Spare a thought for the Chilean miners as they prepare to be rescued...

This topic has already generated so much buzz and media attention, and now here we are - apparently mere hours away from the first miner being rescued.
According to news sources all over the web, rescuers will begin pulling up the first of the trapped miners anytime within the next 24 hours.

Now I can't speak for everybody, but being confined in a really small space has to rank pretty high up there on the "Oh crap no" list...
Just check out the size of the rescue capsule...:

via Associated Press

Seriously...?

There is barely enough room in there to even scratch an itch... depending on the location of the itch that is :)

Don't get me wrong - the rescuers are doing a sterling job of getting these guys out - and I have no doubt that every last miner will get out and be reunited with their families.

I just shudder if I try to imagine myself in the same situation.

Imagine spending 68 days trapped in a tiny pitch black room (or tomb, if you prefer :) approx. 700m below what is arguably the driest place on Earth - the Atacama Desert, along with 32 other men in exactly the same situation.

Check out this infographic to get an idea of how the miners have stayed alive until now - click on the image to view it full size:

It is scary stuff - and I do not think that any human being can come away from an experience like this, without being changed in some huge and fundamental way... could you?

So with that in mind, spare a thought for these 33 miners, who have already braved what must truly be an unbearable ordeal...

...Hey that gives me an idea - they should base the next Survivor season on this - "Survivor Chile - 20 Strangers stranded beneath the Atacama Desert - One Survivor"... now that would have to rank as the toughest Survivor yet!

Related articles

• Emotional ordeal for Chile miners far from over (reuters.com)
• Trapped miners wait for dawn rescue (mirror.co.uk)
• Drilling Rig Reaches Trapped Chilean Miners Leading To Rescue [Video] (realestateradiousa.com)
• Chile miners rescued: first miner to surface within hours (telegraph.co.uk)
• Chile's trapped miners set to be freed (globaltvbc.com)
• Chilean miners: rival media outlets jostle for space in Atacama desert (guardian.co.uk)
• Factobx: What's next for Chile's trapped miners? (reuters.com)
• Miners' kin struggle with jealousy, rivalries on eve of rescue (salon.com)
• Hours From Freedom: Chilean Miners to Make Their Escape (abcnews.go.com)
• Dramatic endgame nears for trapped Chile miners (thenewstribune.com)
• Trapped miners 'anxious but tranquil' as rescue is imminent (cnn.com)

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Parvati is sole Survivor... your thoughts?

So after another exciting Survivor season, this time in Micronesia, Parvati Shallow finally emerged as the victor and ultimate survivor.

"OMG I WON!" The look says it all...

Even though I really thought that Amanda had it in the bag, Parvati edged her out in the end, and if I was wearing a hat right now, I would most definitely take it off to Parvati and all the contestants who endured this decidely injury-prone season of what is still an amazing show.

For some reason I simply do not tire of Survivor. 

Season after season of Jeff's famous uttering - "The tribe has spoken" just never gets old for me!

Jeff Probst flashes his signature "The Tribe has Spoken" grin...

It is also interesting to note just how far behind we are in terms of seasons - the finale last night spoke of the upcoming Survivor season in Gabon, which promises to be a killer in its' own right.

Truth is, we are currently 5 seasons behind the USA!

Subsequent to Gabon, Survivor has been filmed in 3 other global locations, with another season currently on the go in Nicaragua.

What's more, a 22nd Season is already being planned for 2011. 

I think if I were to visit the USA at some point, I would plan my trip to coincide with the next Survivor Finale in New York City!

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