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BMW, Ferrari, VW cars use tungsten mined by terrorists

Bloomberg Markets is reporting that BMW, Volkswagen and Ferrari have been using tungsten ore sourced from Columbia's FARC rebel terrorists. The extensive story focuses on Columbia's illegal mining trade and calls into question the provenance of the rare ore that is used not only in crankshaft parts production, but is also found in the world's computing and telecommunications industry for use in screens.
The ore is mined by the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army), and exported to Pennsylvania, where it is refined. The refined ore is then sent over to Austria, where a company called Plansee turns it into a finished product. Now, it's important to note that we aren't talking about the world's supply of tungsten here. In 2012, Plansee's American refinery purchased 93.2 metric tons of tungsten, valued at $1.8 million. That's peanuts, with the entire Colombian tungsten mining industry producing just one percent of the world's supplies.
That doesn't make indirectly supporting FARC any more acceptable, though. BMW, VW and Ferrari are all committed to not accepting mineral supplies from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is also in the grips of a guerrilla insurrection funded, in part, by illegal mining. The same commitment would figure to extend to Colombian mining, but as BMW points out, it's difficult for a multi-national manufacturer to know where every item in its supply chain comes from. A company spokesperson says as much, telling Bloomberg, "These few grams out of the billions of tons of raw materials passing through the BMW supply chain are of no practical relevance."

2014 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

Most cardiologists and physiologists maintain that a human's maximum heart rate is calculated with a mathematical formula: subtract a person's age from 220. But some leading doctors are now questioning the established academics, which trace their origins back to 1970, claiming that a simple formula isn't accurate for people of all ages, in particular those who are older. Rather than endorse the time accepted calculation, this progressive group argues that maximum heart rate equals 208 minus 0.7 times age.
While medical science continues its debate, I recently discovered a more elementary approach that disregards age and physical condition, and it requires no math.
To reveal a human's true maximum heart rate, I propose strapping test subjects into the driver's seat of a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta and then firing up its ferocious V12.

Ferrari F1 ace Sebastian Vettel shows the proper way to drive the LaFerrari Aperta

Listen, let's be frank here, we don't have to tell you much to get you to watch this video. It's a new Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta, that's the convertible variant, being driving on mountain roads and a race track. Behind the wheel is Ferrari's ace Formula One driver and four-time champion, Sebastian Vettel. Do you really need more than that? Fine, we'll tell you a little more. The LaFerrari Aperta sounds amazing, with all 12 cylinders shrieking as Vettel pushes it around corners. On track, we get to see a quick snippet of Ferrari's pride and joy drifting, too. The trio on the The Grand Tour would surely approve. The video also celebrates Ferrari's racing history, which spans nearly 70 years, by showing the company's famous race cars in reflections as the LaFerrari passes by. If that's not enough to get you to watch the video, you must really hate Ferraris. Related Video: