Article: Chilean Miners rescued after two months trapped in mine in Copiapo

Chilean Miners rescued after two months trapped in mine in Copiapo

            by Zachary Chin

October 15^th, 2010

            On August 5^th, 33 miners in Copiapo, a Chilean city a few hundred miles north of Santiago, were trapped due to a cave-in that sprung Chilean President Pinera and mining minister Golborne into action. Officials began leading rescue efforts by drilling bore holes where they believed the miners to be.

            On August 22^nd, drilling efforts reached the miners, confirmed with an attached note to the end of the drill stating that there were 33 men split into 3 groups to eat and sleep, and more importantly, that they were okay. Once the location of the miners was discovered, rescue workers began to lower essentials down to the group such as water and food, relieving some of the larger concerns about the health of the miners.

            Comments on ABC News reflected deep fear that the miners would not be rescued until Christmas. The authors’ thoughts and prayers went out to the victims of the cave-in, but little did they know, the day of rescue would come much sooner. Throughout September, correspondence and transportation of supplies continued including motivational T-Shirts, a small projector designed to display a Chilean fútbol game, and an enormous health package filled with tanks of oxygen and tools for communication with the outside world.

Rescue workers lower the second of Phoenix capsules

            Come the beginning of October, officials announced that a rescue mission for all miners would be coming soon. The miners rejoiced when the tip of the drill broke through the 1 km tunnel on October 9^th, and learned two days later that their rescue would be coming soon.

            Viewers from across the globe observed the ordeal and maintained hope that the miners would be rescued, but the consequences of the cave-in were not kept in focus as much as the survival of the 33. The mayor of Copiapo announced before the process of the rescue that the miners’ families intended to sue the government for varying amounts of money.

            The legal action taken by the suffering families illustrates tension between working class individuals and their governments, and many wait to learn the more serious steps  that will be taken after the elation of returning home.

             

Review: The Social Network

The Social Network: A well-timed, well done cinematic gem
by Zachary Chin

October 10th, 2010

Facebook is far more than a $30 billion dollar company and popular employer of extraordinarily talented computer programmers and marketing geniuses. Facebook is a global tool for social interaction of all types. Whether it is used for day-to-day communication with friends and family or a tool to gather supporters for a charitable cause, Facebook has become a staple for any person or group trying to reach out to others in a quick and effective fashion. Its growing importance caught eyes of movers and shakers in the entertainment industry, and it was only a matter of time before we saw its controversial childhood depicted on the silver screen.

The Social Network paints a complex portrait of a computer whiz kid while hinting at a certain ‘whodunnit?’ type of character exploration. The script is designed to allow the audience to decide who possessed the ideas that led to Facebook’s success, and what regulations should be implemented when discussing intellectual property. Aaron Sorkin claims that he does “not want to demonize” any group or individual involved in the creation of facebook. Instead, he more or less exposes the missteps and misdeeds of all of the characters involved in the rise of facebook as an international staple.

The only true sympathetic character is Eduardo Savrin, Mark’s best friend and aspiring business man who wrote the original equation that started Zuckerberg’s popularity explosion. Yet, the elitist attitudes and superiority complexes of the other characters render Savrin an unremarkable leave-behind of the Facebook team. The Winklevoss twins, the perfect scholar athletes, epitomize the idea of modern day renaissance men as rowers and members of the Porcelian. Zuckerberg has a keen sense of human nature as well as an innate ability to write and delegate thousands of lines of code to produce his brainchild. Justin Timberlake plays an irresponsible older brother figure to the rising superstar that infuriated Eduardo by rendering his shares public.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4152690201/ - The Social Network provides a helpful introduction to both the topic of the film as well as Jesse Eisenberg's interpretation of Mark Zuckerberg

Regardless of the lack of belonging that a movie watcher feels among the characters in it, the fast paced script and captivating grey toned cinematography made for an excellent cinematic experience. Facebook’s key components were explored in the film and viewers were able to understand their origin, or at least the movie’s portrayal of it. The chapters are linear, but the manner in which viewers are given information about the role each person played in the creation of the social network is far from simple and truly challenges the concepts of free and fair use, the nature if intellectual property, and the ethics of business in a digital age. For its characterizations, relevance, and ability to captivate, The Social Network is now under “favorite movies” in my Facebook profile.