas is the main obstacle to reaching a ceasefire are a blatant alignment with the Israeli position.

-The Biden administration, unable to pressure Netanyahu, considers that blaming Hamas is less costly in light of the US elections.

-The world knows that Netanyahu is the one who added new conditions and demands, not Hamas.

Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas

10, Sep Official website -Hamas movement

👇🏼pictures from NY

[twacn]

Anybody got drawing suggestions? Trying out a new style and have a bunch of motivation but no ideas :/

[mauvecardigans]

.