An Outline to Help in Structuring Group presentations using "Tech's Tragic Secret" that illustrates the evolving political economy of scarce natural resources.
I.	Thesis Statement-- The world's most sophisticated smartphones and tablets start in the dangerous open-pit mines on the island of Bangka in Indonesia where the pursuit of profit and consumerism has resulted in the exploitation of Bangka Indonesian workers, land, and environment while rejecting the rule of law.
A.	Corporations and the Pursuit of Profit
1.	Foxconn technology group, biggest manufacturer for Apple
a.	Tin most common metal used by Apple suppliers
(1)	Tins real use is for solder, which contains more than 95 percent tin, to attach components
(2)	179 suppliers for Apple, which makes the iPad and the iPhone, are assembled by Foxconn
b.	Growth for solder due to three products: smartphones, tablets, and Internet data servers
B.	 Worker Safety, Profits, Lack of Accountability, and the Indonesian state 
1.	In 2011, Bangka miners died in accidents at an average rte of one a week, more than double 2010 rate
a.	End of July 2011, five Bangka were killed beneath a mudslide
2.	15,000 to 50,000 miners working on permitted and unpermitted sites
a.	Pits are unstable if they are dug straight down
(1)	Mining in terraced pattern, with shorter, staggered walls is safer (Annual Editions, 99).
3.	Timah, a publicly traded company in Bangka, is majority owned by Indonesian government
a.	Timah has 4,000 full-time employees and and produces 11 percent of global tin supply yearly
(1)	Small-scale sites total 4,000, with subcontractors running the pits w/four or five miners
(2)	After accidents, Timah and subcontractors blame each other or rogue miners
4.	Companies concerned crackdown on illegal mining by Indonesian authorities driving up tin prices
a.	Government has never charged owner of a small-scale mine, a pit boss, or anyone else following a deadly mine collapse (Annual Editions, 100).
b.	Johan Murod, an owner of three smelting plants observed , "Government, no responsibility,  Timah, no responsibility, We are all thieves here."
C.	Environmental Degradation
1.	Today, Timah gets more than 50 percent of its tin from the sea, compared with 29 percent in 2008.
2.	Instead of mechanical arms with conveyor belts to the sea floor, newer dredges use vacuums
a.	Tin ore has increased from 6,904 metric tons in 2008 to over 14,000 in 2010
3.	Coral reef is being buried by sediment churned up in the quest for tin
a.	Waters have turned brown and silted over
(1)	Dive master Reza Muftiadi argued, "If there's no coral, it means there is no fish."
4.	Fisherman have teamed up with an Indonesian environmental group, WALHI, to document illegal mining
a.	Siaw, a fisherman leading the protests understands the choice of fishermen to mine.  But rejects taking this path for himself: "My philosophy is that I make my life from the sea.  I can't make my life destroying it."
II.	Conclusion-- Global consumers are unaware that the products they use are produced at the expense of people, land, and the environment.   There needs to be more accountability and transparency from corporations, both manufacturers (Foxconn) and retailers (Apple).  In particular, corporations need to stop blaming subcontractors for mining in illegal areas—passing the buck.  This will take action from corporations, the Indonesian state, activists and global consumers.  The Apple logo is a worldwide symbol made possible by the externalizing of labor, land, and environmental exploitation.  Indeed, consumer choice is not without its consequences.