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Pat commented about Natural Africa Travel Paths, On Monday August 28th, 2006 05:26:00 AM
Hello, how are you? Nice blog you have! Keep it up!
Take a look at my site:
Africa Photos
If you like the site you can link to it by clicking “Blog this”
Enjoy!
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Pat commented about Used Clothing Imported to Haiti, On Friday November 20th, 2009 03:43:07 AM
I had the very same question about this a few years ago when I was in Thailand visiting with some Burmese refugees and wondered where did their obviously American style clothes come from. I was told that the clothes, (like the ones you saw) are from non-profits such as you mentioned. Generally, these are clothes they couldn't sell in their shops. They then sell them onto distributors who ship them overseas for sale. There is a considerable cost in doing this and an even greater profit to the distributors.
The non-profits, such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army, do perform a valuable service. The opportunity for them to sell items that are not moving from their stores is simply another revenue stream which helps them to achieve their mission. However, they are not concerned about the path the clothes take once out of their hands. This also happens with the electronics they cannot sell, which is a far greater problem and perhaps one they should consider more closely.
There are literally mountains of keyboards, monitors, and computers, again castoffs from recycling centers or non-profits, that are shipped to places in Africa and China.
According to CRI English.com "Mobile phones, for example, contain heavy metals such as lead and beryllium, as well as bromide used as a flame retardant in the circuit boards, all of which are potentially dangerous for humans.
The cadmium contained in a single mobile phone battery can contaminate about 60,000 liters of water."
Another example of this is what is happening in Ghana. According to earthhopenetwork, "Containers filled with old and often broken computers, monitors and TVs - from brands including Philips, Canon, Dell, Microsoft, Nokia, Siemens and Sony - arrive in Ghana from Germany, Korea, Switzerland and the Netherlands under the false label of "second-hand goods". The majority of the containers' contents end up in Ghana's scrap yards to be crushed and burned by workers, often children, sometimes using only their bare hands. This method not only pollutes the environment but also exposes workers to potentially toxic dust and fumes. This crude "recycling" is done in search of metal parts, mostly aluminium and copper, which sells for approximately 2 US Dollars per five kilos."
I commend you for your questioning the morality of the situation you noted in regards to the clothing. I hope you will agree that what you saw is a form of recycling that offers those people an opportunity to have an income through the resale of the clothing. In the long run it is a good thing for those people and their environment.
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Pat commented about My Haiti Motorcycle Accident, On Sunday November 22nd, 2009 10:45:04 AM
So glad to hear you came out of what could have been serious with just minor scrapes!
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Pat commented about Andres Hidalgo Goes to Cuba, On Monday November 30th, 2009 03:16:29 PM
Where does a guy who has been traveling for 12 years choose to go on vacation?
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Pat commented about Casas Particulares Vedado Havana, On Sunday December 6th, 2009 01:43:59 AM
I love the picture of the car. Can you get a closeup of the front so we can identify the cars. It is fantastic to see how well preserved the cars are. I had always heard the Cubans have all antique cars that they simply make the parts themselves to keep them going. It is like stepping back in time because they have been so isolated. You're doing a great jobb!
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