Scientists in Antarctica drink a lot
That’s the title of this article, and that’s the subject matter: scientists in Antarctica drink a lot.
Well, you might say, why not? It’s Antarctica, Jake.
NSF managers in Washington say they’re still looking at whether shipping a few breathalyzers to McMurdo (which houses about 1,000 people during the busy summer season) or the smaller Scott-Admundsen South Pole Station (150 staff and scientists) is a good idea, or even legal. Even though the US government owns and operates bases there, Antarctica isn’t US territory. Who would administer the tests? Where would people challenge the order, or the results? Antarctica doesn’t have any courtrooms or, thankfully, many lawyers.
Even science itself conspires against breathalyzers. South Pole Station is at an altitude of 10,000, atop a high plateau. That makes the device difficult to calibrate. “In terms of meeting requirements for the contract, there is a convincing legal argument to be made that ”˜you can’t make me do this,’”Broughton says.
NSF officials say they just want to reduce alcohol-related problems, and that things aren’t as dire as the report makes out.
Why am I highlighting this? Well, I’ve long had a fascination with the idea of going to the Poles. Also, I’m surprised to learn that the South Pole Station isn’t just at the bottom (a mere convention, I know) of the world, it’s also at high altitude. And lastly, it makes me think of an old anthropology teacher of mine.
He was an expert on a New Guinea tribe that had once been cannibals, but I seem to recall they’d given up the practice by the time he got there. He often talked about his field experience among this group of people whom he really, really didn’t seem to like at all. Most of his stories were about quaint customs of theirs that seemed reprehensible; no cultural/moral relativist he.
But most of all I remember him saying that the first rule of doing research was to be sure to lay in the Scotch. Lots and lots and lots of it, enough to last through the whole tour of duty, which could be long and lonely and depressing.
Having a live like the soviets, they drink like the soviets… sparse and nothing to do… this does not bode well for a trip to Mars. humans response to emptyness is to drink drink drink…
but all that is irrelevent given that we are on the end of the USA train, and all that kind of stuff stops given whats going to happen real soon.
you cant go to the poles if you dont live in a vibrant free market society… unless your orders under the new regime are to go there, you wont be free to travel, or even have enough lucre to pay for travel.
besides, Russia claims the artic and antartic as theirs and there is no one to fight them for it!!!! (or even protest sternly)
go now while you can:
A Guide To Find Cheap Antarctica Cruises
Antarctica cruises attracted roughly 37,000 people visited the great white continent in 2010 and that list is growing constantly each year. Most people that look into traveling to Antarctica are at the end of their adventures.
The average price that you will pay $3,500 USD. You can get better deals if you are flexible and share a triple cabin, these deals are typically in the $3,000 range. The most that you should pay for a last minute cruise to Antarctica is $4,000 USD.
http://wanderingtrader.com/antarctica-travel-tips/a-guide-to-find-cheap-antarctica-cruises/
just note this:
From the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest, which is chaired by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL). The chart shows that for every 1 net American born to today’s population–births minus deaths–the federal government will add 7 more people to the country through future (legal) immigration.
do you think those people will actually care about things like space, the poles, or even freedom?
Priorities matter
[and there is no way to stop this train given the ladies are in control of it, and they are gonna barrel over the edge like thelma and louise… ]
DONT forget travel insurance… its very necessary for an antartic excursion…
Just continuing to scroll past any post by Artfldgr as if it wasn’t there.
This is a person for whom the internet acronym TL;DR (TOO LONG; DIDN’T READ) was made.
I spent years on islands and the boredom gets to you. I’ve been on more islands than I have fingers and the drinking was always a problem. You get up in the morning, go to work, get off work go to the club and drink, go watch the movie then go back to the club and drink some more then go to bed. You repeat that the next day. We had people go, so called, island happy and had to ship them out in a strait jacket.
There are two ways to handle this if they are really serious.
Since everything at Antarctica has to be carried there in some kind of transport, inspect and impound.
Second, hire Mormons.
artfldgr, unlike Vanderleun, I appreciated the cruise tips for Antarctica. I may go this winter.
I have friends who worked on Operation Deep Freeze. Mostly flying in supplies from Christchurch, New Zealand. But one who actually wintered over. That was back in the late 50s. They reported that consumption of alcohol was pretty high. Even for those who were in New Zealand. I think drinking was much heavier in the military in those days than it is today.
I spent a year in the Philippines and the experience was much as Ray describes. Time on the hands, cheap and easily available booze, it was a way to kill time and dull the sense of boredom. How much better would it have been if we had had Kindles or computers? We might have read more and drank less. Maybe not. The Antarctic scientists are still drinking heavily and they have Kindles, computers, and women (now).
artfldgr, if I have time, I read what you write. If I have lots of time, I read some, at least, of what you link to. I may not understand it, but I give it a try.
Vanderloon – at least I know of a post that I will now scroll past. And remember, our hostess can always ban you if you get too obnoxious.
Generally, if I think a post is too long or not interesting, I scroll past without comment.
You get up in the morning, go to work, get off work go to the club and drink, go watch the movie then go back to the club and drink some more then go to bed. You repeat that the next day. We had people go, so called,
Nobody did chi gong, martial art exercises, tournaments, and what not?
I may not understand it, but I give it a try.
Which shows virtue, but Art doesn’t even try to change himself by capitalizing his sentences, even though what he copies and pastes from other people’s writing, is capitalized.
Thus it makes reading rather difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.
There is a great imbalance to someone who wants to “change the world” but can’t even change himself long enough to capitalize his own sentences, while expecting others to change their behavior. Doesn’t work like that.
“Nobody did chi gong, martial art exercises, tournaments, and what not?”
Sports were very popular. We had golf teams, baseball teams, soccer teams, volleyball teams and the diving club. I was in the diving club but how many times a week do you want to go diving? I also had an elaborate hifi setup and bought hundreds of records and listened to lots of music. I bought a ton of books too and read a lot.
I was in the diving club but how many times a week do you want to go diving?
People tend to be motivated to train harder if they have a goal.
For youths, that’s sports and competition. In martial arts, it’s who can kill more efficiently while still leaving a peaceful life in civilization.
I think anything in human affairs becomes ‘boring’ when people get either really good at it or stuck in a rut where they have plateaued out.
Without external factors pushing people to be motivated, they have to be internally motivated to use things to improve themselves. If not, they just sort of rot like still water.