BRADLEY BROOKS,Associated Press Writer

 

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile (AP) - Just six months ago, one of the largest earthquakes in a century tore Chile apart, physically ripping the ground, triggering a deadly tsunami and leaving in the wreckage a divided society and government trying to decide whom to blame.

Now, with Chile confronting a new disaster - 33 men trapped in a mine below the Atacama Desert since Aug. 5 - the nation is unified by the drama playing out in slow motion.

Sitting alone on a hill above the mine where his brother, Juan, is buried alive, Oscar Illanes, 51, quietly fidgets with pebbles in his right hand and contemplates how his personal tragedy has also become that of his countrymen.

“This accident has crossed all borders. Everyone in Chile, rich or poor, a mining family or not, is sending a positive force that sustains us,” he said. “The will to survive started with the 33 miners alone under the ground. It soon became 150 as the families arrived here. Now it is an entire nation, all working with the same spirit to free the men.”

This time, Chileans are less interested in the blame game and more concentrated on getting the men out of the ground alive, even adopting the one can-do symbol from the quake that killed 500.

A tattered Chilean flag flies above Illanes’ head on the hill overlooking the mine and the makeshift camp where the families of those trapped await their return.

Once just a piece of cloth, it was transformed into a sacred symbol of Chilean resilience when a young man was photographed by The Associated Press pulling it from the wreckage of the Feb. 27 earthquake.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, Chile’s navy and emergency management office were criticized for failing to issue an alert that might have saved hundreds from the tsunami that caused the quake’s largest death toll.

Chileans were also angered by a massive wave of looting, as thousands of people from grandmothers to small children took everything from mattresses to refrigerators and flat-screen TVs. Then-President Michelle Bachelet said it reflected “the moral damage of the people” in a nation that considers itself by far the most advanced in Latin America.

Many see the united effort and support for the miners as a way to move past the darker episodes surrounding the quake and to demonstrate the better side of Chileans in the face of adversity.

There has been some finger pointing in the days since the miners were trapped - and it will certainly increase if they are not rescued.

The San Esteban mining company has taken the brunt of the criticism for lacking safety standards that could have prevented the event or allowed the miners to escape.

President Sebastian Pinera fired top regulators and created a commission to investigate the accident. Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said the government’s mine regulatory agency - which has only 18 inspectors for several hundred mines - would be overhauled and receive more resources.

But a positive energy floods the town of Copiapo near the mine.

“Those 33 men are the focus of every Chilean’s attention. We cannot fail to bring them out, that would be unthinkable,” said Luis Arancilia, 68, who sat in the main plaza reading the latest news of the accident. “All efforts, all energy must be focused on bringing them up.”

On lightpoles around the plaza where Arancilia spoke, posters advertised a music festival to be held Saturday, with all proceeds going to the miners.

At the San Jose mine, the city government constructed large white tents where the miners’ families eat, sleep and seek respite from the questions and cameras of scores of journalists from around the world who have arrived at the remote spot - though others have their own tents and prefer to camp outside the protected area.

The federal and local governments are working together to even bring entertainment to the family members, who say they will wait at the camp during the rescue effort, which authorities warn could take four months.

Each morning, a government worker organizes and supervises games for the children in the camp, giving weary parents a few hours of rest from caring for them. There are concerts some nights, and television shows projected on the side of one of the tents. Clowns meander through the crowds, and policeman put on puppet shows.

Back on the hill overlooking the mine, Illanes said he hopes one day his only feeling about the horrible accident will be “what can be accomplished when we work together in a positive way.”

“When those of us in the camp have been cold at night, there has always been someone from the local government to hand out tents. When we were hungry, they have given us food,” he said. “This has become a little model community, this camp, with all working together. I hope everyone can take a lesson from that.”

MEDINA — Student firefighters at the Medina County Career Center got a boost for training last week when the school acquired a new fire truck. The 1986 Pierce fire truck officially changed hands from the city of Medina via the Medina Fire Department to the career center on Aug. 24, according to Medina Fire Chief Bob [...]

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Dr. Noel Alonso is a practicing pediatrician in South Florida who recently answered readers’ questions as part of a back-to-school online chat.

Question: At what point should a parent keep their kid at home from school? Is it (when they’re) running a temperature, or are there other signs? — A. Wenger

Answer: Running a fever or having flu-like symptoms should probably keep the kids home. I would encourage parents to wait at least 24 hours before returning them back to school. Other things might include vomiting or more than a few episodes of diarrhea. Finally, any unusual rashes should be checked out first.

Q: Do we still have to worry about the swine flu? I saw a report that said it was over. — Boca Mom

A: Swine flu is thankfully no longer a pandemic, though there are probably still a few cases out there. It is not expected to be the problem it was one year ago … But don’t forget about regular flu!

Q: Are there any particular bugs or illnesses that are expected to hit South Florida schools hard this year? — Brian Fallon

A: We can expect the usual flu bugs (influenza A and B). Additionally, a new school year will probably mean more cases of strep. There are also some reports of shigella in Broward, which in most kids means diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever.

Q: Do hand sanitizers really work? — Roy

A: Yes, most sanitizers used properly are effective at killing more than 95 percent of bacteria. These are a good option for kids that may not do a good job with hand washing

Q: My son is 15. Tall, lanky, athletic, active. But he has a terrible diet, despite my best efforts. What do you think of protein drinks such as Boost? Last year, he drank one every morning on the way to school, and sometimes another after baseball practice. — Amy

A: So long as these are supplements to meals and not replacements, the marginal amounts of protein in these drinks are OK. There have been recent concerns (Consumer Reports), however, with the protein powders marketed at health food stores, as they may contain trace amounts of substances that taken in large quantities can be dangerous.

Q: What are some of the worst things that kids do that make them vulnerable to illness? What can we do (as parents) to help them unlearn these habits? — Josh

A: Encourage hand washing! But also, teaching them to cough or sneeze into their elbows, and teaching them not to touch their mouths, noses or eyes is good practice. Repeated reinforcement works great, as does setting good examples by doing it ourselves!

Q: How much sleep should my middle-schooler get? He’s arguing for a later bedtime this year. — Marcia

A: In general, children this age require between eight to 10 hours of restful sleep at night.

Q: What age are kids old enough to start working out with weights? I’ve heard different ages. — Sophia

A: Generally, a child could start with flexibility, aerobic activity and body weight exercises any time after starting school. Weight training (particularly those involving raising weights above the head) should wait until the growth plates have matured sufficiently, which for most means during adolescence.

Q: My son is to start kindergarten this year, but he has started to bite others. I’ve tried everything to get him to stop, and am at my wit’s end? What can I do? — Tracy

A: This is something that must be addressed immediately. If caught in the act, a removal from the situation immediately is warranted. Teach him/her to express frustration in other ways (talking, counting, etc.). This is best done from the time they are very little, but you can still positively affect their behavior.

One other thought on the biting, find out your child’s currency — that which is most important to him/her. A negative reinforcement of that behavior (for example, losing of a privilege) works well.

Q: A dog recently bit my daughter’s face and I took her to the emergency room for two stitches. My friend said I should have made them call in a plastic surgeon to be sure there is minimal scarring. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. What do you think? — Joan

A: There is always the potential for scarring regardless, but usually if they are uncomplicated straight cuts, they will heal very well. Make sure to cover your child’s face with good sunscreen or a hat, as this will help promote healing. Finally, application of aloe, cocoa butter or even (over-the-counter) scar prevention products work well. Remember that complete healing may take up to one full year.

Q: My son has a sinus infection. In January of this year, he hurt his nose, which is still swollen. Could he be more susceptible to sinus issues in the future? — Hilda

A: Yes. Any injury to the face, depending on how extensive, can increase chances of upper respiratory infection, including sinus infections. I would check with my pediatrician, who may then refer you to an ENT for further evaluation.

By Marcus Atkinson

Hispanicohio.com editor

The Federal Department of Justice and Cuyahoga County have come to an agreement concerning bilingual ballots; at least for next week.

The special elections, which will be Sept. 7, will have both English and Spanish versions.  Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner’s office will pick up the extra cost needed to have both languages. 

An agreement has not been made for the Nov. elections.  A total of 500 jurisdictions in 35 states have bilingual ballots.  A little-used version of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 allowed for Puerto Ricans who were educated in Spanish to have ballots in Spanish.  This was added because Puerto Ricans are citizens by birth and at the time policy-makers decided not to allow Spanish ballots would cause disenfranchisement.

BRUNSWICK — It took 10 years, but Brunswick’s Mike Henry recently got his first victory on the Professional Bowlers Association Senior Tour. Henry, 62, routed Tim Kauble of Marion, Ohio, 247-166 to capture the PBA Senior Lake County Indi­ana Open at Olympia Lanes in Hammond, Ind. “It’s been a lot of hard work and it paid off,” [...]

MEDINA — When Medina’s Jen Jankowski went down with an ACL injury earlier this month, it would have been easy to be selfish. The prospect of missing the upcoming soccer season and what potential colleges might think would be enough to have any prep athlete thinking about what the future held. But that’s never been the junior’s [...]

WADSWORTH — A Walmart employee discovered something sur­prising while reviewing security tapes Saturday: Thieves made off with thou­sands of dollars of electronics the week before. Altogether, four men stole $2,678 worth of electronics from the store at 222 E. Smokerise Drive. At least two of the men, according to store security, previously were banned from the [...]

When Scott Brady started at Medina High School three years ago, his core groups of friends were members of the marching band. At the start of his final marching band season, the senior said several of those friends have been forced to mute their instruments because of growing pay-to­ participate fees. “There’s a couple that I [...]

In 25 years of coaching at the high school and college level, Buckeye girls soccer coach Bud Roberts has seen at all. Or at least he thought. For the first time in his longstand­ing career Saturday, he had a game with Brunswick postponed due to the numerous injuries his team sustained in the preseason. Since the Adidas [...]

WESTFIELD CENTER — Wadsworth and Cloverleaf’s girls golf teams were treated like LPGA professionals Mon­day, making their crucial Sub­urban League match even more intriguing. With workers from the Cava­liers being feted, Westfield Group Country Club geared up the difficulty of the pin place­ments. That didn’t seem to faze the Grizzlies as they pulled out a 189-191 [...]