Interesting fact: The rescue tube is only 28" in diameter. I would have had to spend my eternity in that hole since there is NO WAY I could squeegee my boobs into that toothbrush holder. Who's with me ladies?
You should probably post a picture on the boobie thread, and have several ladies do the same. Then, we can post a picture of the Phoenix capsule to determine the squishability compaction ratio. There are several smart people around here who could run some calculations on that. I love this photo: All those smiles - it probably never gets old, each time they pull one up. I also think it's funny that the capsule has Fenix painted on it.
From that ESPN article: What I'm saying is, if you can lose 20 pounds but none of it from your boobs, I know several women who would probably hate your guts right now.
What's there to not fathom? They experienced a kind of constant horror that we couldn't even describe. They were eating I think it was something like two spoonfuls of tuna every two days. They drained water cooling systems in mining vehicles for hydration. They probably defecated on themselves on a damn near constant basis. Since the tunnel systems stretched for hundreds of yards outside the emergency shelter, and they were presumably all spread out, it was like the world's worst came of hide-and-go-seek in the dark. I imagine that when things got desperate they discussed cannibalism. Some may have tried to kill themselves or at least seriously considered that way "out." Ever been really really angry, or really really depressed? Now combine those feelings, and multiply it by thousands. That's what happened in those first 17 days. - On a related note, what the fuck is it with all these guys being carrier pigeon handlers? You mean carrier pigeons still exist? Fuck, I have a smart phone; does Chile still rely on that type of communication?
This is a pretty incredible story. They'll make movies about this, and books. It'll be interesting to read the TLC movie, or books written by actual drillers. Does anyone know about compensation? The mine is bankrupt, since they were tight on cash before the explosion, and they haven't produced anything in 3 months. I know that on CNN, the rescue drillers from NJ weren't sure how much or who would pay them, but they felt it was their duty to go and do whatever they can. From following it a bit while working, it seems like they sent 5 or 6 rescuers own in the shaft. That just extended the rescue effort an extra 5 or 6 hours. You need some pretty big balls to volunteer to go down into hell, not 100% if you'll be able to go back up in a short time.
And if I remember, weren't the miners also being given (or at least, requesting) a daily ration of wine with their food supplies?
I read that their initial food request upon first contact was "steak and beer," and that it was denied on a nutritional basis. Also, the doctors had been giving the smokers in the group nicotine gum but they eventually persuaded them to send down cigarettes (my source for all this is CNN). Cigs calm your nerves, while obviously posing a large health risk, so I imagine the people topside were basically giving these guys whatever they requested if it would help their mental state. You obviously wanted to re-create "normal" as much as possible during trauma like this, and part of that has to include vices.
They were given cigarettes, but they had to walk something like 5 football field lenghts to smoke them. At first, they were worried about air quality, but the miners offered to use one of the tunnels for smoking (from the ESPN article).
Interesting response. You reiterated what I had to say, then ground out a few facts that have been released, then went on to make a bunch of assumptions and capped it off with a definitive statement! The point is that NO ONE EVER IN HISTORY has experienced what these men have. You seem very close to this thread. I mean this with no disrespect, but while your illness and recovery is monumental in your and your loved one's lives, it's not the same story. It's been done and documented repeatedly. I have also done a dance with that bitch malignant melanoma and am still here, so I'm not unfamiliar with the concept of death. But I did not contemplate my demise with a mountain on top of me. Only those 33 men can tell me that story. Not one other soul.
Wouldn't it be funny if all 33 men came out of the mine, then just got on with their lives with no long-term side effects? The media all screaming about how horrific the experience was and how long their recovery will be, I think it would be amusing if they all just manned up, shrugged their shoulders and said in essence, "That sucked. Let's never do it again." And moved on. Not to be dismissive of how horrible their experience must have been, but I think sometimes our culture places too much stress on psychological damage. Obviously an experience like this will have a lasting effect; I just don't know that it has to be an insurmountable recovery.
I wonder if any of the miners wanted to be the last out. Just figured, "I've been down here this long, and one of us has to be last, so I might as well be the one who snags the all-time underground record"
I wonder what kind of mementos that guy would leave. Imagine archaeologists discover the caved-in mine hundreds of years from now, to discover the etchings that the last guy out made. What a twisted picture of our civilization that would give.
- I took your post literally. I meant, at least as far as I see it (again, my opinion, feel free to argue), there's really nothing to contemplate about them being down there during that period. They went through hell; we can all probably fairly logically fill in the blanks of what might have happened. It's not blind speculation -- it's logical extrapolation of fact based upon observed facts and an understanding of cause and effect of the human condition. - I am in NO way comparing what happened with me to these miners' experience. I wrote, I believe several times now, that what they went through was like what happened to me, times many of thousands. I thought I made that very clear. However, I do feel as though it gives me somewhat of an edge over many people in the understanding of what actually happened here. Not much of one, but it is something. I'm logically and realistically using what I know to be true, in order to better comprehend what we are all trying to comprehend. - I like what Dcc said. We on this forum, or at least the majority of us, are seeing this through the filter of American/Canadian health care and culture. I don't know what it is like in Chile, and it could be very possible that the culture down there, or more specifically the culture surrounding the lives of the 33 miners, does not "make room" I guess you could say for PTSD or related psychological problems. Maybe they don't see that as an option? Maybe it's "just part of life" and they see it as simply a matter of getting happy or sad or scared, and not as a condition that can be diagnosed and treated. American society is such that I don't have to go on daily hunts to provide nutrition for my family, so I don't believe I can have a mindset similar to that of the Aborigines. Not to be demeaning at all, but maybe those miners aren't exposed to what we're exposed to, so their mindset will turn out different. What happens to the miners AFTER they return to the surface and the "real world," might actually provide the most insight into the reality of the human condition. They spent 69 days in a previously unexperienced condition underground; they'll spend the rest of their lives in a previously unexperienced condition back with the rest of society. Referring to my previous definition of "miracle," that they could potentially not have any major psychological side-effects, might be the most incredible miracle of them all.