The Honorable Mr. Mohamed Kamal Mansura
Room E139, Parliament Building
South African National Assembly
PO Box 25, Cape Town, 8000
Dear Secretary,
I realize the problems the National Assembly of South Africa face are extensive, yet another issue must be raised. The amount of copper theft that occurs, not only in Africa but worldwide, is rising and the threat of cities losing power just so a criminal can make a few hundred dollars is absurd. I realize that South Africa is not the only country to have the problem, although it has one of the highest rates of copper theft worldwide. If South Africa found a solution that would drastically reduce theft rates, the world would use it as an example.
If you’re assumption is that this is just a phase that the world’s going through with global recessions etc, you are mistaken. A Bloomberg article stated that copper is predicted to rise in demand, and therefore value, by 8-10% in the next year. China’s growing industry is the culprit. “Prices have more than tripled in the past four years as China built more homes, cars and appliances.” (Bloomberg) Copper’s boost in value and availability has led to an international crime wave, one that won’t be dispersed any time soon without proper action.
Africa has incredible amounts of unrefined resources waiting to be refined and sold; all it needs is some organization. Government employees pull precious metals out of the ground and as soon as it’s put to use, it’s stolen. This system has been going on since some African regions have started to be colonized and industrialized. The colonizers didn’t realize is they had to clean up all the wars, hunger, and famine before they started profiting. Poor planning turned Africa’s industrialization into a nightmare. With the help of the African country’s leaders, however, we can solve it.
You may be familiar with a group of federal employees in Cape Town, South Africa called The Copper Heads. They are a specialized task force with the sole purpose of preventing and retaliating against copper theft. This is a great step forward, but the issue has not yet been solved. These workers now work to stop copper theft when it happens, but a real solution would be to settle the issues before they happen.
Boys as early as six years old are forced into rebel armies and gangs in parts of Northern Africa. Young men with rifles scourge the countryside looking for blood or money in small militias. Often these people experience famine or poverty as children, and the rebel armies turn them against the government. What better way to turn a young man in the right direction than to give him a job, housing, and peace of mind. If the African government were to organize a program to give jobs to young men and women refining the vast amount of raw resources, the people’s faith in government would be restored.
The program would call for hundreds of workers per site, and would put billions of dollars worth of precious metals into Africa’s hands. Not only would African countries rise out of their third world situation, but families would have the means to start farms, build houses and live as humans should live. The population of Africa has long lived in fear. Fear of rebel armies taking their young boys in the night, fear of their infant child dying of hunger, fear of their spouse having to face AIDS. Africa has had to face some of the worst challenges to dat. This program will give Africa a small sigh of relief, one that has been deserved for years.
Sincerely,
Samuel E. Graye.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Resource Management - Opionionated Editorial
Copper Management in Africa
The government often makes economic gain a higher priority than whether or not a resource is being managed properly. In the past, decisions have been made about resources that were short-sighted. These decisions can lead to disasters such as the water shortage we are experiencing, or the endangerment of animals due to deforestation. Countries continue to overlook natural resources, thinking money comes first, specifically Africa. African leaders have been repeating the same pattern over the years, often putting their problems on other countries to-do list.
Soaring prices for metals, especially copper, have made what was once a small annoyance into a major problem costing over one billion dollars a year as reported by the US Dept of Energy. Wires, cables, and pipes are being torn from walls and buildings. Roof-top air units are being peeled of their copper coils. Thieves take copper in vacant buildings or difficult to secure areas, often without power or communication lines. The usual thefts sites are construction sites, vacant buildings and communications towers. The total damage done ripping pipes and wires out of walls far surpasses the actual cost of the copper stolen.
Natural resources are important to a nation’s power. Africa as a whole has incredible amounts of raw resources and if well utilized can be a dominant force in world affairs. Access to raw materials is crucial to the standard of living and stability of the state. Dependence upon resources relates to the technological developments that create demands. Iron and coal (both abundant in Africa) have long been the roots of industrialization, but increasing technological advancement is creating new requirements for other materials, such as copper. The technologies of fields like space exploration, medicine, and warfare depend on diversification of the materials required.
Global power and well-being depend on the possession of, and capacity to use, raw materials. African leaders are still unaware that the resources dwelling under their noses are a source of power in international relations. Africa’s government has not only mismanaged copper by not mining and selling it fairly, but there has also been a drastic increase in theft of the existing copper already mined.
The problem of AIDS has gone on unabated and African leaders just discuss the problem rather than take action. Now the epidemics have moved from AIDS to famine and poverty. African countries mostly in Northern regions of Africa are faced with famine and the extinction of over eighty-million people within the next ten years according to studies. Africa has great amounts of natural resources in each country which when developed and managed could be a brighter alternative. Most of the problems in Africa can be resolved by Africans themselves without resorting to international aid, international grants and foreign loans.
The situation in South Africa is one to be mimicked across the globe. South African leaders had had enough of these thefts and took action; they created the Copper Heads. The Copper Heads sole purpose was the apprehension of copper thefts and prevention of copper related crimes.
This solution may seem brilliant, but geography has a lot to do with why other countries have adopted this technique. South Africa is relatively small compared to other countries, therefore the city of Cape Town was easily managed and secure. Other African countries have a much more difficult situation because they have organization, rebellions and famine to overcome first. The management of the copper theft problem worked so well in South Africa because the circumstantial aspects of the solution worked. Everything went according to plan.
This issue is significant due to the fact that when the price of a material raises, the theft of said material raises. Copper is everywhere in the United States, in telephone wires, nearly every building, and pipes underground, therefore it is easily accessible. When something has near or more value than gold, and is that abundant, theft rates are high. The situation in the United States is bad, but not nearly as serious as the one in Africa. African copper theft rates are much higher than any other place by location. With the countries already abundant problems both socially and economically, theft of landlines and wires for electrical access make matters even worse. A formal and well-thought out solution is required for Africa to move forward at all.
If we were to turn our heads on this problem, the issue in Africa would only grow, it would slowly descend the countries further and further towards anarchy. Copper theft may not seem like a vital issue when the violent crimes of the Congo and neighboring areas are escalating each day, but that’s not the fact. Copper theft is a seedling of the more serious crimes, in that it only leads to worse things, a gateway crime. If the youths could be put to work gathering all this unrefined copper rather than stealing it, the country could develop leaps and bounds within the next few decades.
The government often makes economic gain a higher priority than whether or not a resource is being managed properly. In the past, decisions have been made about resources that were short-sighted. These decisions can lead to disasters such as the water shortage we are experiencing, or the endangerment of animals due to deforestation. Countries continue to overlook natural resources, thinking money comes first, specifically Africa. African leaders have been repeating the same pattern over the years, often putting their problems on other countries to-do list.
Soaring prices for metals, especially copper, have made what was once a small annoyance into a major problem costing over one billion dollars a year as reported by the US Dept of Energy. Wires, cables, and pipes are being torn from walls and buildings. Roof-top air units are being peeled of their copper coils. Thieves take copper in vacant buildings or difficult to secure areas, often without power or communication lines. The usual thefts sites are construction sites, vacant buildings and communications towers. The total damage done ripping pipes and wires out of walls far surpasses the actual cost of the copper stolen.
Natural resources are important to a nation’s power. Africa as a whole has incredible amounts of raw resources and if well utilized can be a dominant force in world affairs. Access to raw materials is crucial to the standard of living and stability of the state. Dependence upon resources relates to the technological developments that create demands. Iron and coal (both abundant in Africa) have long been the roots of industrialization, but increasing technological advancement is creating new requirements for other materials, such as copper. The technologies of fields like space exploration, medicine, and warfare depend on diversification of the materials required.
Global power and well-being depend on the possession of, and capacity to use, raw materials. African leaders are still unaware that the resources dwelling under their noses are a source of power in international relations. Africa’s government has not only mismanaged copper by not mining and selling it fairly, but there has also been a drastic increase in theft of the existing copper already mined.
The problem of AIDS has gone on unabated and African leaders just discuss the problem rather than take action. Now the epidemics have moved from AIDS to famine and poverty. African countries mostly in Northern regions of Africa are faced with famine and the extinction of over eighty-million people within the next ten years according to studies. Africa has great amounts of natural resources in each country which when developed and managed could be a brighter alternative. Most of the problems in Africa can be resolved by Africans themselves without resorting to international aid, international grants and foreign loans.
The situation in South Africa is one to be mimicked across the globe. South African leaders had had enough of these thefts and took action; they created the Copper Heads. The Copper Heads sole purpose was the apprehension of copper thefts and prevention of copper related crimes.
This solution may seem brilliant, but geography has a lot to do with why other countries have adopted this technique. South Africa is relatively small compared to other countries, therefore the city of Cape Town was easily managed and secure. Other African countries have a much more difficult situation because they have organization, rebellions and famine to overcome first. The management of the copper theft problem worked so well in South Africa because the circumstantial aspects of the solution worked. Everything went according to plan.
This issue is significant due to the fact that when the price of a material raises, the theft of said material raises. Copper is everywhere in the United States, in telephone wires, nearly every building, and pipes underground, therefore it is easily accessible. When something has near or more value than gold, and is that abundant, theft rates are high. The situation in the United States is bad, but not nearly as serious as the one in Africa. African copper theft rates are much higher than any other place by location. With the countries already abundant problems both socially and economically, theft of landlines and wires for electrical access make matters even worse. A formal and well-thought out solution is required for Africa to move forward at all.
If we were to turn our heads on this problem, the issue in Africa would only grow, it would slowly descend the countries further and further towards anarchy. Copper theft may not seem like a vital issue when the violent crimes of the Congo and neighboring areas are escalating each day, but that’s not the fact. Copper theft is a seedling of the more serious crimes, in that it only leads to worse things, a gateway crime. If the youths could be put to work gathering all this unrefined copper rather than stealing it, the country could develop leaps and bounds within the next few decades.
Resource Management - Petition
The issues citizens face each day look unsolvable without many years of solving. However, there are some relatively simple steps that could lead to a brighter future in Africa. Africa has many countries within the continent, all with different situations and leaders. But there is one thing all the countries have in common; they all have vast amounts of unrefined resources waiting to be unearthed. Copper is one of the most valuable resources in the world. It is used for wires, telephone poles, piping, and car parts. It’s the most in demand resource in the world aside from oil.
The proposed solution would be to create a program that jurisdicts over many African countries. This program would enable young African people to get such jobs as miners to mine the unrefined copper, iron, etc. as well as workers to smelt the metals into sell able bars. Women could also get jobs cooking and marketing via the program.
Please Sign Here:
www.petitiononline/CTPA
Thank you.
The proposed solution would be to create a program that jurisdicts over many African countries. This program would enable young African people to get such jobs as miners to mine the unrefined copper, iron, etc. as well as workers to smelt the metals into sell able bars. Women could also get jobs cooking and marketing via the program.
Please Sign Here:
www.petitiononline/CTPA
Thank you.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Resource Management - Abstract
The problems in Africa may seem insurmountable. Aids, famine and poverty plague Africa from North to South. Violent rebel armies scourge the continent for blood and money. The issues citizens face each day look unsolvable without many years of solving. Although there are some relatively simple steps that could lead to a brighter future in Africa.
Africa has many countries within the continent, all with different situations and leaders. But there is one thing all the countries have in common, they all have vast amounts of unrefined resources waiting to be unearthed. Copper is one of the most valuable resources in the world. It is used for wires, telephone poles, piping, and car parts. It’s the most in demand resource in the world aside from oil. The proposed solution would be to create a program that jurisdicts over many African countries. This program would enable young African people to get such jobs as miners to mine the unrefined copper, iron, etc. as well as workers to smelt the metals into sellable bars. Women could also get jobs cooking and marketing via the program.
Africa has many countries within the continent, all with different situations and leaders. But there is one thing all the countries have in common, they all have vast amounts of unrefined resources waiting to be unearthed. Copper is one of the most valuable resources in the world. It is used for wires, telephone poles, piping, and car parts. It’s the most in demand resource in the world aside from oil. The proposed solution would be to create a program that jurisdicts over many African countries. This program would enable young African people to get such jobs as miners to mine the unrefined copper, iron, etc. as well as workers to smelt the metals into sellable bars. Women could also get jobs cooking and marketing via the program.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Discussion - In Defense of Food
1. They are cheaper, taste better and give a sugar high that many people have become dependent on.
2. I think the government definitely should play a role in the food we eat, but it should still be the people's choice. I think it should be required for food companies to say whether or not their products come from "free trade" sources. Any products that come from slavery or injustice in the workplace of other countries should be made illegal, and against the Geneva conventions.
2. I think the government definitely should play a role in the food we eat, but it should still be the people's choice. I think it should be required for food companies to say whether or not their products come from "free trade" sources. Any products that come from slavery or injustice in the workplace of other countries should be made illegal, and against the Geneva conventions.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Man and The Bed - Sociology Experiment
Dan, Jesse, Eitan and I's sociology experiment for our gov't/sociology class. We placed at mattress and blanket in the fashion valley mall and filmed onlookers reactions, Dan's a world class deviant.
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