Chile miners: sunglasses men will wear to see the light

[Lars77]

Source: Telegraph

The trapped miners have started a regime designed for fighter pilots to prepare them for their ascent to the surface and will be given $450 (£280) sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sunlight once they have been rescued.

Dr Jean Romagnoli, the sports physician preparing the men's physical fitness, said: "The men must now perform 20 minutes of aerobic exercise each day until they are rescued to prevent muscle cramps on the way to the surface. Finally, they will have to fast for eight hours before they make the journey up."

The miners will emerge wearing the sunglasses, donated by the American company, Oakley, which will provide 100 per cent protection from ultraviolet light. Medics have warned of damage to the miners' retinas when they reach daylight after so long underground. The men will also be given medication to protect against common germs to which they have become unaccustomed after so long underground.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/chile/8049884/Chile-miners-sunglasses-men-will-wear-to-see-the-light.html

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Aha! For a second i actually thought corporate America would'nt find a way to get in on the action.

[Ineeda]

1. Okay, so explain why donating almost $15K in sunglasses is a bad thing. n/t

[prolesunited]

3. Anything a corporation does is evil

even if it is good

[DBoon]

4. everything a corporation does is self serving and focused only on profits

even it it also does good

[nyy1998]

14. Yes, cause Oakley is really publicising this in all their ad materials

:eyes:

Plenty of corporations do terrible things, but got to give credit when credit is due.

[4lbs]

2. I'd say it was the best ~ $20K that Oakley ever spent.

$20,000 to have 33 people wear your product and the whole world sees it?

$20,000 to then be able to factually claim that your glasses were worn by the Chilean miners when they were rescued?

That's the price of a single print ad in a large circulation US publication, and a national TV ad costs about $100,000 for 30 seconds. Neither of which would get the billion pairs of eyes that saw the miners being rescued.

Shrewd PR move.

Oakley will make millions from this.

[Ineeda]

5. Oakley seems like a pretty decent company. If so, I don't begrudge them good publicity. n/t

[4lbs]

7. I agree. I don't recall hearing much of anything negative about Oakley.

Other than, "why are their sunglasses so expensive?"

[nyy1998]

15. +1

[hlthe2b]

8. I agree...

They fulfilled a need. Let them get a bit of good publicity.

[Bluzmann57]

6. This rescue is one of the greatest stories ever.

And if Oakley wants to donate $450.00 sunglasses then why slam them? I think it's actually a good thing. But I suppose there is always someone who must be negative.

[hughee99]

11. There's always room for negativity (and jello).

Why aren't they using sunglasses produced in Chile to support their local economy? There's plenty of people in the US who need and don't have sunglasses. Oakley should sell the sunglasses and pay their workers better. What the fuck makes any pair of sunglasses worth $450. Why didn't the mine operator buy them? Do you know how much fuel it's going to take to send these to Chile? Why are we talking about this when there's still (Oil in the gulf / An election coming up / War in Iraq and Afghanistan).

There's always corn flakes to be pissed in, and negativity is the gift that keep on giving.

[Pathwalker]

16. These glasses are guaranteed to not let one iota of UVA/UVB

get into the eyes. The threat of retina damage is real, and something that is irreversible. Retina damage leaves you with a painfully bright white spot in your field of vision, and is very painful.
NOT fun. I want a pair.

[hughee99]

17. I think it's a good move all around

Oakley may get good publicity out of it, but the important thing is that the people are being helped. I'm just saying there's always something to complain about, and there's always a few DUers willing to find it.

[onenote]

9. I'm confused.The glasses are needed. Would you prefer that they charged for them

rather than donate them? Or would you prefer that the miners simply cover their eyes with their hands so they don't use anything produced by "corporate America"?

FWIW, I suspect any number of items used in the rescue effort were the products of "corporate America."

[frylock]

10. where are they getting the $450 price tag?

a set of Oakley Radar retails for $250.

[bloomington-lib]

12. Tax deduction?

[meeshrox]

13. Good for Oakley

I've been a huge Oakley fan for over a decade...on my fourth pair, I think?

An American company showing generosity...it is good marketing...but they employ Americans and they make a fantastic quality product! What more do you want?

I'll continue to purchase them as long as I can afford them!

[aquart]

18. Smart. I never heard of Oakley glasses but now I won't forget them.

Best advertising in the world.

[LTX]

19. Your snark is grossly unwarranted, especially since American drillers were behind the rescue itself.

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9315597