Russian Miners

You may or may not have noticed the news about the Russian mine that had several explosions and resulted in quite a few deaths. I've been following the story, simply because 1) it is sad, and 2) the mine is not very far from Owen's place of birth. I believe the town of Mezhdurechensk is about 30 miles outside of Novokuznetsk (where Owen was born), and some of the casualties are in the hospital in Novo (wonder if it is the same one where we had our medicals done). Novokuznetsk is a city that is very centered around mining and steel work. It is the primary employment in that area.

To say that mining is a hard life, even mining in the US, is probably a huge understatement. In Siberia, I think it is incredibly hard. The men and boys you see walking the street, or sitting on the chairs that line the hallway in the hospital, look so much older than I'm sure their real age. The average life expectancy for males in Russia is just 59, and I can only imagine that in a place like Novokuznetsk it is probably lower. One thing I noticed while we were there was that the majority of educated jobs seem to be taken by women. All of the doctors and technicians at the hospital, the judge at family court, the attorneys. Almost all women. Good for the women, perhaps. But still, such a hard life overall. I think the men don't have much choice in terms of career, and they are all just trying to get by. It makes me squeeze my sweet Owen a little tighter, and say a prayer for his people over there. I have a profound respect for their strength and perseverance, and I hope that they can get a safer working environment out of all of this.

http://google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hfVQsw_Q1wDxbaYRaoFDOncb3QgAD9FL3BK00