In recent days, the miners have been asked to conduct interviews using a vidIn an effort to dominate the miners, the team of psychologists led by Mr Iturra has instituted a series of prizes and punishments. When the miners behave well, they are given TV and mood music. Other treats - like images of the outside world are being held in reserve, as either a carrot or a stick should the miners become unduly feisty.
What the hell? Are the psychologists getting all high and watching Cube or something?
Institutional review boards are such a pain; the psychologists must be overjoyed to have free reign to do fucked-up experiments that haven't been possible for decades due to silly concerns like "ethics".
Being 'given' mood music is particularly creepy. I kind of picture them huddling as far away from the speakers as possible.
"It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again."
If they are bad, nose-flow gets to DJ for them.
One thing that sounds at least moderately cheerful is that they do seem to have plenty of space from what the article says about smoking. Being able to go for a walk would have to help a great deal.
Talk about burying the lede -- I thought the final sentences change the whole tenor of the thing.
8: Agree. But I still did have to laugh at this bit. Despite rising tensions, the medical and psychological team is content, Since millions around the world were concerned how they were bearing up.
I think anyone who has read much of the history of psychology/psychiatry would probably identify this as pretty much par for the course, no? And yes, the last sentence does somewhat change things.
Also, heh at 5.
I think, were I a Chilean psychologist, at this point I would want to give those miners many entertainments and diversions, on the theory that this might detract from the time they devote to plotting their revenge. They do plan on letting them out, right?
What about self-abuse? Allowed or not? I mean, it's not the Mineshaft, but close enough. More importantly: has Christine O'Donnell weighed in on these questions?
Has Becks been officially demoted to guest poster now? Was it because she was unduly feisty?
10: I think anyone who has read much of the history of psychology/psychiatry treatment of miners would probably identify this as pretty much par for the course, no?
Seriously. People have been killed in dynamite outrages for less than this.
Talk about burying the lede -- I thought the final sentences change the whole tenor of the thing.
No kidding.
Random Chilean slang knowledge: minas is used as a skeazy way to refer to attractive women. I've found that Chileans consistently reject the notion that there's any connection whatsoever to mining, but I remain skeptical.
If I knew enough Spanish I could make a pun about "Oh, she's not a mine, she's an everybody's!"
#16 reminds me, there was some really good book about labor politics in some town in Wyoming or somewhere that had an armed rebellion a hundred years ago...do you know what that is, Naplotaniaem? It had some boring title like "An American Outrage" or something.
Big Trouble, by J. Anthony Lukas. So good.
21: Really good, though I put it down to read something else, as I am constantly doing with many books, and now am going to have to re-read the beginning because there are so many characters to keep track of. Even so, absolutely worth reading even some of it.
Also, he has a fantastic vocabulary.
That's an even more boring title than I had remembered. Thanks!
OT: Larry Summers to step down. Since my theory is that he's the nefarious power behind all that is wrong with the administration, either things will have to get better or I'm going to have to start blaming the czar, not the cossacks.
You seem to be assuming he won't be replaced by someone worse.
The nefarious power behind all that is wrong with the administration is Barack Obama, but he delegates a lot of wrongdoing opportunities to Rahm. Summers only gets to play on alternate Saturdays.
I think that blaming Rahm is a mistake; he's a blunt tool for getting things done, but not the strategy guy, especially on economics.
That's all based on (a) speculation (b) what I know about Rahm's brother.
The "blame Summers" thing is really based on a NYRB article I read a while back.
Or maybe a sharp tool. A useful tool? A powerful tool? I dunno.
Not the Economic Tool That's Wrong About Everything, though. There's only one of those.
20, 21: I just bought When Miners March, which is about the Battle of Blair Mountain. I want to read all about that before I get into something else. (And frankly, I should probably plow through all my books about the 1934 Teamster Truck Strike before that.)
the Economic Tool That's Wrong About Everything
Close, but you mean Tettgew, not Tettwae. Completely different families.