It is the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated.
On Tuesday, British actor Roger Moore, best known for portraying Simon Templar of the 1960s series The Saint and the spy character James Bond, died in Switzerland at the age of 89.
Before his death, Moore fought recently diagnosed cancer. His family confirmed his death on Twitter saying, “It is the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated.”
Other stars paid tribute to Roger Moore via Twitter, including Russell Crowe, Michael Ball, Mia Farrow, Boy George, and Duran Duran, who sang the eponymous theme song for Bond film A View to a Kill featuring Moore as Bond.
Moore was born in Stockwell, South London an only child to his working-class parents on October 14, 1927. During World War II, he and his mother mostly stayed in Amersham, 25 miles from London. Moore left grammar school in 1943 to work.
Moore’s father, a detective sergeant, came to the home of film director Brian Desmond Hurst that had been robbed. Moore was introduced by his father to Hurst and then started his acting career in summer 1944 as an extra in the film Caesar and Cleopatra. Impressed, Hurst helped Moore gain extra parts in two other films and then paid for Moore’s acting studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Moore was assigned to the National Service in 1945 and then, after training, was ranked captain. Afterwards, he appeared in modeling engagements, like appearance in Women’s Own magazine.
Moore arrived in the United States in 1953 and then signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) for mainly supporting roles. He portrayed the male lead in 1956 film Diane. He first appeared on television as the titular character of the late-1950s ITV series Ivanhoe. He later appeared in some western series, like Maverick from 1960 to 1961, replacing James Garner as the lead of the series.
Moore then portrayed Simon Templar, stealing from rich antagonists, in the ITV series The Saint. The series ran 118 episodes from 1962 to 1969. Due to his contract for The Saint, Moore was prevented from being cast as James Bond for the 1962 film Dr. No, which stars Sean Connery, the first actor to portray Bond.
Moore eventually became the third actor to portray Bond, and his first Bond film was the 1973 film Live and Let Die. He would appear again as Bond in six more films: The Man with the Golden Gun, 1974; The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977; Moonraker, 1979; For Your Eyes Only, 1981; Octopussy, 1983; and A View to a Kill, 1985.
In 1991 Moore became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. His UNICEF work earned him Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the late 1990s. He was knighted in 2003 for that.
Throughout 2000s, Moore performed voiceovers in mostly animated films and made appearances in some other live-action films, like the 2002 film Boat Trip, portraying a gay man resembling Bond. Then he wrote his 2008 autobiography My Word Is My Bond and other books, including memoir One Lucky Bastard and Bond on Bond.
Moore married four times, to four different women. He was survived by his fourth wife, Danish-Swedish multimillionaire Kristina “Kiki” Tholstrup, and his three children.
BBC Wales and iPTV station VTV are reporting that a light aircraft made an emergency landing at 13:00 BST at Treforest Industrial Estate near Cardiff.
The aircraft, an orange-coloured single-engine model Fox home-built kit was carrying two people when it made a forced landing on a section of dual carriageway within the industrial estate.
It is not known how severely the man and woman on board were injured, a spokesperson for South Wales Police stated that both of the aircraft’s occupants sustained “non life-threatening injuries”.
Treforest Industrial Estate is one of the largest business parks in the south Wales valleys. Its location, just two hundred metres from the main A470 expressway could have resulted in a far greater tragedy.
VTV reporter and private pilot Craig Handley said that the location of the accident “would have been the most logical place to try and set the aircraft down as the dual carriageway, which runs through the estate, is clearly visible from the air and is almost completely straight and wide.”
Today’s accident comes less than a year after a similar-sized aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing less than two miles away from Treforest Industrial Estate. A Cessna 150 suffered a sudden loss of engine power during its approach to nearby Cardiff International Airport.
The Cessna in the earlier accident collided with a group of trees shedding its wings before coming to rest on a small country road. The two occupants of that aircraft received slight injuries.
South Wales Police have not confirmed whether any motorists or pedestrians were injured when the aircraft in today’s accident made its emergency landing. The aircraft did cause some structural damage to a factory unit on the industrial estate prior to coming to rest, inverted, on the adjacent dual carriageway.
According to one eyewitness, the aircraft appeared to have experienced an engine-related problem seconds before impact.
A spokesperson, for Cardiff International Airport said that the aircraft had departed from Cardiff at 12:43 BST and that the airport’s Air Traffic Control centre had lost contact with the plane.
The Civil Aviation Authority’s Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) have been informed and are due to begin their investigation into the crash.
Looking at the fire 1 mile away facing the west, northwest. Image: Jason Safoutin.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Buffalo, New York —A massive warehouse complex of at least 5 buildings caught on fire in Buffalo, New York on 111 Tonawanda Street, sending a plume of thick, jet black colored smoke into the air that could be seen as far away as 40 miles.
As of 6:40 a.m., the fire was under control, and firefighters were attempting to stop it from spreading, but could not get to the center of the fire because of severe amounts of debris. Later in the morning, the fire was extinguished.
“The fire is mostly under debris at this point. It’s under control, but it’s under some debris. We really can’t get to it. We’re just going to have to keep on pouring water on it so it doesn’t spread,” said Thomas Ashe, the fire chief for the North Buffalo based fire division who also added that at one point, at least 125 firefighters were on the scene battling the blaze. One suffered minor injures and was able to take himself to the hospital to seek medical attention.
Shortly after 8:00 p.m. as many as 3 explosions rocked the warehouse sending large mushroom clouds of thick black smoke into the air. After the third explosion, heat could be felt more than 100 feet away. The fire started in the front, one story building then quickly spread to three others, but fire fighters managed to stop the flames from spreading onto the 3 story building all the way at the back.
According to a Buffalo Police officer, who wished not to be named, the fire began at about 7:00 p.m. [Eastern time], starting as a one alarm fire. By 8:00 p.m., three fire companies were on the scene battling the blaze. Police also say that a smaller fire was reported in the same building on Saturday night, which caused little damage.
At the start of the fire, traffic was backed up nearly 4 miles on the 198 expressway going west toward the 190 Interstate and police had to shut down the Tonawanda street exit because the road is too close to the fire.
At one point, traffic on the 198 was moving so slow, at least a dozen people were seen getting out of their cars and walking down the expressway to watch the fire. That prompted as many as 10 police cars to be dispatched to the scene to force individuals back into their cars and close off one of the 2 lanes on the westbound side.
One woman, who wished not to be named as she is close to the owner of the warehouse, said the building is filled with “classic cars, forklifts, and money” and that owner “does not have insurance” coverage on the property. The building is not considered abandoned, but firefighters said that it is vacant.
Officials in Fort Erie, Ontario were also swamped with calls to fire departments when the wind blew the smoke over the Niagra River and into Canada.
It is not known what caused the fire, but a car is suspected to have caught on fire and there are reports from police and hazmat crews, that there were also large barrels of diesel fuel being stored in one building. Firefighters say the cause of the blaze is being treated as “suspicious.” The ATF is investigating the fire and will bring dogs in to search the debris.
For some adult students, going back to school can be stressful, intimidating, and a down-right chore. But success in higher education is like any other kind of success: you need to create an environment in which you can succeed. After that it’s easy. If you haven’t set foot inside a classroom for 5, 10, 25, or even 50 years, you might need your memory jogged when it comes to studying. The following study tips can increase your chances for success in higher education.
Tips for Adult Students
1. Take time: It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of returning to, or starting in, higher education. However try not to sign up for the first program that catches your eye. Consider your options, interests, and needs; take the time to find the best fit. Access to higher education is at a historic high; universities, community colleges, technical schools, online programs, and virtual campuses are just some of the options available to you.
2. Study light: Don’t fill your dance card all at once. Take a few classes to start with. Adult students won’t need an 18 credit-hour load like some of your classmates. You have a life. You have a job, a family, friends, and commitments, all of which will continue to require attention from you. For every three credit hours, plan on studying 6-9 hours per week outside of class.
3. Study fun: When picking your first classes, choose one just for fun. Seriously. Take yoga, take fencing, take underwater basket-weaving; it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s something you will enjoy. One of the traditional difficulties students face in returning to school is simply getting into the front door, even after registration. Taking a fun class gives you something to look forward to and help you re-establish habits like showing up to class.
4. Make connections: Early in every class, especially the ones you don’t like, find something to connect with on a personal level. Find something you like. It could be a character, a theory, a style, a scholar of note, whatever. The important thing is to find something that makes the class personally more meaningful. This will help keep your attention on the class.
5. Study space: Make room for yourself, in time and space. Schedule regular times to study in a regular place. Brush up on study tips and skills; there are many valuable and free resources on the Internet. And turn off the TV. You might think you need the distraction, but that’s all it is, a distraction. If you need something to quiet your active mind, try light music and keep your eyes focused on homework.
6. Get involved: Some authors have observed many adult students feel as if they are peripheral to the “normal” activities of their college. However, every campus has support organizations for non-traditional students, offering many resources. Many student organizations could benefit from a more experienced classmate. Not only does research show that there is a correlation between success in higher education and co-curricular activities, but these organizations can also be great resources for study partners, networking, and resume fodder.
There’s no doubt that returning to school can be a daunting prospect, but if you keep these tips in mind and ease into your college career, you can find yourself at the head of the class in no time.
About the Author: Kelli Smith writes about colleges and universities, community colleges, online schools, and career development. She is the senior editor at
A United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed Monday (before 3:00 pm CST) after takeoff at Duncan Field at Campus of Texas A&M University, during a routine mission flight shuttling cadets from the university to Camp Swift. Two active-duty soldiers were killed in the crash, and four Army National Guard soldiers were injured.
Second Lt. Zachary Cook, 22, a native of Lufkin, Texas and a December 2008 graduate of Texas A&M University, was killed in the incident. Cook was a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps cadre at Texas A&M University and also graduated from Lufkin High School. U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards on Wednesday paid tribute to Cook on the floor of the U.S. Congress. “His loss brings a great sadness to his family and friends, the extended Texas A&M family, and the Army, all of us deprived of this patriotic citizen who was dedicated to serving our great nation in uniform,” he said. Edwards is a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives from the 17th District of Texas, based about Waco.
The crash also killed Sgt. Charles C. Mitts, 42, of Spring, Texas. He died about 9 p.m. Wednesday night at Memorial Hermann Hospital, said hospital spokeswoman Ann Brimberry. Mitts was the oldest of five men on board the ill-fated helicopter. He was assigned to Iraq from September 2006 to September 2007 with Company C of the 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment, based in Topeka, Kansas. Mitts was posthumously promoted from his present rank, Chief Master Sgt. Gonda Moncada announced.
The three others on board the UH-60 Black Hawk were injured in the accident. The pilot, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Matthew J. Smith, 41, of Leander, and 1st Lt. Ellis W. Taylor, 31, of Buda, were in stable condition Thursday at Brooke Army Medical Center. Sgt. Richard D. Ravenscraft, 24, of Austin, also was initially listed as critical but upgraded to stable in College Station.
The accident is under investigation by the Combat Readiness/Safety Center in Fort Rucker, Alabama, home of the U.S. Army Aviation Center. “They have a reputation for extreme thoroughness and quickness,” said Texas Guard Capt. Adam Collett. The probe team will review the wrecked helicopter and debris scattered on Duncan Field next to Duncan Dining Hall, near the Corps of Cadets field on the school’s College Station campus, about 100 miles northwest of Houston, Texas. “Every piece the way it landed is still in place,” said Texas Army National Guard Chief Master Sgt. Gonda Moncada, adding that investigators began the expert examination of evidence Wednesday morning.
As part of a five-ship training exercise, the Blackhawk helicopter was performing a training demonstration for about 190 Corps of Cadets in the ROTC Rudder’s Rangers Annual Winter Field Training Exercises. It was also used to transfer the students to Duncan Field just off George Bush Drive. When the helicopter was attempting to take off, a rudder reportedly malfunctioned. “At first, it looked like he was hot-dogging and then very quickly it was obvious he was in trouble and not messing around. All of a sudden he dropped straight back down into the ground,” Scott Walker Walker, publications manager for the A&M Association of Former Students said. “There was a bunch of people on Duncan Field and everyone went running and diving for cover,” he added. The aircraft entered a rotational spin upon take off and plummeted down on its tail boom, with its cabin section largely intact.
Corps of Cadets at the Arches of the Quad at Texas A&M.
The chopper will be transferred to the Austin Aviation Support Facility, where it is was based. Some parts of the Blackhawk will also be sent to the Corpus Christi Army Depot for testing, Officials with Texas Military Forces officials said.
“Our thoughts and prayers go to the crew members involved in this tragedy, and especially to the family and friends of the crew member who reportedly died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash,” A&M President Elsa Murano stated.
The Campus of Texas A&M University, also known as ‘Aggieland’, is located in College Station, Texas, USA. College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in Central Texas. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley. Aggieland is centrally located within of three of the 10 largest cities in the United States and 75% of the Texas and Louisiana populations. Southside of the campus contains halls both for the Corps of Cadets members and “non-regs”. Facilities for the Corps of Cadets are located in the Quadrangle, or “The Quad”, an area consisting of dormitories, Duncan Dining Hall, and the Corps training fields.
This year’s Spanish IPC European Shooting Championship team Image: Comité Paralímpico Español.
This week, Wikinews interviewed Spanish Paralympic sport shooter Paulo Fontán Torreiro. Late last month, Galician Fontán competed at the Alicante hosted 2013 IPC European Shooting Championship, where he finished twenty-third in the R4 10-meter air rifle standing event, and fortieth in the R5 10-meter air rifle prone event.
((Wikinews)) : So you competed at the IPC European Shooting Championships last month? How did you do? Are you happy with the result? ((es))Spanish language: ?¿Compitió en el pasado Campeonato de Europa de Tiro? ¿Qué tal le fue? ¿Satisfecho por el resultado?
Paulo Fontán Torreiro: Yes, I competed in the European Championship in Alicante. It was my first important event and I felt very nervous, I wanted to perform well. Despite improving my previous scores and achieving the minimum qualifying score for next year’s World Championship, I think I could have done better. ((es))Spanish language: ?Si he competido en el cto de Europa de Alicante. Era mi primer campeonato de tanta importancia y me noté bastante nervioso, con ganas de hacerlo bien. Aunque he mejorado mis marcas anteriores y he conseguido las marcas mínimas para tener la posibilidad de participar en el campeonato del mundo del año que viene, si es cierto que considero que lo debí haber hecho algo mejor.
((WN)) : What do you think you need to improve to possibly compete at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and get a medal? ((es))Spanish language: ?¿Qué cree que necesita mejorar para poder competir en los Juegos Paralímpicos de Rio en 2016 y ganar una medalla?
Paulo Fontán: Basically I would need to be able to train more constantly, obtain financial resources to participate in international events, and have a bit of luck on the day of the competition. ((es))Spanish language: ?Fundamentalmente necesitaría poder entrenar con más constancia, conseguir recursos económicos para poder participar en competiciones internacionales y despues tener algo de suerte el día de la competición.
((WN)) : What are the biggest challenges you face on the road to the Rio Games? Money? Good competition? The support network to travel and compete at the highest level? Disability access at training venues? ((es))Spanish language: ?¿Cuáles son los mayores desafíos a los que se enfrenta en el camino a los Juegos de Rio? ¿Presupuesto? ¿Buenos rivales para aumentar su nivel? ¿Una red de apoyo para viajar y competir al máximo nivel? ¿Acceso para discapacitados en lugares de entrenamiento?
Paulo Fontán: All that are included in the questions. In order to train effectively, you need adequate facilities, and that’s not the norm here. And to increase my level, I would need to compete against good rivals, basically at international events. For that, I require money and support, something that’s not too available. ((es))Spanish language: ?Pues todos los que aparecen en las preguntas. Para entrenar con garantías hace falta contar con instalaciones adecuadas, y no es lo habitual. Y para mejorar mi nivel necesitaría competir con buenos rivales (basicamente en competiciones internacionales) y para ello hace falta dinero y apoyos, algo que escasea.
((WN)) : Why did you chose to compete in shooting? Why not compete in another sport? ((es))Spanish language: ?¿Por qué eligió competir en tiro? ¿Por qué no otro deporte?
Paulo Fontán: I first tried other sports but finally focused on shooting because it fits my capabilities better, I’m not bad at it, and there is a very agreeable atmosphere at the competitions. ((es))Spanish language: ?Probé primero otros deportes pero finalmente me he centrado en el tiro porque se ajusta mejor a mis capacidades, no se me da mal y he respirado un ambiente muy agradable en las competiciones.
((WN)) : Who are your role models in shooting? Are there any shooters you particularly admire? ((es))Spanish language: ?¿Quién es su modelo a seguir en tiro? ¿Existen tiradores/as a los que particularmente admire?
Paulo Fontán: I must thank the support Juan Saavedra has given me since I started, and which he keeps giving me when I need it. I would like to mention Marciano Vázquez, the Spanish national team coach, too for his advice and trust in me when he called me up for the European Championship: I hope to return his trust with some future triumph. ((es))Spanish language: ?Tengo que agradecer el apoyo que siempre me ha brindado Juan Saavedra desde que empecé, y que me sigue brindando cuando lo necesito. Citar también a Marciano Vázquez, seleccionador nacional de Tiro Olímpico, por sus consejos y por su confianza en mi persona a la hora de convocarme para el cto de Europa; espero poder devolverle la confianza con algún éxito futuro.
((WN)) : What is the sport shooting culture like in Spain? Are people generally supportive when you tell them what sport you compete in? ((es))Spanish language: ?¿Cómo es recibido este deporte culturalmente en España? ¿La gente le apoya cuando dice que es tirador?
Paulo Fontán: I don’t think it’s very well known, and there could be some rejection because of the “pegar tiros” part, but that’s out of ignorance since it is mainly a mental sport, a sport requiring focus. ((es))Spanish language: ?Creo que no es muy conocido y quizá pueda haber cierto rechazo por eso de “pegar tiros” pero es fruto del desconocimiento ya que fundamentaolmente es un deporte mental, de concentración.
((WN)) : Do you think the classification system in shooting is fair? Do you think it should be changed? ((es))Spanish language: ?¿Piensa que el sistema de clasificación en tiro es justo? ¿Piensa que se debería cambiar?
Paulo Fontán: I’ve only been doing this for three years and haven’t had time to analyze it deeply so as to have an opinion about it. ((es))Spanish language: ?Llevo sólo tres años y no he tenido tiempo de analizarlo en profundidad como para tener una opinión al respecto.
((WN)) : Would you recommend the sport to other people with disabilities? What are reasons they should or should not take up the sport? ((es))Spanish language: ?¿Recomendaría este deporte a otras personas con discapacidad? ¿Cuáles son las razones por las que deberían -o no deberían- practicar este deporte?
Paulo Fontán: Yes, I would recommend it, and I would because it is a sport which can be practiced by a wide array of different disabilities, and for a long time. The biggest problem is the high initial investment, the lack of adequate facilities or the cost of travelling to competitions since there are not many places that allow people with disabilities to participate. ((es))Spanish language: ?Si lo recomendaría, y lo recomiendo porque es un deporte que se pude practicas por una gran diversidad de discapacidades diferentes, y durante mucho tiempo. El mayor problema es la elevada inversión inical, la ausencia de infraestructuras adecuadas o el coste de los desplazamientos a las competiciones (ya que no hay muchas en las que permitan participar a personas con discapacidad).
Microsoft announced on Thursday they are partnering with KIND Financial to help governments track the production and distribution of legal marijuana. Kind Financial, a California-based start-up company, began selling its Agrisoft Seed to Sale software three years ago. Microsoft is admitting Kind’s software on the Government portion of its Azure cloud service.
Although Kind Financial CEO David Dinenberg stressed to The Guardian they “absolutely do not touch the plant”, his company does business with growers and distributors of marijuana, as well as the governments that regulate it. State law in twenty-five US states — but not US federal law — has legalized marijuana, whether medicinally or for recreational use. Kimberly Nelson, Microsoft executive director of state and local government solutions, said they expect significant demand for technology to help states make sure cannabis distribution within their state is done according to their laws.
Kind also provides kiosks similar to automated tellers (ATMs) to facilitate marijuana transactions in dispensaries. The distribution of marijuana is often done only with cash or through machines like the ones Kind offers since many banks in the United States shy away from the marijuana industry entirely. Microsoft is not interacting with this part of Kind’s operations, however.
Microsoft and Kind will apply for contracts with state governments for their software. Currently, they have applied to Puerto Rico, a US territory, where medical marijuana has recently been made legal. BioTrackTHC, a company similar to Kind Financial, already has contracts with Washington, New Mexico, and Illinois.
Dinenberg said his company’s partnership with Microsoft is a major step in advancing the legitimacy of cannabis-related businesses.
Kevin PedersonAccording to statistics, an average person walks around 6500 km in his lifetime. So you can imagine how much stress your feet go through in one lifetime. Cracked heels are due to years of neglect; hence do not expect positive results in two days.
– Common cause for Cracked Heels
Standing for long periods of time
Being overweight Open backed shoesMedical condition which causes drying of the skin, prevalent in diabetes Skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema
Clean and moisturize your feet daily. Before going to bed, soak your feet in warm, soapy water for 15 minutes, wash and dab it dry. Take one teaspoon Vaseline, add lemon juice extracted from one lemon. Rub this mixture on your feet mainly the cracked areas. Let the skin absorb this mixture. Do this daily to get maximum benefits.
Mixture of glycerin and rosewater applied on daily basis helps heal the cracked feet.
Exfoliating and scrubbing your feet is very important. The accumulation of dead skin can worsen the problem. Use of pumice stone or a loofah to remove the dead skin is recommended.
Apply oil based moisturizer on your feet, twice daily if possible.
Pamper your feet by giving it a pedicure either at home or at a parlor. If you are too lazy to go to the parlor wash your feet in sea salt water and scrub it. Apply hand and body cream on your feet.
In 100 gms of coconut oil add 3 teaspoon camphor and 3 tablespoon paraffin wax melted. Apply this daily on your cracked heels before going to bed. After washing it in the morning apply hand and body cream.
Exfoliation with the help of strawberry. Crush 6-8 strawberries; mix two tablespoons of olive or almond oil and one teaspoon of sea salt. Apply this paste on your feet and use vigorous movements to improve blood circulation. Leave it for 10-15 minutes; rinse using with warm water then cold water. You could do the same thing using almonds instead of strawberries. Other scrubs can be prepared by grinding corncobs and walnut sheet (very useful for tough skin and hardened heels). The juices and oil from the different fruits and nuts helps to nourish your feet.
Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.
Kevin Pederson looks after websites which are similar to home cure treatment, giving out tips and remedies to fight them.
Home remedies for cracked heels.
Pampering your heels with simple and easy home remedies makes a huge difference.
CanadianTD Financial Group has come to a deal with the regional U.S. bank, Hudson United Bancorp, to buy Hudson for US$1.9 billion. The new addition will be folding into itsMaine-based TD Banknorth, which is 51% owned by TD Financial. The acquisition will bring in 204 new branches and increase TD’s footprint to New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. In total this will give TD 590 branches, 751 banking machines and more than US$26-billion in deposits across eight northeastern states.
Hudson specialises in commercial real estate, consumer and credit card loans to individuals and businesses. The bank also had $8.85 billion US in assets at the end of it’s first quarter, on March 31. The company’s shares had been dropping in the course of the past year because of allegations of money-laundering violations and after an earnings warning, making it a good steal for TD. The acquisition will greatly increased TD’s influence in America.
This continues the recent trend for Canadian banks expanding into the U.S. where regulation on bank mergers is less strict than in their home country.
“This transaction delivers on our shared vision for growth and marks a significant milestone in TD Banknorth’s expansion strategy,” TD Bank CEO and president Ed Clark said in a statement.
Rescue efforts to save the 33 Chilean miners trapped 700 meters from the surface continue. After seeing video images filmed by one of the miners Ruth Contreras, the mother of Carlos Bravo, who is trapped in the mine, said the “he’s skinny, bearded and it was painful to see him with his head hanging down, but I am so happy to see him alive.” Image: Desierto Atacama.
It has emerged that the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground after the mine they were working in collapsed could be brought to the surface in a shorter time than was initially feared. While officials publicly announced that the men would not be brought to the surface until Christmas, sources inside technical meetings have revealed that they could in fact be on the surface by early November. The news comes as families were allowed to speak by radio-telephone to their trapped loved ones on Sunday. Over the weekend, video images filmed by the miners emerged showing the miners playing dominoes at a table and singing the Chilean national anthem. The miners also used the camera to send video messages to their families on the surface, saying that they regularly broke into tears, but were feeling better having received food and water.
The grainy nightvision images, filmed on a high definition camcorder that was sent down a small shaft to the mine, show the men in good spirits, chanting “long live Chile, and long live the miners.” They are unshaven and stripped to the waist because of the heat underground, and are seen wearing white clinical trousers that have been designed to keep them dry. Giving a guided tour of the area they are occupying, Mario Sepúlveda, one of the miners, explains they have a “little cup to brush our teeth”, and a place where they pray each day. “We have everything organized,” he tells the camera. Gesturing to the table in the center of the room, he says that “we meet here every day. We plan, we have assemblies here every day so that all the decisions we make are based on the thoughts of all 33.” Another unidentified miner asks to rescuers, “get us out of here soon, please.” A thermometer is shown in the video, reading 29.5C (85F).
As the film continues, it becomes evident that the miners have stuck a poster of a topless woman on the wall. The miners appear shy, and one man puts his hand to his face, presumably dazzled by the light mounted on the cameraman’s helmet. One miner sent a message to his family. “Be calm”, he says. “We’re going to get out of here. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your efforts.” Another said that the miners are “sure that there are people here in Chile that are big people, that are powerful people, that are intelligent people, and they have the technology and they will all work together to get us out of here.” Speaking to the camera, one says: “we have had the great fortune that trapped in this mine there are good, professional people. We have electricians, we have mechanics, we have machine operators and we will let you know that while you are working to rescue us on the surface, we are down here ready to help you too.” It has been reported that Mario Gómez, 63, has become the group’s “spiritual leader”, having worked in the mines for over fifty years. He has requested that materials to build a shrine be sent down to the cavern.
Upon seeing the video in a private screening, family members, who are living in a small village of tents at the entrance to the San José copper-gold mine—which they have named Camp Hope—were elated. “He’s skinny, bearded and it was painful to see him with his head hanging down, but I am so happy to see him alive”, said Ruth Contreras, the mother of Carlos Bravo, who is trapped in the mine. The video, of which only a small portion has been released to the public, shows the miners, many of them wearing helmets, cracking jokes and thanking the rescuers for their continued efforts. The supplies are being sent to the men through a small shaft only twelve centimeters wide, and a laboratory has been set up with the purpose of designing collapsible cots and miniature sandwiches, which can be sent down such a narrow space.
CNN reported on Friday that “officials are splitting the men into two shifts so one group sleeps while the other works or has leisure time .. On average, each man has lost 22 pounds (10 kilograms) since they became trapped three weeks ago, and dehydration remains a threat. But a survey of the men indicates that at least nine miners are still too overweight to fit through the proposed rescue shaft. Initially, the miners survived by draining water from a water-cooled piece of equipment. To stay hydrated in the 90-degree mine, each miner must drink eight or nine pints of water per day.”
But while there are jubilant celebrations on the surface that the miners are alive, officials are now nervous that the miners could become depressed, trapped in a dark room the size of a small apartment. Chilean health minister Jaime Mañalich said that, on the video, he saw the telltale signs of depression. “They are more isolated, they don’t want to be on the screen, they are not eating well”, he said. “I would say depression is the correct word.” He said that doctors who had watched the video had observed the men suffering from “severe dermatological problems.” Dr. Rodrigo Figueroa, head of the trauma, stress and disaster unit at the Catholic University in Santiago, Chile, explained that “following the euphoria of being discovered, the normal psychological reaction would be for the men to collapse in a combination of fatigue and stress … People who are trained for emergencies – like these miners – tend to minimize their own needs or to ignore them. When it is time to ask for help, they don’t.” NASA has advised emergency workers that entertaining the miners would be a good idea. They are to be sent a television system complete with taped football matches. Another dilemma facing Mañalich is whether the miners should be permitted to smoke underground. While nicotine gum has been delivered to the miners, sending down cigarettes is a plan that has not been ruled out.
The message sent up confirming that the miners were alive. “We are fine in the shelter the 33” [of us], it reads.
With the news that drilling of the main rescue tunnel was expected to begin on Monday, officials have informed the media that they hope to have the miners out of the mine by Christmas—but sources with access to technical meetings have suggested that the miners could actually be rescued by the first week of November. A news report described the rescue plan—”the main focus is a machine that bores straight down to 688m and creates a chimney-type duct that could be used to haul the miners out one by one in a rescue basket. A second drilling operation will attempt to intercept a mining tunnel at a depth of roughly 350m. The miners would then have to make their way through several miles of dark, muddy tunnels and meet the rescue drill at roughly the halfway point of their current depth of 688m.” Iván Viveros Aranas, a Chilean policeman working at Camp Hope, told reporters that Chile “has shown a unity regardless of religion or social class. You see people arriving here just to volunteer, they have no relation at all to these families.”
But over the weekend, The New York Times reported that the “miners who have astonished the world with their discipline a half-mile underground will have to aid their own escape — clearing 3,000 to 4,000 tons of rock that will fall as the rescue hole is drilled, the engineer in charge of drilling said Sunday … The work will require about a half-dozen men working in shifts 24 hours a day.” Andrés Sougarret, a senior engineer involved in operating the drill said that “the miners are going to have to take out all that material as it falls.”
The families of those trapped were allowed to speak to them by radio-telephone on Sunday—a possibility that brought reassurance both the miners and those on the surface. The Intendant of the Atacama Region, Ximena Matas, said that there had been “moments of great emotion.” She continued to say that the families “listened with great interest and they both felt and realized that the men are well. This has been a very important moment, which no doubt strengthens their [the miners’] morale.” The phone line is thought to be quite temperamental, but it is hoped that soon, those in the mine and those in Camp Hope will be able to talk every day. “To hear his voice was a balm to my heart … He is aware that the rescue is not going to happen today, that it will take some time. He asked us to stay calm as everything is going to be OK … He sounded relaxed and since it was so short I didn’t manage to ask anything. Twenty seconds was nothing”, said said Jessica Cortés, who spoke to her husband Víctor Zamora, who was not even a miner, but a vehicle mechanic. “He went in that day because a vehicle had broken down inside the mine … At first they told us he had been crushed [to death].”
Esteban Rojas sent up a letter from inside the mine, proposing to his long-time partner Jessica Yáñez, 43. While they have officially been married for 25 years, their wedding was a civil service—but Rojas has now promised to have a church ceremony which is customary in Chile. “Please keep praying that we get out of this alive. And when I do get out, we will buy a dress and get married,” the letter read. Yáñez told a newspaper that she thought he was never going to ask her. “We have talked about it before, but he never asked me … He knows that however long it takes, I’ll wait for him, because with him I’ve been through good and bad.”
