Dave Donelson's Blog: OutTakes, page 24
June 18, 2009
AMD Changes "Congo" In Response To Letter
The open letter I published here and on Daily Kos last week convinced computer chip giant AMD Corporation to change a product code name, according to an online report on technology site CNET News. I had complained about the company’s recent decision to name a new computer chip “Congo” because of the connection between conflict minerals used in electronic devices and the brutal war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the letter, I pointed out that nearly six million people have died in the De
In the letter, I pointed out that nearly six million people have died in the De
June 9, 2009
"Congo" Shout Out To Hewlett Packard
The newly-announced "Congo" microchip from AMD will reportedly be used to power laptops built by Hewlett-Packard. I conveyed my outrage to HP CEO Mark Hurd in the following letter:
June 9, 2009
Mr. Mark Hurd
Chief Executive Officer
Hewlett-Packard Company
3000 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA 94304-1185
Dear Mr. Hurd:
You may not realize it, but your company has decided to use a new AMD microchip that links your products to the world's worst humanitarian crisis. I’m referring to the recently announced "C
June 9, 2009
Mr. Mark Hurd
Chief Executive Officer
Hewlett-Packard Company
3000 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA 94304-1185
Dear Mr. Hurd:
You may not realize it, but your company has decided to use a new AMD microchip that links your products to the world's worst humanitarian crisis. I’m referring to the recently announced "C
June 8, 2009
AMD "Congo" Decision An Outrage
The recent decision by AMD to name a new computer chip "Congo" has to go down in marketing history as one of the cruelest decisions ever made. Here's the letter I sent in response:
June 8, 2009
Mr. Dirk Meyer
Chief Executive Officer
AMD Corporation
PO Box 3453
Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3453
Dear Mr. Meyer:
Your company's recent decision to name a new microchip "Congo" is astoundingly heartless and ill-informed. Did you really mean to link your product to the world's worst humanitarian crisis?
Nearly six mil
June 8, 2009
Mr. Dirk Meyer
Chief Executive Officer
AMD Corporation
PO Box 3453
Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3453
Dear Mr. Meyer:
Your company's recent decision to name a new microchip "Congo" is astoundingly heartless and ill-informed. Did you really mean to link your product to the world's worst humanitarian crisis?
Nearly six mil
June 4, 2009
Westchester Libraries Hear Why Congo Matters
I recently spoke about Why Congo Matters at the Westchester Library System's 18th Annual Book and Author Luncheon. Here's the video of my full remarks.
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.[image error]
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.[image error]
May 28, 2009
Inside Heart of Diamonds
WBAI-FM's Wuyi Jacobs recently produced a series of shows about the Congo for his program, AfroBeat Radio. The last installment included a long conversation with me about Heart of Diamonds and how the book reflects the true Congo. Wuyi also asked me about my travels in Africa and how Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness influenced Heart of Diamonds.
The program aired May 16, 2009, as part of WBAI's fundraiser. To hear a 26-minute excerpt (mp3), click here.
Previous programs in the series include
The program aired May 16, 2009, as part of WBAI's fundraiser. To hear a 26-minute excerpt (mp3), click here.
Previous programs in the series include
May 27, 2009
"Ruined" Benefit For Congo Women
If you haven't yet seen "Ruined," Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer-prize-winning play about rape in the Congo, make sure to attend the June 14 matinee in New York. Proceeds from that performance will go to support women in the Congo through the work of Friends of the Congo and Congo Global Action. I saw the play early in its NY run and can't say enough about it's importance in understanding the terrible effect of terror rape on the victims and society in the DRC.
Following this special performance, film
Following this special performance, film
May 26, 2009
A Sobering View Of Africa's Future
Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles
As an author and activist, I am generally optimistic about Africa's future, but Richard Dowden tempered my hope with a sobering dose of reality based on his decades of reporting on the continent. His powerful guide to sub-Saharan Africa is a must-read for anyone who hopes to understand why Africa is the mess it is.
Dowden is the director of the Royal African Society and spent two decades as Africa editor of the Independent and the Economist. His book is
May 17, 2009
China Gains, Congo Loses, In Mine Deal
The recently-announced copper/cobalt mining contract between the Democratic Republic of Congo and China--widely proclaimed as bringing $9 billion in development aid to the DRC--looks like another unfortunate deal for Congo. According to my back-of-the-envelope calculations, it is probably even more one-sided than American multinational Freeport McMoRan’s arrangement for Tenke Fugurume that I examined recently.
Last year, the Congolese Ministry of Mines announced that it had signed an agreement
Last year, the Congolese Ministry of Mines announced that it had signed an agreement
May 16, 2009
Rape Testimony Moves U.S. Senate
Chouchou Namegabe Nabintu testified this week before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs and the new Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Womens Issues, moving the audience with her eloquent appeal for US help in stopping terror rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Senator Barbara Boxer said after Chouchou's testimony that "In the Senate today, the silence on this issue has ended."
The hearing wa
Senator Barbara Boxer said after Chouchou's testimony that "In the Senate today, the silence on this issue has ended."
The hearing wa
May 14, 2009
WBAI-FM Features Heart of Diamonds
Heart of Diamonds will be featured on AfroBeat Radio at 2:30 PM, Saturday, May 16. Listeners can hear it on WBAI FM 99.5 or http://wbai.org streaming online.
AfroBeat Radio host Wuyi Jacobs has been examining many aspects of the Congo crisis for several weeks now, talking to activists and writers such as myself. During our interview, I'll talk about how the very real war over the Congo's mineral wealth shaped my novel Heart of Diamonds. We'll also discuss some of the DRC's unfortunate history
AfroBeat Radio host Wuyi Jacobs has been examining many aspects of the Congo crisis for several weeks now, talking to activists and writers such as myself. During our interview, I'll talk about how the very real war over the Congo's mineral wealth shaped my novel Heart of Diamonds. We'll also discuss some of the DRC's unfortunate history
