Bless those who do the hard jobs, like tunneling underground to bring back prehistoric matter that has fueled modern lifestyles for centuries. Where would we be without coal -- or in the case of the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground in a collapsed shaft -- gold and copper?
The miners were originally told that it would take 4 months to tunnel through rock to get them out. That prediction has now been revised to 60 days.
At least one of the miners may wish it were 120 days when he hears what is going on above his head.
Marta Salinas, wife of Yonni Barrios, was shocked to hear another woman shouting her husbands name at the mines entrance. It seems his mistress, Susana Valenzuela, is conducting a vigil as well.
At age 50, Barrios is not only the oldest and wisest man in the small underground pocket but has been vital to the survival of the others, using his first-aid skills to immunize the miners against flu and treating other illnesses. This could damage his hero status, at least among women.
"Barrios is my husband. He loves me and I am his devoted wife. This woman has no legitimacy," said Salinas about Valenzuela, commenting to Britains Sun newspaper.
We are in love. Ill wait for him, says Valenzuela, who huffs that Barrios was planning on leaving his wife.
The Daily Telegraph said that according to Red Cross workers, some of the miners have children from numerous women, all of whom are now claiming their right to compensation, and there will probably be more. Some of the mistresses who turned up at the camp had no idea that their partners already had a wife and children whom they knew nothing about (and vice versa). One miner reportedly has four women fighting over him at the headquarters of the vigil -- a first wife he never divorced, his live-in partner, a mother of a child he had several years ago, and a woman who claims to be his current girlfriend.The team of psychologists charged with ensuring the mental welfare of the men below ground are attempting keep such developments from reaching the miners, as this kind of conflict could affect morale. At the same time, morale-boosting technology will soon be available to the miners when a fiber-optic cable is lowered so they can have private conversations with family via a TV screen. Can you imagine?Family members will most likely be restricted in what they can say, but my guess is that not even a team of NASA experts will be able to keep the women quiet.With Chilean officials and NASA rigging up a lighting system to simulate day and night to give the men a circadian rhythm to help them sleep; feeding, hydrating, clothing, and medicating the miners; dropping cards, Sony Playstation consoles, video games, MP3 players with Mexican, Chilean and Puerto Rican hits, and recording football matches for the miners given the situation with the women, some miners may feel like 2.200 feet underground is just the right place for them. And some of the wives might agree.
Government officials are considering asking the 33 trapped miners to name those they want to claim the benefits entitled to them. Thats a delicate question. Who needs South American soap operas on TV? All eyes and ears are on the ground waiting for what the miners will say.Not that Im making light of the dangers of mining. My grandfather was a coal miner in Springfield, Illinois, as were most of my great uncles by marriage. They were a rough crowd. Still, the women, who kept the home fires burning even when they had no coal for their own homes, and made food magically appear when there was none while the men went off to the bar to run up their tabs, were even tougher than the men.I think I know what my grandmother would say if she was in such a situation as Marta Salinas. She would stand up for her familys right to the compensation so she could support her children, hand her husband over to the other woman, sweep the coal dust out of the house, and consider herself lucky.Bio note: Judy Kirkwoods grandfather was a coal miner in Springfield, Illinois, who also made moonshine. Happily, my grandmother received black lung compensation when he died.
