Meng Power!

China is still the most dominant emerging power in the world.

Proof? While six miners in Utah perished as a week's worth of efforts by crews and coworkers failed to extract them, the Meng brothers kept going after rescue crews ceased digging for them.

With no food or water, they were forced to eat coal and drink their own urine from discarded bottles. When they were too exhausted to try to dig themselves out, they slept huddled together in the cold and dark. I think I'd rather die than drink my own piss and eat coal. Coal!

Meng Xianchen and Meng Xianyou finally clawed their way to the surface after nearly six days underground — a rare feat of survival in China's coal mines, the world's deadliest, where an average of 13 workers are killed every day. This mine happened to be one of many illegal mines — which had no oxygen, ventilation or emergency exits.

Currently, there are 181 miners trapped in two flooded coal shafts elsewhere in China, having been stuck there for 11 days. If only they had the Meng brothers to lead them out...

The men, who each had 20 years of coal mining experience, clawed through nearly 66 feet of coal and rock with a pick and their hands. It took three hours to dig half a yard, they said, taking turns working because the tunnel was so narrow. They joked about their wives having to remarry and worked harder to make sure they would get back to them. Judging by the picture, I'm now certain I wouldn't do the piss and coal diet.