Aww man I hope they can get them out soon and safely, its been so tense, what amazing men.

I'm soooo been sad for these miners, its amazing they survived the clasutophobia of thowse 5 days when we didn't know if they were alive or dead. a friend of mine's ex boss is down there as he's been on the news. appartnly eddie maqguire personally called to speak to him to see if he can help out and "take care of the family" (for exclusive deal of course) so its very funny to hear that he's rtold the papers he hasnt' done any deal personally when he called as my friend spoke to him. he said "hi this is eddie maquire from the UN wanting to knwo if bill will sign a peace treaty" or something along those lines.

her work colleague trained on e of them as aunion delegate as well so she cried when she heard that. it was her last day of work on friday and most of the office were down there. the boss was in the US and expected to be in london but he cut it short to get back.

I only really began paying close attention last night. I feel awfully sorry for the miners themselves, but the media are being SO cheesy and nationalistic! The men were trapped on ANZAC day, and these "boys" are "our national hero's". I am sorry, but they're not. One was KILLED. Is he NOT a hero? The other two are (supposedly) holding up well. They've been brave, strong and are so far lucky to be alive. People should hope and pray (if they're religious) and feel sympathy for these guys. No heroic glow is necessary for their ordeal to matter.

Oh & how about Richard Carlton, that 60 Minutes reporter, dropping dead live on camera! That really shocked me. To be honest, I always hated him - as a journalist. He was sanctimonious and unpleasant.
Long ago he made a 60 minutes story all about a man who'd been on the dole for 10 years, and he was so cruel and vicious towards this guy, all for not having a job (and who knew what his life was otherwise like?). It was repeated in some 20 year "retrospective" on 60 Minutes once. I've never forgotten it (and there's plenty of other interviews where his style and the values he espoused bugged the fuck out of me).
I didn't wish death on the man for the way he did his job though! The way he died proved he was sincere about having a work ethic at least.

Dave Grohl sent a fax.
recalitrant my dear, you should have put this into the thread title.


GROHL'S PLEDGE TO TRAPPED MINERS
Movie & Entertainment News © WENN.com All Rights Reserved
2006-05-07 16:05:32 -

Print article
Refer to a friend
Rocker DAVE GROHL has invited two Australian miners trapped underground to join him from a beer when they are freed.

BRANT WEBB, 37 and TODD RUSSELL, 35, have been stranded one kilometre underground in a Goldmine in Tasmania since 25 April when a massive rockfall sealed them in.

After hearing about the accident and that one of the miners requested Grohl's music while he awaits rescue, the FOO FIGHTERS frontman sent a fax to the pair, which was read out by rescue workers.

Mine manager MATTHEW GILL explains, "I had a message from Dave Grohl. I passed on his message to Brant and Todd, I read it to them. And they were both stoked by that.
"It was basically thinking of you and anywhere, anytime to catch up with two cold beers.
"And Dave wanted to know if that was a deal. And I can tell Dave that those two say that yes, that's a deal." (IG/WNWCAG)
http://www.pr-inside.com/grohls-pled...ners-r4378.htm

god what a circus now.

60 Minutes reporter Richard Carleton died trying to make someone else feel guilty and ashamed of themselves. Of course, they're saying he died asking something "hard" and "controversial". This is true. But rude and insensitive and on camera, as per usual ...

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

Minutes before his extraordinary televised death yesterday ... most of the assembled press wanted to know about the speed of the recovery effort. Not Carleton.

He asked: "Mr Gill, on the 26th of October last year not 10 metres from where these men are now entombed, you had a 400 tonne rockfall.

"Why is it - is it the strength of the seam or the wealth of the seam - that you continue to send men into work in such dangerous conditions?"

It might have been a good and fair question though. I've no idea.

So how are they getting them out?

they're using some kind of boring machine to drill out a 16metre long tunnel for them to walk through. it's more complicated that that, obviously, but the last part of the tunnel seems to be some kind of extremely old, hard rock. they're using explosives in small amounts to break the rock apart. and it's taking for-fucking-ever.

honestly i'm starting to go a little nuts. i don't really need updates every 5 minutes on the status of the rescue operation. and every tv network is down there. it never changes "oh... they're still down there. but it's so close". just show me when they get pulled out, ffs. i don't need to hear all the minute details.

__________________
"I knew I was too late - and I was glad something bloodthirsty waited in the wings. For in failing at this, I forfeited any desire to live."

the US knows how you feel, we get every five second updates on ANYTHING.

n/m

sorry

I heard on the news that they are free
and in very good condition
In fact such good condition that they were mistaken for their rescuers by waiting TV companys

I'm glad they're in such good physical health.

Can you believe they're getting at least a million dollars each for their exclusive stories? That's why they smiled and waved for the cameras but refused to answer questions.
For that much, I'd swap places with them!
Their "stories" didn't seem THAT interesting to me until I saw the diagrams of where they were trapped - not just down a vertical hole, but in a creepy tunnel with innumerable twists and turns ... Imagine if they'd been tourists who'd gone down some tunnel without much food or water and nobody had known, and then there'd been the rock fall?
That would have been very Picnic at Hanging Rockish.

Australians are badass.
I'm glad they got out OK

They're saying Oprah wants to interview them. But Oprah is so proud of never paying her guests, or claiming she never does. I'd say they miners will stick the finger to her. Maybe they'll do a segment with her to promote a book though, somewhere down the line.

One of the crappy "current affairs" shows last night (yeah, right - usually infomercials for miracle diets) did a special on the history of cheque book journalism in Australia. (They're getting disgruntled at the miners refusal to speak, you see.)
You know who they blamed cheque book journalism on?
The dingo that ate Azaria Chamberlain at Ayers Rock in 1980. Seriously. The segment declared that's what "got the ball rolling".
What? All over the world? Cheque book journalism, book and movie deals hardly started in Australia.

whats with the sudden surge in mine disasters

I'm glad they've not signed with harry m miller or that max markson and stuck to a local lawyer, i hate harry m miller and those b grade famewhore agents.

i say they deserve whatever money they can make from it as they're going to be out of work and need to recover psychologically from their ordeal so why not.

ha the hypocrisy of commercial television abotu chequebook journalism!

i agree with chickencat,the whole fucking thing is a circus - a sickening one at that too.

i'm surprised they can walk - imagine being trapped for all of those days, and not being able to stand up.
and having to piss and shit yourself, and get through alllll those hours with no stimulation.

i could be wrong though, our news over here is bad.

The doctors and psychologists helped them. They started them off with liquids and built them up to solids with healthy food (they didn't grant their request for chips n' gravy n' maccas) and they also gave them exercises to do in the confined space they had (they'd have to take turns to do it).

i keep seeing this on the news and it makes me feel a bit sick.

__________________

I saw a lot of coverage on the news, and followed it quite closely. I was really happy for the whole community, but a little pissed when I heard rumours that one of them was considering starting to believe that there is a God after all. Understandable reaction, but I'm possibly just about mean-spirited enough to still be a little annoyed...

I couldn't help but laugh when they were drilling the final hole and the reporters kept going on about hard rock. "This is some really hard rock". "This is some of the hardest rock ever encountered". "No one thought the rock could be this hard". I just kept thinking of some kind of cheesy ad for Judas Priest or Van Halen...