Essay on Mining

In The Mountain, the Miner and the Lord, Harry M. Caudill does an absolutely profoundly superb job of describing life as it truly was for most coal miners whether they were white or black. To begin with coal country, located mostly within Kentucky and West Virginia, is simply over impoverished and cannot be described in any other manner. The coal mining areas were the poorest most underdeveloped areas to begin with and, as far as the U.S. goes, still are today.

Life has never been easy, overindulgent, or flamboyant for the people in this area. Caudill does a perfect job of pushing this idea forth and describing the emotions of one man in particular so that we may know, as a new and unknowledgeable generation, what life really was like for some persons of the hardest working generation to thus far grace our country.

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I believe the reality Caudill creates with his images is beyond compare. Throughout this short story there are many passages that take me straight to the rugged and beautiful coal mining country of Kentucky, and even beyond that to the poor desolate company towns during the unarguably most desperate time of this century. Caudill’s passage “Now as he trudged along the rain-drenched street in the last light of the dying day Sam sagged beneath a new burden. As he turned and mounted the three wooden steps to his door he carried the only food he possessed: a wedge of cheese and a five-cent box of soda crackers. The fire in the grate had dimmed to a mere handful of glowing coals that responded slowly when he knocked out the aches and added lumps of fresh fuel.” I believe is one of his best and tells the life story of a mining man quite well (324). First of all it seems as if the small towns as a whole have the general character of being gloomy, depressing, and wet, and Caudill makes this evident with his description of the muddy street. Living conditions were inevitably poor, with most miners living in small wooden dwellings that were barely more than shacks. One can easily imagine a tiny and drafty all wood structure roofed with black tar paper and drenched with sooty rain. As one nears the end of the passage one sees what is clearly the worst part of being a miner during the depression.

Unhappiness is abound and unavoidable, but our character Sam does a wonderful job of trying. He has next to nothing to eat and barely has a source of heat. Warmth and nourishment are two of life’s blessings that we often take for granted, but Sam did not. The best part about this is that Caudill makes all of this perfectly visible and even somewhat tangible to his audience.

Caudill does a wonderful job with both ethos and pathos, however logos is not very necessary.

Caudill grew up in this very area and was actually a personal acquaintance of Sam Hawkins. The story in itself is a very emotional one, but when added to Caudill’s perfectly concise descriptions the reader finds himself in Kentucky. I do not know if any one person could have done a more accurate job of portraying the life of Sam Hawkins than Caudill, as he did through his imagery, pathos, and ethos.

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Introducing: More Like This

Policy Innovations is pleased to announce the debut of "More Like This," a new article series by our friend John Haffner. John will be profiling clean energy leaders and other green innovators in China over the next several months.

As you can read in his introduction to the series, the motivation is triple: 1. Give these pioneers some of the recognition they deserve; 2. Convey the flavor of life in contemporary China; and 3. Inspire similar leadership in others.

The first article is a frank discussion with Kongjian Yu, an award-winning landscape architect whose designs strive to incorporate energy efficiency and natural beauty.

Yu feels that China's rapid urbanization suffers from what he calls the "'little feet' aesthetic"—showcase buildings built on shaky conceptual foundations. "These ornamental buildings can't carry their own weight. We have little feet but a jumbo body of consumption and GDP growth. Chinese have this dream of being urbanized. But the buildings aren't green."

Also of note on U.S.-China relations is our coverage of "Rare Earths Diplomacy" by Sean Daly. He looks at what we should expect in the rare minerals market and how it could impact production of the wind turbines and hybrid cars we associate with a clean technology economy.

Enjoy, and have a great Thanksgiving.

Cambodia's Future: Norway or Nigeria?

I am in Cambodia this week researching the expected offshore oil and gas boom. The big question is: Will one of Asia’s poorest and most corrupt countries use its newfound wealth to invest in infrastructure and education or will it simply shore up its corrupt practices? Will Cambodia become a Norway or a Nigeria?

Yesterday I met a foreign energy businessman with years of experience in Cambodia. His prognosis for Cambodia’s future was optimistic. He sees Cambodia as becoming a hub for a rapidly growing region, potentially taking advantage of its central location. In terms of governance, he has witnessed several years of improvement and sees things as only getting better.

China’s recent mining disaster is clearly on the minds of businesspeople here. Not only is China's mining sector the world's most dangerous, it is also extremely corrupt. The businessman said many people, including Cambodians, are reluctant to make deals with Chinese investors and partners. He listed several risks: opacity of contracts; hidden stipulations in contracts; lack of employment opportunities for local workers (Chinese use their own contractors); corrupt practices; and outdated equipment. Although Chinese technology will improve within a decade or so, he wasn’t so sure about the other practices.

Corruption is a rotten disease that many businesses are trying to fight. This businessman’s company is partnered with an American company, meaning it must follow the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He said it is a lot of work to comply with these rigorous standards, but he sees corrupt practices as antithetical to profitable business for several reasons: first, it is a waste of money that is thrown away without accountability; second, bribes seem to compound and send signals that a company is willing to play a dirty game; finally, good practices are central to ethical business and a calm soul. “I am able to sleep at night,” he said.

Due to his company’s large profile in Cambodia, an international NGO recently investigated how it was able to secure large contracts. After its investigation, the NGO concluded that his company was clean. He wasn’t worried. I only wished that clean companies like that were showcased for their exemplary behavior. If businesspeople knew they had a choice to act ethically, I bet cleaner practices would catch on.