Liberia Must Stop This “Give Me, Give Me” Behavior… By Bernard Gbayee Goah Liberia is a major producer of Iron Ore. • And apparently; over 99% of iron ore is commercially used for steel making. Steel is used in construction (housing/housing appliances), aircrafts, automobiles and containers (steel cans) and the list goes on and on. But today, Liberia lacks Emergency transport vehicles such as (ambulances, and pick-up trucks, and choppers) to take Liberians that are sick to hospital on time. As a result, those infected with the Ebola virus continue to die at an exponential rate. • Steel is made from Iron Ore, and Yellow Machines are made from steel. Yellow Machines are used to construct roads. But roads in Liberia are deplorable. The Liberian government imports limited but costly Yellow Machines from abroad for road constructions that are in fact substandard. • Roads are constructed from different materials, depending on their intended uses and public demand. Conventional roads intended for long-term automobile traffic are often constructed in layers, which may include sand, gravel, tar, paving bricks, asphalt or concrete. Specialized roads for commercial uses may use other materials such as recycled rubber or metals. I am sure someone is asking OK…, Liberia has sand, gravel, and the rest, but what about asphalt? Does Liberia have asphalt? And the Answer is yes. • Asphalt is a thick brownish or black substance derived from the same crude oil that is discovered in Liberia that can be used to produce kerosene, gasoline. Asphalt is literally scraped from the bottom of the oil barrel after all other petroleum-based products have been refined or processed. This substance is at least 80% carbon, which explains its deep black color. • Also, the tar from the crude oil is usually mixed with sand or gravel (often called aggregate) to form the finished product called asphalt. The black tar forms a strong adhesive bond with the aggregate, which makes it durable. When used in road construction, asphalt is usually poured over a bed of heavier aggregate in a heated state, and pressed into place by an extremely heavy Steamroller. Once it cools to ambient temperature, it becomes sturdy enough for automobile traffic. Asphalt may harden even more over the years, but it still retains enough flexibility to accommodate natural variations in the roadbed. Source: wisegeek.org/how-is-asphalt-made.htm But Liberia lacks major paved roads. Liberia is a major producer of rubber. • Rubber is used to make all sorts of things. For example, rubber is used to make tires, rubber gloves, rubber buckets, rubber shoes, condoms, water bottles, rubber bands, conveyor belts, shock absorbers, athletic shoes, bandages, rubber baby buggy bumpers, elastic bands in underwear and socks, in most condoms, ballons, rubber-bands, etc. Source: explainthatstuff/rubber.html But Liberia lack rubber gloves and rubber buckets. In fact, the Vice President of Liberia appeared on CNN News on his recent visit to United States of America and shamelessly begged donor countries for items such as rubber gloves, personal protective equipment (PPE) which includes body protective suit when his country could have produced these items. The vice president also begged donors for items such as N95 respirator (special face mask to filter infectious particles from the air we breathe), goggles, and foot protection. Whereas, Liberia is a major producer of rubber, and rubber is used to produce all of the above items. The Vice President also shamelessly begged donor countries for Chlorine dioxide. Chlorine dioxide liquid could be produced in laboratories at universities and hospitals in Liberia, but no, the vice president would rather beg around for some. See what the vice President got from begging: (rubber buckets, Clorox and powder soap). Source: liberianewsagency.org/pagesnews.php?nid=2354The Health Ministry in Liberia must learn how to generate Chlorine dioxide liquid as well as other medications to fight epidemics and other diseases. • Liberia is a tropical rainforest country with great geographical verities. The soil is very rich for food production. And yet Liberians infected with the Ebola virus are escaping containment centers in search for food on the streets. Many have died from hunger. Source: newsasylum/ebola-patient-escapes-treatment-center-monrovia-liberia/ Liberia must promote Industrial research in chemistry and other medical sciences. Liberia cannot continue to rely on donor countries all of the time for diseases control, food technology, latex gloves, ambulances, and the list goes on and on. This kind of disability must be overcome or else, Liberia becomes a mere distraction within the West African sub region. When someone is helping to wash your back, the least you can do is wash your front. Stop This “Give Me, Give Me” behavior.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 11:04:30 +0000