How Astronauts' Experience Could Help Trapped Chilean Miners

The trapped Chilean miners may face their most severe psychological challenges in a couple of months' time, if experience from space missions is anything to go by.

A recent NASA study suggests rescuers need to be especially vigilant at the halfway stage of the project. It found that the morale of astronauts on the International Space Station declines during the third quarters of their expeditions.

Jack Stuster of Anacapa Sciences in Santa Barbara, California, carried out a systematic analysis of diaries that were kept for this purpose by astronauts during their six-month ISS expeditions. Each of more than 4000 diary entries were categorised as positive, negative or neutral in tone.

Stuster found the strongest overall negative tone in the third quarter of expeditions, a period that has also been said to affect scientists on long stays in the Antarctic. Communications with management deteriorated in the third quarter too, and the frequency of interpersonal problems rose by a fifth.

Ground support

Other studies have not found the third-quarter effect, however, and suggest that if appropriate measures are taken, the miners need not suffer from it. Earlier studies of psychological issues in space – on the Russian space station Mir in the 1990s (Gravitational and Space Biology Bulletin, vol 14, p 35) and on the ISS (Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, vol 78, p 601) – found no evidence of a dip.

"We didn't find that on Mir or the ISS, and it was mainly because of great support the guys got from the ground, both in the US and Russia," said Nick Kanas of the University of California, San Francisco, who helped lead the studies.

By using questionnaires to score the mood and behaviour of crews aboard Mir and the ISS, Kanas's teams showed that constant and high-quality communication and support from the ground is key to helping people cope with long periods of physical isolation.

These and other studies show that maintaining communications, honesty and day-night cycles, and keeping the miners occupied, will be key in the four months it may take to rescue them.

Keep in touch

"One of the main things a crew needs is to be supported from outside and have a goal," says Jennifer Ngo-Anh, project manager of the European Space Agency's ongoing Mars500 experiment, in which six pretend astronauts are spending 500 days in isolation on a mock trip to the Red Planet.

Appointing a colleague as an intermediary on the surface – perhaps a mining foreman or manager – is also important, as that person will already be trusted and respected by the men underground. This has worked well in space exploration, with former astronauts and flight surgeons on the ground serving as first points of liaison with the crews.

It's also vital to keep the miners' families in close and regular touch with the men underground, and to provide the miners with surprise calls and gifts, which on space missions have raised morale hugely.

Tell the truth

There is no point in lying to the men about how long it will take to rescue them. "If they don't give some realistic expectation, the men's anxiety will become acute, especially if nothing seems to be happening," says Sheryl Bishop, a social psychologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, who specialises in human survival in extreme environments. Other psychologists contacted by New Scientist unanimously agreed.

"The best thing is to make sure those men believe they are part of all the decision-making and being kept truthfully in the loop," she says. Also, rescuers should beware of issuing promises they can't meet, as these destroy morale. Estimates of escape time should err on the long side, to avoid dashing hopes of earlier rescue.

Night and day

Studies of astronauts (Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, vol 76, p B94) and scientists on long-term Antarctic expeditions (The Lancet, vol 371, p 153) demonstrate the significant and damaging consequences of disrupting day-night cycles. Loss of sleep results in depression, lack of concentration and irritability.

Maintaining a regular sleep-wake cycle will provide the men with milestones and a structure which will make the highly unusual experience seem more normal. "Daylight" could be provided by sending the miners hundreds of light-emitting diodes, which are bright and have very long lifetimes.

Keep busy and get organised

Astronauts have endless tasks and experiments to perform, which keep them constantly occupied – not so the miners. It will be vital to send down sources of entertainment, such as MP3 players, crosswords and reading matter to keep the men occupied.

Even more valuable would be arrangements for the men to adopt a leader – some news reports suggest this has already happened – and to assign tasks to groups of men, giving them a sense that they're contributing to the relief effort themselves. This will increase their self-esteem and morale, and conquer boredom.

"There could, for example, be 10 guys in charge of consumables, another 10 in charge of getting rid of waste, or monitoring information from the surface," says Jason Kring, president of the US Society for Human Performance in Extreme Environments, based in Orlando, Florida. "It's critical because it gives them all something valuable to do."

Stuster even suggests that with an estimated 2 kilometres of tunnels at their disposal, some might be able to carry on prospecting.

Rs 28,000cr Games expense sounds like wrong priority

It was 45 years back -chairman of world bank Lord Mcnnmara had said - "we need to think twice before granting aid/loan to India as India has a Rolls-Royes administration in Bullock cart country !! Read Azim Premji's thought provoking article!

Recently, the central government disclosed that its total spend on the Delhi Commonwealth Games is likely to be Rs 11,494 crore. This number is disconcerting for two reasons. One, because it is an order-of-magnitude away from its original estimate of Rs 655 crore. Two, because the real cost of the games will be much higher if we were to include:

*Rs 16,560 crore additionally spent by Delhi government on upgrading the capital's infrastructure — a new airport terminal, wider roads, new flyovers, Metro rail extensions, and so on;

*Real cost of labour — labourers got sub-minimum wages, worked in unsafe conditions, and were housed in sub-human tenements;

*The human cost of driving the poor out of streets and out of sight.

The term 'commonwealth' originally meant public welfare, things that are for the greater good of society. Do the Commonwealth Games pass this commonwealth test? Is this Rs 28,000-crore drain on public funds for the greater common good?

Before I respond to the question, let me clarify my position on the Games themselves. The desire to celebrate runs deep in our collective psyche. The teachings of a spiritual master, the creation of a nation, the birth of a child — celebrating each of them is important because they are our cultural compass; they remind us of things we value most. There are few things as uplifting as watching a sportsperson push physical and mental limits to achieve the incredible. The Commonwealth Games, like the Olympics, are a celebration of the human spirit of excellence. Therefore, in itself, the Games are a worthy endeavour.

However, given the thousands of crores being spent on the Delhi Commonwealth Games, we need to ask if this is money spent wisely. As a country, we are constantly forced to compromise on funds. For instance, India needs more schools, and the existing schools need better infrastructure and more teachers. This will require us to spend 6% of our GDP on education, but we manage just over half that figure. Similarly, the country has very little sports infrastructure on the ground. To encourage sports, our first step has to be to ensure children get access to playgrounds, good equipment and quality coaching. To not have this, and to instead spend on a grand sporting spectacle sounds like we have got our priorities wrong.

Despite the wonderful economic strides of the past two decades, the reality is that India is a poor country. A recent study by the University of Oxford measured levels of education, health and living standard in the world's poorest countries. This study shows that India continues to be predominantly poor. In fact, there are more poor people in eight Indian states than in the 26 poorest African countries combined. Delhi has amongst the lowest occurrences of poverty in India, while at the other extreme, 81% of Bihar's population is poor. No surprise then that many of the 100,000 labourers who worked for unfair wages to prepare Delhi for the Commonwealth Games were from Bihar.

The capital already boasts of some of India's best infrastructure. Instead of spending crores to widen Delhi's roads, should we not prioritize building roads and schools in Bihar where none exist in the first place? If we have Rs 500 crore to spare, should we use it to build basic sports facilities in thousands of government schools, or should we spend it all on renovating one stadium?

In real terms, such choices are not all that easy to make. For instance, it is important for our cities to have great infrastructure, and money spent on a metropolis like Delhi will in turn catalyse our national economy. Our leaders have to constantly juggle and prioritize among many equally deserving needs, and it is not as if they are uninformed or wrongly intentioned. Over the last decade, the Indian government has taken important strides in social welfare and inclusive development. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan are but two examples. However, ( THOUGH THERE IS LOTS OF CORRUPTION IN NREGA )it is not enough to have specific schemes such as the NREGA. Rather, equity and inclusion considerations must underlie each and every policy decision. Let me suggest that all public policy must recognize that GDP growth is meaningless if it does not uplift the most underprivileged of our country.

How can we forget that for Rs 28,000 crore we could have established primary schools and health centres in tens of thousands of villages? Can we ignore this splurge the next time a malnourished child looks at us in the eye?

At times like these, it will serve our leaders well to recall Gandhiji's talisman: "Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to Swaraj for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?"

Premji is chairman of Wipro.

Et Tu Brutus?

Thought you might like to know about this dog and his story. I especially like the ending ......... Be sure to also read the Pet's Ten Commandments............. at the end.



The K9 on the right is Brutus, a military K9 at McChord.He's huge - part Boxer and part British Bull Mastiff and tops the scales at 200 lbs. His handler took the picture. Brutus is running toward me because he knows I have some Milk Bone treats, so he's slobbering away! I had to duck around a tree just before he got to me in case he couldn't stop, but he did. Brutus won the Congressional Medal of Honor last year from his tour in Iraq . His handler and four other soldiers were taken hostage by insurgents. Brutus and his handler communicate by sign language and he gave Brutus the signal that meant 'go away but come back and find me'. The Iraqis paid no attention to Brutus. He came back later and quietly tore the throat out of one guard at one door and another guard at another door. He then jumped against one of the doors repeatedly (the guys were being held in an old warehouse) until it opened. He went in and untied his handler and they all escaped. He's the first K9 to receive this honor. If he knows you're ok, he's a big old lug and wants to sit in your lap. Enjoys the company of cats..
Talk about animal intelligence and bonding with humans!
Remember that they can't do a lot of things for themselves and that they depend on you to make their life a quality life!


A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS.........
1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.
2. Give me time to understand what you want of me
3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.
4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.
5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.
6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.
7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.
9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.
10 On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

Take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy and take good care of them. Life would be a much duller, less joyful experience without God's critters. We do not have to wait for Heaven, to be surrounded by hope, love, and joyfulness. It is here on earth and has four legs!

Stewart used IVF

Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster had to undergo in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) to have another child.

The couple – who already have a four-year-old son, Alastair, together – were desperate to give their little boy a sibling but after trying unsuccessfully for two years, they decided to seek help from fertility experts.

After speaking to doctors, Penny, 39, cut fish out of her diet after being told she had very high levels of mercury in her body and after third attempt of IVF, she conceived.

Penny said: "A homeopathic doctor told me my mercury levels were really high, off the scale. I do love fish, and I thought it was healthy without understanding the high mercury levels that fish like tuna, swordfish and halibut can contain.

"My doctor said it was unhealthy to have so much mercury in my body, and also for conceiving babies.

"After two months of not eating fish, my mercury levels dropped by half, which is scary - I had no idea what the fish had been doing to my body."

Speaking about the moment she discovered she was pregnant, Penny admitted both she and the Maggie May hitmaker broke down in tears.

She recalled: "I couldn't believe it. I burst into tears. I called Rod when I was still sobbing. Rod said, 'I'm in the middle of a restaurant in Russia, crying.' I kept pinching myself. Neither of us could believe it."

Despite the gruelling IVF battle, Penny says seeing the joy on Alastair's face when he was told he was going to be a big brother made it all worthwhile.

She told Britain's Hello! magazine: "Our son's happiness made all the IVF treatments worthwhile."

Rod – who has six other children from previous relationships – admitted the process was quite stressful but they were determined to conceive.

The 65-year-old rocker said: "IVF can be stressful, especially for the woman with all the hormone injections and procedures. I said to Penny, 'Don't worry, we'll just keep trying.' "

First US “Test Tube Baby” Gives Birth to Child

29-year-old Elizabeth Comeau is the first person to have been born in the U.S. as a result of in-vitro fertilization. Yesterday, she gave birth herself to a 7-pound-12-ounce boy.

“He’s wonderful,” she told her hometown paper, the Virginian-Pilot, today via telephone.

Comeau doesn’t mind sharing her life with the public; she’s chronicled her journey from wonder baby to “regular mom” for the Boston Globe. She says, “I had a normal conception and pregnancy despite my abnormal childhood. And early yesterday, my husband and I had a baby boy “the normal way,’’ proving (I hope) that I’m just like everyone else.”

Comeau chose to write about her pregnancy and the birth of her son because if she didn’t do it, she knew someone else would. Comeau notes she no longer minds the constant attention, adding, “If my story helps couples or families learn about in-vitro fertilization, then the loss of privacy is worthwhile. People who have fertility issues deserve to know they can have healthy, normal babies.”

Inside the Popemobile: Glimpse of the holy customised Merc that will transport Benedict XVI around the UK

No papal tour would be complete without the sight of a Popemobile.

Yesterday saw the unveiling of the official vehicle to be used on Pope Benedict XVI's first official visit to the UK.

The Popemobile is a media-coined nickname for the specially customised motor vehicles used by the Pope during outdoor public appearances.

Before the advent of the Popemobile, popes were often carried by teams of bearers on an elaborate variant of sedan chair called the sedia gestatoria.

The Popemobile was designed to allow the Pope to be more visible when appearing before large crowds. There have been many different designs for Popemobile since Pope John Paul II first used a modified truck to greet the crowds on his first trip to Poland as Pope.

In 2002, Pope John Paul II requested that the media stop referring to the car as the Popemobile, saying that the term was 'undignified.'

Some Popemobile were open topped but the possibility of an assassination attempt led Vatican officials to adopt a new design with a bulletproof glass enclosure for the pontiff.

There are a variety of subtly different Popemobiles based in different territories but they all traditionally carry the papal numberplate SCV 1. SCV stands for either Stato della Città del Vaticano or Status Civitatis Vaticanae, depending on which cardinal you ask.

The Popemobile. which will be used during the British visit is a modified Mercedes-Benz M-Class 'green petrol' SUV with a special glass-enclosed cabin that has been built into the back of the vehicle.

Two have been flown in. Each costing more than £200,000, they are believed to have been donated to the Vatican by the manufacturer.

The Pope enters through a rear door and climbs several steps. After the Pope sits in his chair, it is elevated up into the glass 'turret' by a hydraulic lift, allowing the Pope to be more easily seen.

In addition to the driver, there is room for one passenger (usually a security agent) in the front of the vehicle. The glass-enclosed rear of the vehicle also has room for two papal aides who can sit in the area in front of the Pope's elevated chair.

The vehicle's security features include bulletproof glass windows and roof and reinforced, armoured side panels and chassis and it has a top speed of 160mph but while in on papal business in Britain the Popemobile. is expected to travel at a more sedate 6mph.

Dr Alberto Gasbarri, who is in charge of organising all the Pope's trips, said: 'The Holy See has two Popemobile but there are others scattered around the world.'

'The two for this trip were sent to Britain in a secure container by road and are currently in a secret location. '

'Both of them use green petrol and the driver will be British and chosen by the local authorities in Britain. He will have to be a competent driver and he will get a chance to accustom himself to the Popemobile.'

'Each Popemobile has about 5,000km on the clock which for an eight-year-old car is not bad at all and they are in perfect pristine condition and are serviced regularly.'

Drink Fresh and New Swiss Milk!

Due to fewer men drinking milk while drinking more beer; the Swiss government has introduced
A new packaging for Men. Naturally, it is a big hit!