Wednesday, June 04, 2008

30 Days - Working in a coal mine

It`s hard to believe that it has already been over 2 years since the last set of episodes, but Morgan was finally back last night with the 3rd season of 30 Days. I am glad he is finally back, as each episode is a fascinating view in to a lifestyle that I usually don`t know much about.

I was more than surprised with the insights into the life of a coal miner, and I was even more surprised to learn that half of the electricity in the USA comes from coal. The numbers are staggering and it gives a different perspective on the men (and women) that work in the industry, these are the people that keep the country moving, and I really liked how they kept pulling examples out and showing people that if you use electricity, you are benefiting from the hard work of these people.

And hard work it is, not to mention dirty,dangerous and bad for the health. There is some real touching issues in the episode, and seeing how his host family deals with the daily danger ( I love how the husband leaves a note each day for his wife in case he doesn`t come home), and how they look at the health risks involved in being a coal miner. Black lung will kill or affect most of them if they work for an extended period in the mines... and most of them work with the hope that their children will not have to do the same kind of work. It`s all very heartbreaking and it changed my viewpoint of miners and the job they do.

I did appreciate seeing the human side of the equation, but was heartbroken and disappointed with the lack of alternative offered and how the big companies are destroying mountains and poisoning the environment. The big companies say that there are not other options to suddenly replace half of the energy supplies to the States... and I don`t agree-- there must be other options and people need to start looking at the alternatives before we destroy our planet.

That`s what is great about this series -- it makes you think and certainly opens up dialogues... and that is a very good thing. Nice to see you back Morgan!