Here's one of my favorite HN submissions, written by a bartender in Antarctica https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5951227
Bars in Antarctica
61–70 of 87 posts
Re: Bars in Antarctica
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
I thought health care was free in most of europe.
It depends per country, generally its free or super cheap, but there are some exceptions to services covered and ambulance can be one of them (its around 500$ in Switzerland - this still could lead to paying 0$ for patient depending on situation, don't know about other countries). And dental care is probably not free anywhere anymore that I am aware of, but its still cheaper to take trans-atlantic plane to get some m…
The UK has free dental for those who qualify [1].
[1] https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-...
Re: Bars in Antarctica
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 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.
What is the rate per capita? How does that rate compare to other places?
Be careful before relying on data, particularly data for crimes like rape. Incidents are often not reported and going solely off data, one would conclude that regions like India and sub saharan africa are safer for women than places like Sweden and the USA.
Re: Bars in Antarctica
#64There are somehow 73 cases of covid there too
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/one-earths-remo...
Re: Bars in Antarctica
#65Re: Bars in Antarctica
#66> Whichaway Camp, one of only two luxury hotels on continent The fact that there are more than zero is shocking to me! Looks like this one is in the range of $5-$10k per night.
Conflicting - looks like an extraordinary experience but oh boy, the hotel starts with a private jet to Antarctica from Cape Town. Can't we at least agree to keep everyone out except the scientific crews?
Re: Bars in Antarctica
#67I 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.
It's pretty misleading to say that without mentioning that there's only 1000 people on the entire continent, over the winter.
I'm on my phone so I don't have the actual numbers, but hypothetically, if Antarctica had one single reported rape every winter, that would be a yearly rate of 100 per 100K, comparable to some of America's worst cities.
Re: Bars in Antarctica
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Was that the one where the victim testified afterwards that he had it coming?
Re: Bars in Antarctica
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
What is the rate per capita? How does that rate compare to other places?
Be careful before relying on data, particularly data for crimes like rape. Incidents are often not reported and going solely off data, one would conclude that regions like India and sub saharan africa are safer for women than places like Sweden and the USA.
What else is there to rely on, if not data? "Lived experience" is just allegations without proof, and in aggregate it's data.
Anecdotes? The word of activists that insist that a fifth of men are rapists?
It's fine to say the data isn't reliable, but unreliable data about sexual assault in general isn't reason enough to conclude that McMurdo is a place overrun with rapists
Re: Bars in Antarctica
#70This is a surprising characterization of alcohol use at mcmurdo, and seems PR-focused. I hiked with a guy after he finished up a season working on the base, and here is what I recall of how he described it: Everyone is so bored that alcohol is the default entertainment, crown royal is virtually the only choice for daily drinking, and drinking is rationed to keep the problem down.
I spent five weeks doing robotics research at McMurdo in 2010. At least then, there were there separate bars, no limits to alcohol consumption, and regular parties. I didn't get the sense that it was a big problem - seemed like a medium-heavy drinking culture that was quite a few notches less problematic than most college campuses.