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Bars in Antarctica

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Re: Bars in Antarctica

#51

Post by feet »

tyingq wrote: post #47
photochemsyn wrote: post #22

Individuals using drugs in a remote facility where screwups can lead to fatal results is a terrible idea. Yes, alcohol is entirely comparable to opiates, it has a similar endorphin-like effect. Beer is like opium, wine is like morphine, liquor is like heroin. As I see it, you might as well have photos of an opium den with some heroin needles lined up for the customer's use.

I agree that alcohol can be just as destructive and life altering as opiates. But, there does seem to be a higher percentage of alcohol users that can remain at least somewhat responsible users, perhaps some biological or other factors. I'm also confused by the categorization of beer->opium, wine->morphine, liquor->heroin. A dedicated alcoholic is able to get as drunk as they need to with any of the three. Sure, the…

There is also a larger percentage of the population in general that use alcohol, mostly due to drug scheduling

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#52

Post by mikestew »

michpoch wrote: post #42
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Drunk people freezing to death on the street is common everywhere, even in Europe. One of my friends last winter, walked back home super drunk and passed out on the street. Instead of being happy he didn't freeze to death, he was angry some people called the ambulance for him that took him to the hospital, and got a €600 bill for it.

I'd guess that the €600 was not for the ambulance itself, but for a place where they put them to get sober afterwards. I am not sure what's the common term for such place in English, Wikipedia is suggesting "Drunk tank": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunk_tank Police takes you there if you're too drunk to be on your own, it's paid (and pretty expensive).

“Drunk tank” is what it was called in the U. S. jail when I visited one during my misspent youth. :-)

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#53

Post by madaxe_again »

I’ve been to the bars in McMurdo (coffee house has the best vibe by far of the official bars), and Vernadsky. Vernadsky is a characterful place - the bar was built by the Brits in the 80’s out of a shipment of lumber that was intended for a new pier, and the Ukrainians turn a significant portion of their potato rations into rather stonking zamagonka - the kind that has you deciding to go frolic with the penguins and then jump in the banya - and at the time, speaking crappy Russian and having a shared interest in gravity waves with a couple of the guys there was enough to make fast friends and the moonshine flow freely.

I only spent a few days at/around Vernadsky, but the guys there were ridiculously hospitable - it probably helped that we were the first new faces they’d seen in a month.

Vernadsky is much easier to get to than McMurdo, there are some vessels which go there from Ushuaia on 3 or 4 day trips to the peninsula - McM, you’ve either gotta go with NSF or a contractor, or find a tourist boat that goes there - although the latter is a “once every five years” type affair, and I’m not sure anyone is going there at the moment. Or of course you can take your own boat/charter, but most of the year you’ll also need a helicopter to get to shore at McM - the sound is iced over most of the time.

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#55

Post by narag »

dmd wrote: post #29
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Drunk people freezing to death on the street is common everywhere, even in Europe. One of my friends last winter, walked back home super drunk and passed out on the street. Instead of being happy he didn't freeze to death, he was angry some people called the ambulance for him that took him to the hospital, and got a €600 bill for it.

I thought health care was free in most of europe.

I thought health care was free in most of europe.

Ambulances can be private. In Spain, if you contact the Social Security and it's them that send the ambulance, I understand it will be free. But if you call a private service, they will charge.

In a case like that, I would have called police instead. It's the safest option.

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#56

Post by rendall »

rendall wrote: post #45
samatman wrote: post #8

I know it's a lot to expect from "drinks digest", but the rampant alcoholism in Antarctic research communities is notorious. I'm not wagging a finger here, not really, I won't blame people for responding to inhuman conditions with (copious amounts of) antifreeze, but it's jarring to see a puff piece about the fun cocktail bars which doesn't mention the accidents, assaults, and rapes, which trace directly back to drun…

> doesn't mention the accidents, assaults, and rapes, which trace directly back to drunkenness. What a bizarre assertion. The number of "accidents, assaults, and rapes" across the entire continent can each be counted on one hand. It's one of the safest places in the world.

Just want to remind everyone that downvotes on HN are not for "expressed opinion I disagree with".

They are for "contravened community guidelines".

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#57

Post by InCityDreams »

Reason077 wrote: post #43
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Drunk people freezing to death on the street is common everywhere, even in Europe. One of my friends last winter, walked back home super drunk and passed out on the street. Instead of being happy he didn't freeze to death, he was angry some people called the ambulance for him that took him to the hospital, and got a €600 bill for it.

> "Drunk people freezing to death on the street is common everywhere, even in Europe." Probably not so much in Southern Europe.

It can get very cold down here, too.

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#58

Post by speakfreely »

dav_Oz wrote: post #28
samatman wrote: post #8

I know it's a lot to expect from "drinks digest", but the rampant alcoholism in Antarctic research communities is notorious. I'm not wagging a finger here, not really, I won't blame people for responding to inhuman conditions with (copious amounts of) antifreeze, but it's jarring to see a puff piece about the fun cocktail bars which doesn't mention the accidents, assaults, and rapes, which trace directly back to drun…

Don’t know why you got downvoted but here are some relevant links about legal complications [0][1], sexual assaults [2] and alcoholism [3] on Antarctica (data mainly from US-based stations). [0] https://archive.ph/dgKwt [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Antarctica [2] https://nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=305782&org=OPP [3] https://www.wired.com/2015/10/scientists-antarctica-drink-lo...

Some of these read exactly as you would expect:

> He stabbed Oleg Beloguzov (Олег Белогузов), a 52-year old welder, in the chest multiple times. According to some sources, the attack occurred because Beloguzov was giving away the endings of books that Savitsky checked out at the station's library.

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#59

Post by durnygbur »

dmd wrote: post #29
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Drunk people freezing to death on the street is common everywhere, even in Europe. One of my friends last winter, walked back home super drunk and passed out on the street. Instead of being happy he didn't freeze to death, he was angry some people called the ambulance for him that took him to the hospital, and got a €600 bill for it.

I thought health care was free in most of europe.

> I thought health care was free in most of europe.

In countries where it's "free" one pays high monthly insurances, in countries with dysfunctional public healthcare systems services cost a fraction of what you'd pay in US but the salaries are proportionally lower.

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