Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Holding Debates in Middle School Classes
Debates are wonderful, high-interest activities that can add great value to lessons for middle school students. They provide students with a change from the norm and allow them to learn and use new and different skills. They have the natural appeal of watching controlled disagreements while scoring points. Further, they are not very challenging to create. Here is a great guide explaining how to hold a class debate that shows how easy it can be if you plan ahead. Benefits of Debates One of the greatest benefits of using debates in class is that students will get to practice a number of important skills including: Learning about the topic assigned. Obviously, researching the topic involved provides students with more information than can be gleaned during in-class lessons. Further, by having to argue for or against a proposition, students have to dig deeper into a topic and look at it from both sides.Using important research skills as they prepare for the debate. Researching information is a learned skill. While many students will have been exposed to library use, encyclopedias, and Internet research during their elementary years, they will need to have these skills reinforced and expanded upon. Further, students will need to learn about ways to judge the validity and accuracy of web resources.Working together as a team both before and during the debate itself. Having students work together as they research and then perform the debate can help them learn important skills about cooperation and trust. Of course, as teachers, we have to have methods in place to ensure that all students are workin g. If one or more student is not pulling their weight, then the grades of the other team members should not be penalized.Practicing public speaking skills. Debates provide students with necessary practice for public speaking made easier by passionately arguing their point of view. This skill will be important for them the rest of their educational and possibly work career.Using critical thinking skills in a real world setting. Debates require students to think on their feet. When one team makes a valid point, the other team needs to be able to marshall their resources and come up with an effective response. Challenges for Middle School Teachers For these and other reasons, teachers often want to include debates in their lesson plans. However, implementing debates in middle school classes can sometimes be quite challenging. There are a number of reasons for this including: Varying maturity levels. Students in middle school are typically between the ages of 11 and 13. This is such a transitional period for students. Personal behavior and maintaining focus can be a challenge at times.Students may not have the necessary research skills. In many cases, students will not have had to research information in the way needed to do a good job in a class debate. Therefore, it is very important that you spend the time helping them prepare.Students may be self-conscious. Public speaking can be daunting. Having them act as a team can help. Creating Successful Debates Debates are a great part of a teachers repertoire of activities. However, there are a few caveats that must be remembered to make the debate successful. Pick your topic wisely, ensuring that it is acceptable for middle school students. Use the following list for great ideas in middle school debate topics. For advanced students, you can use a list for high school students.Publish your rubric before the debate. Your debate rubric helps students see how they will be graded.Consider holding a practice debate early in the year. This can be a fun debate where students learn the mechanics of the debate activity and can practice with a topic that they might already know a lot about.Figure out what you are going to do with the audience. You will probably want to keep your team down to about 2 to 4 students. Therefore, you will need to hold a number of debates in order to keep the grading consistent. At the same time, you will have the majority of your class watching as the audience. Give them something upon which they will be graded. You might have them fill out a sheet about each sides position. You might have them come up with and ask quest ions of each debate team. However, what you dont want is 4 to 8 students involved in the debate and the rest of the class not paying attention and possibly causing distractions.Make sure that the debate does not become personal. There should be some basic ground rules established and understood. The debate should focus on the topic at hand and never on the people on the debate team. Make sure to build consequences into the debate rubric.
Monday, December 23, 2019
Character Analysis of Mrs. Mallard in The Story of an...
In the short story, ââ¬Å"The Story of an Hour,â⬠author Kate Chopin presents the character of Mrs. Louis Mallard. She is an unhappy woman trapped in her discontented marriage. Unable to assert herself or extricate herself from the relationship, she endures it. The news of the presumed death of her husband comes as a great relief to her, and for a brief moment she experiences the joys of a liberated life from the repressed relationship with her husband. The relief, however, is short lived. The shock of seeing him alive is too much for her bear and she dies. The meaning of life and death take on opposite meaning for Mrs. Mallard in her marriage because she lacked the courage to stand up for herself. Mrs. Mallardââ¬â¢s repressed married life is aâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Her experiences took the form of words: ââ¬Å"free, free, free!â⬠(Chopin 262). This clearly shows that she was experiencing life after she heard the news of her husbandââ¬â¢s death. Her love for life and the desire to live long, take an ironic twist when she sees that her husband is actually alive. Watching the husband alive in front of her is indeed the real shock of her life. It strikes with such a force that it takes her life. It is very likely that her weak heart simply could not bear, what indeed was for her, the most tragic news. Her husbandââ¬â¢s death meant life to her which she hoped would be long enough. ââ¬Å"She says a prayer that her life might be long to enjoy all the seasons in her lifeâ⬠. (Chopin 262). While even the doctor proclaims that she died because she was overjoyed to see him alive, it was the opposite that happened. After having experienced a brief moment of what it was like to be free from an oppressed life she just could not bring herself to the thought of living another moment of that repressed life. Although there is an element of tragedy to her death, we could also interpret her deathââ¬âas an end to her repressed life. What she failed to achieve in her life, she did so in her death. She is now free and no longer subject to the repressive will of her husband. But could this be interpreted as some act of courage on her part? To the contrary, she chose a way out thatShow MoreRelatedMrs Mallard from Story of an Hour and the Wife from Cat in the Rain: A Comparative Character Analysis807 Words à |à 3 PagesCompare, contrast and analyze: Mrs. Mallard (Story of an Hour) and the wife (Cat in the Rain) The heroine of Kate Chopins Story of an Hour and unnamed wife of Ernest Hemingways Cat in the Rain seem to be motivated by completely different forces. Mrs. Mallard desires a wider and more expansive life than the one she currently possesses. She is frustrated by the limits of her domesticity. She feels a sense of freedom and relief at the prospect of her husbands death rather than sorrow. TheRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin Literary Analysis1432 Words à |à 6 PagesMaking a literary analysis involves writing an argumentative analysis about a particular literature. The analyst is supposed to carefully read the literature and better understand the contents so as to come up with legal analysis. It requires some summary, but it is not a report about the book or the story. It is important in making the reader to understand the message in the book as well as the improvements necessary the literature. It is also important in understanding how a particular author articulatesR ead MoreThe Story of an Hourâ⬠by Kate Chopin Essay1528 Words à |à 7 Pagesââ¬Å"The Story of an Hourâ⬠by Kate Chopin ââ¬Å"The Story of an Hourâ⬠by Kate Chopin is very intriguing, not only because of the emotional change Louise Mallard goes through the hour after her husbandââ¬â¢s tragic death but also the way Chopin uses irony in the story. During this analysis of ââ¬Å"The Story of an Hourâ⬠we will discuss the summary, plot, setting, tone, theme, point of view, emotions of Louise Mallard and other characters involved in the story. Chopinââ¬â¢s story uses the feelings of a married womanRead MoreThe Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin632 Words à |à 3 PagesIndeed, Kate Chopinââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"The Story of an Hourâ⬠and Edward Arlington Robinsonââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Miniver Cheevyâ⬠seem to provide excellent insight as to what ââ¬Å"ironyâ⬠truly means. In addition to these, scrutiny of Lawrence Berkoveââ¬â¢s analysis of Chopinââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"The Story of an Hourâ⬠, provides deeper enlightenment. After reading these literary pieces, it becomes evident that irony refers to the contrast between peopleââ¬â¢s perceptions of truth and reality, as in Miniver Cheevy ââ¬Å"The Story of an Hourâ⬠and Berkoveââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Fatal Self-AssertionRead MoreAnalysis Of The Short Story Of An Hour1033 Words à |à 5 Pagesof The Story of an Hour summarizes the main elements of the short story. We can begin to see the story take shape as the author gets straight to the point by stating Mrs. Mallardââ¬â¢s health ailment and the possible danger of unexpected news is highlighted with the words, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦great care must be taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husbandââ¬â¢s deathâ⬠(Mays 278). We can start to see the direction that Chopin is headed by this first paragraph and the title of the short story is a nodRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1159 Words à |à 5 PagesThe short story ââ¬Å"The Story of an Hour,â⬠by Kate Chopin is about a woman who dies after finding out that her husband, bel ieved to be deceased, is actually alive. The short story ââ¬Å"The Fathers Confession,â⬠by Guy de Maupassant is about a man who confesses to a crime he committed to his children in a letter after he passes away. A close reading of these stories reveals themes of repressive relationships and freedom. In addition, the reader gains insight through analyzing characters with use of technicalRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin862 Words à |à 4 PagesFiction Analysis: The Story of an Hour Kate Chopinââ¬â¢s short story, ââ¬Å"The Story of an Hourâ⬠, is about one married womanââ¬â¢s true hidden feelings of being married in the 19th century. The story was published in 1894, a time where it was unacceptable for women to express their wants and needs as a woman. Women were not seen equal to men and did not have the same privileges as men such as voting. Therefore, some of her literary works were considered controversial. It wasnââ¬â¢t soon until the late 20 centuryRead MoreAnalysis Of The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin811 Words à |à 4 PagesProtagonist: An Analysis of The Story of an Hour In Kate Chopinââ¬â¢s short story, The Story of an Hour, the reader is introduced to three characters and an event that has occurred prior to the beginning of the story. The three characters that the reader is introduced to are: Mrs. Mallard, who is the protagonist of the story, Josphine, who is her sister, and Mr. Richards, who does not play a major role in the story. Throughout the plot of the story, the reader can gain a sense of sympathy for Mrs. Mallard as theyRead More ââ¬Å"Stylistic Techniques in Kate Chopinââ¬â¢s The Story of an Hourâ⬠1108 Words à |à 5 Pageswell known for some of the most shaping feminist stories and novels during her time. Accordingly, in her short story ââ¬Å"The Story of an Hourâ⬠Chopin tells the tale of Mrs. Mallardââ¬â¢s reaction to the death of her husband, instead of fearing the forlorn widow years ahead of her; she falters upon a different comprehension all together. After hearing the news of her husbandââ¬â¢s alleged de ath, Mrs. Mallard retreats to her bedroom in solitude. Although Mrs. Mallard is initially distraught by the news, she sitsRead MoreEssay on Structural Technique in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin861 Words à |à 4 Pagesshort story. Kate Chopin uses structural techniques to enhance ââ¬Å"The Story of an Hourâ⬠from beginning to end. She follows formal structure to a certain degree, but occasionally strays to actual structure. Upon analysis of the organization of Chopinââ¬â¢s story, the reader understands the powerful meaning that is expressed in such a short piece. Initially, a short story begins with an exposition. This is the laying out of important background information, characters, and setting. Chopinââ¬â¢s story is only
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Our Journey to the New World Free Essays
string(20) " at the big wheels\." For Two days Martha rode in the back of the dusty wagon and cried. She was one big mess. Feeling sorry for herself, and mad at the whole family. We will write a custom essay sample on Our Journey to the New World or any similar topic only for you Order Now Pa stopped the wagon, and everybody got out to eat, Everybody but Martha. She just sat where she was, moping instead of crying, till sheââ¬â¢d run out of tears. ââ¬Å"Martha Madison, are you going to eat something?ââ¬â¢ asked ma. ââ¬Å"You know I canââ¬â¢t swallow when Iââ¬â¢m upset,â⬠she told Ma. ââ¬Å"Leave her be,â⬠said Pa. ââ¬Å"My Martha has a mind and a stomach of her own.â⬠ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ll take her gingerbread,â⬠said Billy. He was Marthaââ¬â¢s older brother, only one year older. Ma plunked Bob on Marthaââ¬â¢s lap. ââ¬Å"Well, if youââ¬â¢re not going to eat, how about looking after your baby brother?â⬠Bob was a cute little rascal, but Martha was busy thinking about her home back in Jackson, Mississippi and her friend Denis. Martha missed her home and wanted to go back home. Denis and Martha swore to be friends forever, but the creaky old wagon was putting more miles between them everyday. Billy and Bob liked traveling in the wagon, the same with Pa. Ma wasnââ¬â¢t the complaining sort, but Martha just hated traveling. Ma said to many times to Martha, ââ¬Å"Your Paââ¬â¢s got itchy feet. Heââ¬â¢s a traveling man and heââ¬â¢ll keep on moving west till we run out of land.â⬠Everybody was excited about going to Saint Joseph, Missouri. It was where Pa was bringing them to join a wagon train headed for Oregon. It took them two weeks to reach Saint Joe. When they got to Saint Joe it was Pa and Billy who turn to be disappointed. They were too late for the wagon train. It had been gone for a week. Theyââ¬â¢d have to wait a month for the next one. After their long miserable ride from Jackson things moved pretty fast. By late afternoon they were set up in two little rooms on Mudd Street. And Pa found a job with the New West Harness Company. Martha and Ma had supper ready. They all crowded around the table and joined hands. Pa said grace and they all said ââ¬Å"Amen.â⬠After supper Ma spread two blankets on the floor for Martha and Billy. Pa and Ma and Bob took the big bed in the other room. And everyone was sound asleep. Pa worked all day at the New West Harness Company. ââ¬Å"Missing that wagon train may turn out to be a blessing,â⬠said Pa. ââ¬Å"Why?â⬠said Ma. ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢ll give me time to bargain for all the things weââ¬â¢ll need for Oregon,â⬠answered Pa. First Pa bought extra oxen. Then he traded their old wagon in for a big new one with a canvas top. ââ¬Å"How does she look?â⬠he cried. ââ¬Å"Looks like a cross between a boat and a wagon,â⬠said Ma. ââ¬Å"Thatââ¬â¢s why they call these contraptions prairie schooners,â⬠said Pa. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢re going to sail her all the way to Oregon!â⬠shouted Billy. Martha had to laugh. The wagon did look like a ship, with its big white canvas top. There small rooms in the wagon were crammed with things for the trip. Bags of dried beans, tin buckets of lard and brown sugar, and jars of apple jelly all these things crowded around their beds. When Martha looked up at night, Martha was staring at slabs of bacon and dried beef hanging from the ceiling. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢ll need enough food to last us through six months,â⬠said Ma. Saint Joe was filling up fast. New wagons pulled in, crammed with goods and people. New children and dogs were all over the place. Marthaââ¬â¢s worries came to her head the day Pa said, ââ¬Å"Time to pack the wagon. Captain Jonah, the trail boss, says the train moves tomorrow.â⬠Billy and Pa loaded all the heavy boxes into the wagon. ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s going to hard to fit everything in the wagon,â⬠she said. ââ¬Å"But all of us ought to have our own little space. You can take anything you want, as long as it fits into your box.â⬠Martha took out her box out to the porch. It wouldnââ¬â¢t hold much. Maybe the box would hold her doll with the china head and her hair ribbons. Leaving Saint Joe was going to be just as bad a leaving Jackson. At breakfast Pa said grace. ââ¬Å"Dear Lord, give us a good journey and safekeeping. And bring us finally to Oregon if it be thy will.â⬠Everyone rolled up there bedding and put it in the wagon. Martha helped Ma hang her pots on big hooks on the outside of the wagon. Pa said, ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m going to drive the wagon to the front of the house. Just to see how she pulls.â⬠They all watched. Billy bounced up beside Pa. ââ¬Å"Giddup!â⬠shouted Pa. The oxen strained under the load. The wagon jerked forward. ââ¬Å"She rides real smooth,â⬠called Pa. ââ¬Å"Everybody hop in.â⬠Ma climbed up with Bob. The grove outside Saint Joe where the wagon train formed looked like a big campground. Children ran yelling and playing around the wagons, dogs joined in, barking and chasing after kids. Pa finally found Captain Jonah. He gave Pa a number for our wagon number 49. Billy asked Pa if he could carve the number on the side of the wagon. ââ¬Å"You can do more than that,â⬠said Pa. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢ve got to keep track of the days. Carve a notch for each weekday and a long mark for each Sunday.â⬠Martha felt cheated. Pa always gave Billy the important things to do. But Pa surprised Martha. ââ¬Å"Come with me, Martha girl,â⬠he said. ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ve got a special job for you.â⬠Pa lifted up a round tin can from under the wagon seat. Then he showed Martha how to put axle grease on the big wagon wheels. ââ¬Å"Every day it gets dark I want you to grease each wheel, Martha. Then check all the spokes for cracks. Let me know if you find anything wrong.â⬠said Pa. Martha stared at the big wheels. You read "Our Journey to the New World" in category "Papers" They were as tall as her. Pa said, ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s these wheels that will get us to Oregon. Youââ¬â¢ve got a sharp eye, Martha. Iââ¬â¢m trusting our wheels to you.â⬠Pa managed to get there wagon through all the confusion. Finally they found wagon number 48. They pulled up right behind it. Toward the front of the line they could hear a lot of shouting. ââ¬Å"I canââ¬â¢t make it out,â⬠said Pa At first Martha couldnââ¬â¢t make it out either. Then she got it clear. ââ¬Å"Theyââ¬â¢re shouting, ââ¬ËWagons, ho!â⬠she cried. The air was ringing with ââ¬Å"Wagons, ho!â⬠too. Martha thought it was pretty exciting, before she knew it she was yelling, ââ¬Å"Wagons, ho!â⬠too. The white tops of the wagons in front of us started bobbing up and down. ââ¬Å"Giddup!â⬠shouted Pa. ââ¬Å"Oregon, here we come!â⬠yelled Billy. Martha crawled over the boxes and sacks to the back of the wagon. She raised the lid of her box, and there she saw her doll. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢re on our way, Miss Chocolate,â⬠she whispered. ââ¬Å"So far, so good.â⬠The canvas topped wagons were like ovens. Billy and Martha found out they could walk as fast as the train moved. It was cooler to walk, too. The first day they were walking beside the wagon, she met a big girl who was in wagon 48. She was a sight. Wild, curly, carrot colored hair shot out in all directions around her head. Her calico dress looked about two sizes too large. She wore it hitched up so you could see the big brogan shoes on her feet. This big headed girl walked right up to Martha and said, ââ¬Å"My nameââ¬â¢s Laura Smith. Whatââ¬â¢s yours?â⬠ââ¬Å"Martha Madison,â⬠she told her. ââ¬Å"Letââ¬â¢s be friends, Iââ¬â¢ll look after you,â⬠said Laura. ââ¬Å"But I donââ¬â¢t need anybody to look after me,â⬠Martha told her. ââ¬Å"Rats!â⬠she said. ââ¬Å"Everybody needs a friend, and I am the best looker youââ¬â¢ll ever meet. I do all the looking after for my Pa.â⬠ââ¬Å"What about your Ma?â⬠asked Martha. ââ¬Å"Maââ¬â¢s dead a year now,â⬠she said. ââ¬Å"And you cook and wash and do everything?â⬠asked Martha. ââ¬Å"Everything,â⬠boomed Laura. ââ¬Å"Promised Ma Iââ¬â¢d look after Pa.â⬠Then Laura said, ââ¬Å"Stick with me, honey. You wonââ¬â¢t have a thing to worry about. Letââ¬â¢s shake on it.â⬠When the shadows started getting long, a message came down the line of wagons. ââ¬Å"Campsite for the night about a mile ahead,â⬠yelled the scout. By the time they made the circle with the wagons it was late afternoon. Pa and Billy unhitched the oxen to let them graze on grass. Martha helped Ma get a cook fire started. Then Martha got the tin bucket from under the wagon seat and greased the wheels. She felt every spoke till they were smooth as glass. Supper on the prairie that first night was delicious. Cook fires circled the big camp. There was lots of visiting back and forth. Laura came barreling over to there campfire. She didnââ¬â¢t give Martha a chance to even introduce her. ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m Laura Smith,â⬠she said, grabbing first Maââ¬â¢s, then Paââ¬â¢s hand. When she went to Billy, he stepped back and just nodded his head. ââ¬Å"Welcome,â⬠said Ma. ââ¬Å"Would you like some coffee?â⬠ââ¬Å"No, Iââ¬â¢m full as a boardinghouse bedbug,â⬠said Lauren, patting her stomach. Everyone laughed. Then Laura settled down with them like a longtime friend. In one of the wagons someone was playing a fiddle. Martha looked up at the sky. About a million sparkling stars were winking at her. It was a perfect night. From the first day, Billy was asking, ââ¬Å"When are we going to see some buffalo?â⬠But he had carved ten notches on the wagon before we spotted any. ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢d sure like to see one of them beasts up close!â⬠he cried. ââ¬Å"I like them right where they are,â⬠Martha said. In a way Martha soon got a lot closer to the buffalo. They ran out of firewood and had to burn dried buffalo droppings. They were called ââ¬Å"chips.â⬠The longer they were on the trail, the hotter it got. Everybody was glad to see the sun set. At least it was cooler at night. But when night came, so did thousands of buffalo gnats. The only way to keep from being eaten alive was to sit close to the campfires. The gnats hated smoke more than they liked humans. Martha sneaked over to Lauraââ¬â¢s wagon , and got dozens of bites. Late one afternoon Laura and Martha were counting the notches Billy had carved. ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s hard to believe weââ¬â¢ve been on the trail almost three weeks,â⬠Martha commented. ââ¬Å"Not for me,â⬠said Laura. ââ¬Å"I feel like Iââ¬â¢ve already walked three thousand miles and picked up a million buffalo chips!â⬠While they were laughing, Martha heard a rumbling sound. ââ¬Å"You hear that?â⬠asked Martha. ââ¬Å"Sounds like thunder,â⬠said Laura. From the front of the train two scouts came riding towards them. ââ¬Å"Swing the wagons in a circle!â⬠they shouted. ââ¬Å"Whatââ¬â¢s wrong?â⬠asked Pa. ââ¬Å"Buffalo stampede!â⬠shouted the scouts. The rumbling was growing louder. Laura ran to her wagon. In a few minutes the wagons were in a raged circle. Ma and Martha ducked under the wagon with Bob. Pa and Billy grabbed guns and crawled behind the big wagon wheels. All Martha could see was a big dark cloud mobbing towards them. ââ¬Å"Where are the buffalo?â⬠Martha asked. ââ¬Å"In the dust cloud,â⬠said Pa. ââ¬Å"There must be thousands of them.â⬠Captain Jonah rode up. ââ¬Å"Have your guns ready!â⬠he shouted. ââ¬Å"But donââ¬â¢t shoot until I give you the order.â⬠The buffalo were close. Martha could taste dust in her mouth. Then, in the moving dust cloud, she saw them. They were packed tight, like a solid wall. Their heads were down. Their tails were in the air. The ground shook under their pounding hooves. ââ¬Å"Hold your fire!â⬠commanded Captain Jonah. Martha was sure the buffalo would crush them any second. She closed her eyes. ââ¬Å"Fire! Fire! Fire!,â⬠shouted Captain Jonah. The guns barked and Marthaââ¬â¢s eyes flew open. Several buffalo in the front of the pack crumpled to the ground. More and more piled up behind them. But one huge wounded beast kept coming. He plowed into a wagon near thereââ¬â¢s. There was this sickening thud. The wagon rolled over. Martha heard screams and more gunfireââ¬â¢s. The huge shaggy buffalo was slumped against a schooner. A red stain was spreading in the sand around the dead buffalo. Martha felt sick. But the gunfire was working. The solid line of buffalo split in the middle. They turned away from the pile of dead buffalo and ran past the wagons. Martha could see hundreds of brown shaggy legs flying by their wagon. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢ve broken the stampede!â⬠shouted Captain Jonah. The mad, rushing buffalo swung wide of the wagons. Soon the last of the huge herd passed them by. The dust began to settle. The thundering roar of the stampede faded away. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢re safe now,â⬠said Pa. ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m going over to help the folks under the wagon and shook the dust off. Back at the wagon Pa told us we were going to stay put for the night. ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢ll give us time to skin some buffalo for supper,â⬠he said. Billy went to skin the dead buffalo. Martha started greasing the wagon wheels. The men came back with big buffalo steaks. Ma fixed some for there supper. Martha couldnââ¬â¢t eat the tough meat. Martha stared out across the starlit prairie. She felt so lonely. As far as she could see there was nothing just flat prairie stretching on and on. ââ¬Å"Where is your Pa?â⬠asked Captain Jonah. ââ¬Å"Over there,â⬠Grasped Martha, pointing in the opposite direction. The Captain rode away, in a hurry. When Pa came back to there wagon, he said we would make camp early. ââ¬Å"Why?â⬠asked Ma. ââ¬Å"Indians,â⬠said Pa. ââ¬Å"Theyââ¬â¢ve been tracking us all day.â⬠For three days the scouts reported: ââ¬Å"Indians still tracking us.â⬠ââ¬Å"They probably only want to do some trading,â⬠Captain Jonah reassured us. ââ¬Å"The important thing is that no one panics and does something foolish. Iââ¬â¢ve brought many wagon trains through Indian country and I had never had any real trouble.â⬠It was late in the afternoon on the fourth day when Martha saw them. At first they were tiny specks bobbing up and down far out on the plains. ââ¬Å"Theyââ¬â¢re on horseback,â⬠said Laura. The scouts rushes up shouting, ââ¬Å"Circle the wagons!â⬠As soon as the circle was made, Pa grabbed his gun. Then he joined the men lined up behind Captain Jonah. Martha peeked through a slit in the canvas. A long line of Indians on horseback were moving slowly toward them. It was so still and quiet, Martha could hear everyone breathing in the wagon. Suddenly the Indians stopped. Captain Jonah made a sign with his hands. An Indian who must have been the chief returned Captain Jonahââ¬â¢s sign. Then Captain Jonah and the chief rode out and met in the middle. For a few minutes they talked, and made signs with their hands. Then Captain Jonah turned and went back to his men. The chief did the same. Crack! A single gunshot rang out from one of there wagons. The pony one of the young Indians was ridding stumbled and crashed to the ground. The rider went down with him. Our scouts raced back toward the wagon train, yelling, ââ¬Å"Hold your fire!â⬠The Indians pulled up around the wounded pony and the fallen rider. Captain Jonah dashed up to them and jumped off his horse. Martha was sure the Indians would kill him. Why didnââ¬â¢t the scouts go to his rescue? Instead the scouts kept yelling, ââ¬Å"For Godââ¬â¢s sake, donââ¬â¢t shoot!â⬠In a few minutes that seemed to last forever, the crowd around the fallen rider parted. The young Indian who had gone down with the pony looked dead. The captain rushed back to the wagons. The Indians made a long line facing them. They just stood there, silent and threatening. ââ¬Å"Who fired that shot?â⬠demanded the captain angrily. Two scouts dragged a man from wagon 42. ââ¬Å"That was a stupid thing to do, Ned Butcher!â⬠shouted the captain. Ned stared to protest. But Captain Jonah shouted, ââ¬Å"I donââ¬â¢t care about your excuses. I only care about the safety of the folks on this wagon train. I could hang you for disobeying orders. Or I could just hand you over to the Indians.â⬠Nedââ¬â¢s wife rushed up to Captain Jonah. She stared to pleading with him. Captain Jonah motioned her away. ââ¬Å"All they wanted was to trade hides for blankets and sugar. Now the stakes are higher. Thank God the boyââ¬â¢s only stunned. But the pony is dead. Either we supply them with two oxen and sugar and blankets, or we can expect an attack. Those are the terms!â⬠The men started shouting all at once. Captain Jonah held up his hand for silence. ââ¬Å"Theyââ¬â¢re going to sit there for a half hour. If we donââ¬â¢t have the oxen and other stuff outside the wagon train by then, theyââ¬â¢re going to come swooping down on us. Iââ¬â¢ve told the chief weââ¬â¢d meet their demands.â⬠ââ¬Å"Ned Butcher, you have 4 oxen. Unhitch two of them for the Indians,â⬠commanded the captain. ââ¬Å"But only two oxen canââ¬â¢t pull my wagon,â⬠Ned protested. ââ¬Å"You can lighten your load by dumping some of it right here.â⬠ââ¬Å"Every wagon must give a pound of sugar and a blanket,â⬠said Captain Jonah. ââ¬Å"And be quick about it! Our time is running out.â⬠In just a few minutes every person piled up a great mound of blankets and sugar. Captain Jonah and the scouts brought out the two oxen. They staked them by the sugar and blankets. Then everyone pulled back behind the wagons. ââ¬Å"Keep your guns ready, men. But donââ¬â¢t make a move unless I give order!â⬠shouted Captain Jonah. Suddenly the still, silent line of Indians plodded. They came racing toward them. They were yelling and waving guns and spears, kicking up clouds of dust. Martha expected arrows and bullets to rip through the wagon any second. When the Indians reached the staked oxen, the pile of blankets and sugar, the Indians stopped in a cloud of dust. Suddenly the wagon train started to move out. When Martha looked back, the Indians were dividing up the blankets and sugar. They were chattering and laughing and didnââ¬â¢t seem the least bit warlike. That night as they sat around the campfire, they celebrated there coming to Oregon. In the morning Captain Jonah pushed the wagon train hard after the Indian scare. ââ¬Å"This is the hard part of the trip,â⬠he said. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢ve got a tough river to ford before we cross the mountains.â⬠ââ¬Å"But the oxen are worn out,â⬠one of the men protested. ââ¬Å"Get out of the wagons and walk!â⬠snapped the captain. Then he made it an order. ââ¬Å"Everybody walks from here on.â⬠All of them plodded along beside our wagons in the boiling sun. ââ¬Å"If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?â⬠Laura asked Martha. ââ¬Å"Ice, ice, and more ice!â⬠ââ¬Å"Your wishes wouldnââ¬â¢t last a minute in this heat,â⬠said Laura. They kept walking in the whole terrible heat. One day they came upon a long line of boxes, trunks, and furniture scattered beside the trail. Lauren and Martha ran over to see what was in the trunks. ââ¬Å"Keep moving!â⬠shouted one of the scouts. ââ¬Å"Just count yourself lucky we donââ¬â¢t have to dump all our goods. Take a like over there!â⬠Martha gasped. Sun bleached skeletons of oxen lay in the sand. ââ¬Å"Their teams gave out,â⬠explained the scout. ââ¬Å"They doubled up and went on as best they could. Move along now. Weââ¬â¢ve got a river to ford up ahead. By the time they reached the river, the scouts were struggling to get ropes strung across. The muddy water looked ready to overflow the riverbanks. The oxen had a hard time making it across. But finally the scouts got two short ropes anchored across the river. Then the captain gave the signal. ââ¬Å"One driver to a wagon, everybody else, over on the ropes!â⬠he ordered. Pa drove there big schooner into the river. ââ¬Å"She floats like a boat!â⬠he called They plunged into the water. Martha could see Laura up ahead on the rope. At first it felt good just to be cool again. Then in the deeper water Martha began to feel the strong pull of the undertow. Billy called behind Martha. ââ¬Å"Hey, this is fun!â⬠Martha was about to tell him to hold tight, since heââ¬â¢d soon be in the undertow. But Billy shouted again. ââ¬Å"Look, no hands!â⬠Martha turned, there he was, treading water with both hands off the rope. ââ¬Å"Billy!â⬠called Martha. ââ¬Å"Stop that!â⬠You know you canââ¬â¢t swim!â⬠He struck the undertow and went under like a rock. Martha was so frighten, she couldnââ¬â¢t even call for help. Billy popped back up right next to her. He was coughing and spitting water. Martha grabbed his arm. But she was thrashing around so wildly, Martha lost her grip on the rope. They both went whirling toward the center of the river. They shot right past Ma and Bob. Ma screamed. Martha was sure they were lost. But she still held on to Billy, but his head kept on bobbing under. Then she hit something. Something hard that sent pain shooting up her arm. It was Lauraââ¬â¢s wagon. Martha grabbed it. Then she pulled Billy up close, where she could keep his head above water. He coughed, and spit more muddy water. ââ¬Å"Grab the wagon!â⬠She yelled. He clawed at the side of the wagon and found a pot hook to hang on to. Martha was afraid to let him go. But her arm was hurting so, she didnââ¬â¢t know how long she could hold on. Suddenly Laura was there with her arms around both Billy and Martha. She had them penned against the wagon. ââ¬Å"Hang on!â⬠she cried. ââ¬Å"You all right, Billy?â⬠He spit more water and mumbled, ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m fine.â⬠ââ¬Å"You donââ¬â¢t look too bad for someone whoââ¬â¢s just drunk half a river,â⬠said Lauren. ââ¬Å"How about you, Martha?â⬠Martha was scared to death, and her arm was hurting something fierce. Laura clung to the wagon with them until they were across the river. Everyone cheered as they staggered up the muddy riverbank to safety. The three of them flopped on the ground and sat there, completely worn out. ââ¬Å"Oregonââ¬â¢s on the other side,â⬠announced Captain Jonah. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢ve got a hard ride up, but an easy ride down. Letââ¬â¢s start climbing!â⬠They all still had to walk. And when the trail got steeper, they had to help push the heavy wagons. But the coolness in the mountains felt good. The rocky trail was hard on wheels. Every day a wagon would have to pull out of line to fix a broken wheel. Martha still took care of their wheels. Even though her arm was hurt, she wouldnââ¬â¢t let Billy take over. She was superstitious about them. When the last one was checked, sheââ¬â¢d pat it and say, ââ¬Å"Lucky wheels! Youââ¬â¢ll get us there!â⬠Well, the luck played out before they reached the crest of the mountains. The whole family plus Lauraââ¬â¢s was pushing there wagon up a steep part of the trail. Crack! There left front wheel hit a big rock. ââ¬Å"Knocked the iron rim completely off!â⬠cried Pa. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢ll have to drop out of line and fix it.â⬠ââ¬Å"How long will it take?â⬠Martha asked Pa. ââ¬Å"Maybe half a day,â⬠he answered. Captain Jonah rode up. ââ¬Å"Tough luck,â⬠he said. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢re less than a day away from the crest. Then itââ¬â¢s easy going. Tell you what weââ¬â¢ll do. Iââ¬â¢ll camp an hour early tonight and start out an hour later tomorrow. Thatââ¬â¢ll give you time to catch up.â⬠Pa thanked the captain. Then he rode off and left them to tend the broken wheel. Martha was scared seeing all the wagons go, and being left behind. By the time Pa fixed the wheel, it was dark. ââ¬Å"Hurry! Weââ¬â¢ve got miles to make up,â⬠he said. And he pushed the oxen as fast as he dared. ââ¬Å"Pray for a bright moon,â⬠said Pa. ââ¬Å"Driving by night is the only way weââ¬â¢re going to catch up.â⬠But low hanging clouds blocked out the moon and the stars. It started to rain. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢ll have to stop,â⬠said Pa. ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s foolhardy to go on.â⬠ââ¬Å"Might as well try to get some sleep,â⬠Ma said. Martha then realized it stopped raining. A bright patch of moonlight cut through the back of the wagon. ââ¬Å"The moons out! Itââ¬â¢s so bright you can see everything! Pa! Pa! Martha called. Wake up! The rainââ¬â¢s stopped. We can get moving!â⬠Pa jumped up ââ¬Å"By golly, our luckââ¬â¢s changed. Weââ¬â¢ll catch up now!â⬠he cried. Day was breaking when we saw the wagon train camp on the crest of the mountains. When we pulled into camp, Lauren ran to meet their wagon. ââ¬Å"I knew youââ¬â¢d make it!â⬠she shouted. Iââ¬â¢ve got breakfast ready. As they had breakfast the sun suddenly popped out, round and red and beautiful. Captain Jonahââ¬â¢s big voice boomed, ââ¬Å"Look, folks. There it is. Thatââ¬â¢s Oregon down there!â⬠From there high perch you could see miles of wild, beautiful valleys stretching before them. For a moment no one said anything. Then Martha let out a yell and turned a cartwheel. Pa put his arm around Ma. ââ¬Å"Now, this looks like our Journey to the New World.â⬠How to cite Our Journey to the New World, Papers
Friday, December 6, 2019
Touch N Go free essay sample
Acknowledgement Before starting my assignment , I would like to thank my teacher , for all his prolific methods of teaching which help me get a better insight of the subject. I would also like to thank Mr. Joseph for his calming influence and his kind words of wisdom due to which I completed my assignment with great ease. I would also be greatful to my parents and friends with whom I have gone through different experiences which I will share below. Touch n Go Company Touch n Go is a cashless payment method, developed for convenience of customers as you donââ¬â¢t have to carry a lot of cash with you. It is like an electronic purse that can be used at all highways, selected parking areas, shopping centres , LRTââ¬â¢s , KTMââ¬â¢s and Monorailââ¬â¢s in Malaysia. The card uses Contactless Smartcard Technology,which is pre-loaded with electronic cash , which can be reloaded at toll plazas, train stations , automated teller machines(ATMââ¬â¢s), cash deposit machines , petrol kiosks and at authorised third party outlets, ranging from RM20 to RM500. Touch n Go acts as a catalyst, enhancing the speed of paying for lower denomination value but having higher frequency transactions. It is highly convenient as there is no longer any need to stand in long lanes for any transactions. Looking into the invention of Touch n Go card, we can look back into its timeline given below: Touch n Go was the mastermind of Teras Teknologi Sdn Bhd and owner by Rangkaian Segar Sdn Bhd. The 1st TnG system was put installed on Jalan Pahang Toll plaza on 18 march 1997 and was immediately extended to Jalan Cheras and East West link Toll plaza on 15th April 1997. By 15th November 1998, TnG system was fully implemented throughout 848 km north-south expressway of Malaysia, making it one of the worldââ¬â¢s longest single stretch of expressway electronic toll payment system. The official launch was done at Sungai Dua toll plaza and was officiated by the chairman of Rangkaian Segar Sdn Bhd, Datuk Dr. Ramli Mohammad. The different categories of TnG cards that have been made for the convenience of its customers are: 1. Prepaid Standard Card- A standard card available for adult fares for CTS, Local Railway Modes and Standard class Vehicles having 2 axles with 3 or 4 wheels. . Post-paid Cards: a. Fleet Xs Card- Its main purpose is paying for toll. Details like Company Name, Vehicle registration Number and Vehicle Class are printed on the card having advantages like easy reloading, vehicle flexibility, cashless efficiency etc. b. Biz Xs Card- It is a post paid card for Corporate Users, combined with different offers and packages for the high end business and corporate companies. It has advantages like cashless parking facilities, hassle free reloading, online monitoring efficiency etc. . Auto Reload card: c. Zing Card- TnG Zing is a companion card (has the working as a standard card), but is linked to Visa,MaterCard and American Express Card issued by the participating banks in Malaysia . the moment balance falls below RM 50 , an auto trigger reload of RM 100 is done in the card which will be charged into the credit card plus RM 2 as auto reload fee each time reload is done. Zing Card is currently offered by following banks: 1. May bank 2. Hong Leong Bank 3. Eon Bank 4. Affin Bank 5. MBF bank 6. AEON Credit Service The 5 components of Information Processing System that can best describe the operations of Touch n Go are discussed as follows: 1. Input: Input is the term denoting ââ¬Å"Either an entrance or changes which are inserted into an system, thereby activating/modifying a process. â⬠The Inputs made when processing a request for a touch n go card are: a. Personal Information: All personal details of the TnG card holder required to keep in touch with person are entered in system for future dealings. b. Card Category: The kind of card chosen by the TnG holder and card ID are inserted into their personal records to keep a record of the places and time the card has been used. c. Credit/Debit Amount: The amount, as per the category of card i. e. Pre paid or Post Paid is credited or debited into the account for it to be used for the various purposes it can be used for. 2. Process: a. Expressway/Highway Toll plazas: A touch n go card works actively as well as passively. An Active touch and go card is used as car users ââ¬Å"touch inâ⬠before entering the expressways at respective toll plazas and ââ¬Å"touch outâ⬠at exit toll plaza. The toll fares are charged on the basis of distance between entry and exit toll plazas. Card users should ensure that the card should have more than RM 2 before ââ¬Å"Touch inâ⬠, otherwise the system will not function. If , for instance card balance is less than amount of toll fare , the exit payment balance after deducted card balance should be paid by cash at ââ¬Å"LORONG TUNAI LANESâ⬠. Some of the highways that use this system are: 1. North-South Expressway(PLUS) 2. North-South Expressway Central Link(ELITE) 3. East coast expressway . Senai Desaru expressway n many more.. A Passive Touch n Go used is in the form of ââ¬Å"SMART TAG. â⬠SMART TAG or TAG on board on unit is an extension of Touch n Go which allows its users to insert the card into a reader device already installed in the car for a fully automatic and hassle free payment at toll plazas. As the Smart Tag gets in the range of the radio frequency of the toll plaza , a process starts where the amount is a utomatically deducted from the card without even having the need to stop the car. The toll fare is deducted and the balance amount is automatically displayed on the toll counter, making the whole procedure a smooth process. b. Public Transportation: A Touch n Go card is used as an integrated ticket in the Public Transportation in Kuala Lumpur. As of now, 2 companies have integrated this technology into their system: RAPID: Rapid KL Rail Rapid KL Bus KTM Komuter KL Monorail c. Parking system: With the passing of time and more and more people now aware of this technology, Touch n Go system has now been installed into many Parking systems. This in turn reduces the possibility of human error, making the process of money collection more efficient and seamless as while entering and exiting, with the use of TnG card, amount will be deducted automatically as per the number of hours the vehicle has been parked for. Touch n Go Parking Kiosk 3. Output: Output is the term denoting ââ¬Å"Either an exit or changes which exit a system, thereby activating or modifying a process. â⬠Regarding the Touch n Go system, the information used to decide the outcome will be relying on the usage of the TnG card. The information required can be different for different cases: a. Expressway Toll Plazas: Here, the distance between the starting and ending toll plaza decides the amount that has to be deducted from the Card and after deducting the amount, the balance left in the card is displayed on the small screen at the toll plaza lane. b. Public Transport: For the public transport, the information required for knowing the output i. e. the balance is the distance of the final destination from the source. c. Parking Lots: The number of hours for which a car is parked at a parking lot helps in deciding the amount that needs to be charged, which can be known as the user ââ¬Å"touches inâ⬠while entering a parking lot and while ââ¬Å"touching outâ⬠the duration can be automatically found out and hence deducting that amount from the userââ¬â¢s TnG card. 4. Storage : Storage is an important area as it a place where one can cross check any dealings,data or records incase of any issues, mismanagement etc. As far as Touch n Go system is concerned, all the dataââ¬â¢s and information that are stored are: a. Personal details of all the TnG card holders. b. Kind of card being used by the card holders. c. Amount of reload being done and the place from where it is being done to keep a check if it is from an authorised place. d. All the transactions i. e. the place where the card is being used, amount used and balance left etc. In case of the card being lost, it can be easier to track back the card with help of these details. All the transactions regarding amount being used, reloading, updating the balance etc. Is done at CCHS i. e. Central Clearing House System. All the data is kept in the database centre of the company which is not disclosed for the benefit of its users. 5. Communication: A communication system is a way to commute information/data from one place to the other with / without being in contact between the 2 things. In Touch n Go system, there are 2 ways of Communication: 1. Active Communication 2. Passive Communication Active Communication: In active communication for TnG card, a physical contact is made by the card to the system installed on the toll plazas, where the userââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"touch inâ⬠and ââ¬Å"touch outâ⬠, Public transport, parking places etc.
Friday, November 29, 2019
Discuss how the poets convey the theme of loss and death Essay Example
Discuss how the poets convey the theme of loss and death Essay The theme of death is commonly used in the world of literature; it exists as one of the defying elements in the writing of poetry. Maybe because at some point in our lives, we must all face the dreaded idea of death. The poems Piano by the Victorian poet D.H Lawrence, Refugee Mother And Child by the Nigerian poet Chinua Achebe, Funeral Blues by the English poet W.H Auden, A Case of Murder by the illustrious Vernon Scannell, Remember by the romantic Christina Rossetti and On My first Sonne by the English Renaissance poet Ben Jonson, use a selection of poetic techniques in order to convey a broad variety of emotions surrounding the main theme of death.Through the use of direct words with negative connotation, Auden conveys the theme of death, whilst creating a dark, mournful time in the poem, Funeral Blues. The mood of Funeral Blues can come across as quite angry and frustrating, and I find that this anger and frustration towards the world increases, as Auden skillfully uses stronger w ords with negative connotation towards the end of the poem, ââ¬Ëthe stars are not wanted now: put out every one/ Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun/ Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.ââ¬â¢ These words are of rejection, waste and redundancy. I find that this line not only highlights the frustrated emotions of the narrator, but additionally, through the use of direct words with negative connotation incorporated with nature, suggests that the narrator wants the whole world to stop dead, and mourn his loved oneââ¬â¢s death.Moreover, the elegy Funeral Blues explores and expresses the frustration and sorrow of a lover, who is trying to cope with the death of his loved one. Through the use of imperatives, the poetââ¬â¢s intentions are made very clear as the poem commences, ââ¬ËStop all the clocks, cut off the telephone/prevent the dog from barking with a juicy boneââ¬â¢. This beginning line suggests that the narrator is trying to keep his composure and gain co ntrol, as this will give him a sense of security and reassurance to cope with the death of his loved one. Auden cleverly uses onomatopoeia to highlight our everyday lives, for example, the ticking of the ââ¬Ëclocksââ¬â¢, the ringing of the ââ¬Ëtelephonesââ¬â¢, the barking from the dog and the steady rhythm of the ââ¬Ëdrumââ¬â¢. These are all sounds that we hear in everyday life, and I feel that the narrator has a huge urge to stop it all, and be left with nothing but silence. I understand that the narrator is longing for silence, in respect for the dead, and also that he feels there is no meaning in the world moving on.I understand that when Auden uses direct words with negative connotation, ââ¬Ëstopââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëcut offââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ësilenceââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëcoffinââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëmournersââ¬â¢, he is emphasising the theme of death throughout the poem. Similarly, in A Case of Murder, Scannell also uses direct words with strong negative connotation to con vey the theme of death, ââ¬Ëaloneââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëhot bloodââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëmadââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëfurry darkââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ësnarl of a grinââ¬â¢ ââ¬Ëcracked like a nutââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëdumpedââ¬â¢.Additionally, the poet employs a regular rhyme scheme in Funeral Blues, as Auden intentionally starts the poem with an AABA rhyme scheme in the first stanza, which soon becomes a regular AABB in the second stanza. The use of rhyming couplets also gives the poem a sense of evenness and a steady, somewhat fast, rhythm and tempo to the poem, which works with the steady beat of the ââ¬Ëmuffled drumââ¬â¢ set by Auden. I find that the fast rhythm and tempo of the poem works well with the narratorââ¬â¢s frustrated emotions that seem to pour out one after the other.Moreover, Auden stresses the narratorââ¬â¢s grief and frustration in the last line of the poem, ââ¬ËFor nothing now can ever come to any goodââ¬â¢. Auden contrasts ââ¬Ënothingââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëgoodââ¬â ¢ to emphasise that nothing is important anymore. This makes me feel sorrow towards the narrator, as he feels that nothing worthwhile can ever be fulfilled. Through the use of direct language with strong negative connotation, incorporated with nature, Auden successfully conveys the frustrating emotions of the narrator, in the theme of loss and death.In contrast to Funeral Blues, On My First Sonne, shows the grief and emotionally difficult situation in which a father loses his favourite son. Even though both poems deal with death and the loss of a loved one, On My First Sonne, pours out a stream of emotions and sorrow in a much more careful and indirect way, which reflects upon the renaissance period, in which On My First Sonne was written in. This poem is about the reflection of a fatherââ¬â¢s pain in his favourite sonââ¬â¢sââ¬Ëthou child of my right handââ¬â¢death. He feels that god has taken his son away as a punishment, as his ââ¬Ësinne was too much hope of theeâ â¬â¢, meaning he was too proud of his son, and expected high expectations of him.The father, Ben Jonson himself, speaks about how his son was the best thing he ever created, ââ¬ËBen Jonson his best piece of poetrieââ¬â¢, and this reveals just how close and loving their relationship was. I find their relationship very similar to the relationship of the mother and son in the poem Refugee Mother and Child by Chinua Achebe. I find the starting line of the poem; ââ¬ËNo Madonna and Child could touch/Her tenderness for a sonââ¬â¢ expresses the close bond of the Mother and her son, for their love for one another is even greater than that of Madonna and Child.Furthermore, Achebe uses a lack of verbs to portray how tired the mother must be feeling, ââ¬Ëwaddling in labored stepsââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëdried-up bottoms waddlingââ¬â¢. The use of sensory appeal and powerful imagery emphasise the theme of death all around the camp, ââ¬Ëthe air was heavy with odors of diarrhea/of unwashed children with washed-out ribsââ¬â¢. Just by reading this line, I can already imagine what death must smell like and how unhealthy and starved these young children must be. Achebe uses many words to symbolise the theme of death, ââ¬Ëstrugglingââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëskullââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëgraveââ¬â¢. This, in result, foreshadows that the mother will lose her son at some point of the poem, and that he cannot escape death. The last line of the poem, ââ¬Ëlike putting flowers on a tiny graveââ¬â¢ has the most impact for me.The word ââ¬Ëflowersââ¬â¢ shows respect for the loss of a loved one and ââ¬Ëgraveââ¬â¢ stresses the sorrowful and lonesome idea of death. The word ââ¬Ëtinyââ¬â¢ emphasises just how young the son must be, and this makes me feel sorrow for both the mother and her son, as her son has not yet experienced and fulfilled life entirely, and that he is too young to cope with the frightening idea of death. I can understand his motherââ¬â¢ s grief, as she will never have the chance to watch him grow up, and make a life of his own. Instead, she is left to cope with, not only the harsh conditions in the refugee camp, but also the loss of her beloved son.On My First Sonne is in pure iambic pentameter, as is Rossettiââ¬â¢s Remember. Both narratorsââ¬â¢ are dealing with death and loss, and the iambic pentameter brings a sense of calmness and evenness throughout the poem. Both narrators have similar purposes, as they are both trying to comfort themselves with the idea of never seeing their loved ones again, as well as comforting their loved ones. The narrator in Remember attempts to give her loved one a sense of comfort and security, while she has ââ¬Ëgone faraway into the silent landââ¬â¢. ââ¬ËSilent landââ¬â¢ is less harsh than the idea of death and afterlife, and I think that Rossetti successfully achieves to make the idea of death seem rather calming.The narrator in On My First Sonne shows that the lov e for his son is caring and tender, ââ¬Ërest in soft peaceââ¬â¢. Jonson uses words with positive connotation in this phrase, and the words, ââ¬Ërestââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ësoftââ¬â¢ bring a peaceful and calm image to my mind. When Jonson adds, ââ¬Ësoftââ¬â¢, which emphasises how much he cares for his son, and how much he longs for his son to be happy during his ââ¬Ëafterlifeââ¬â¢. Jonson conveys the theme of death with the idea of resting in ââ¬Ësoft peaceââ¬â¢, as it makes the idea of death seem less frightening and more reassuring.Similarly, the poem Piano by D.H Lawrence also uses indirect words with positive connotation to convey the themes of loss and death. Even though the narrator does not have someone to comfort him, like the loved ones in Remember and On My First Sonne, the narrator reassures himself by remembering happy, and comforting memories of when he was a young boy with his mother, ââ¬Ëhymns in the cozy parlor, the tinkling piano in our g uideââ¬â¢ and, ââ¬Ëpressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she singsââ¬â¢. The line that has the most impact on me in the poem is, ââ¬ËDown in the flood of remembranceââ¬â¢.This line has such powerful imagery, and I can almost feel the rush of emotions pouring out of the narrator, and see the flood of tears that have overcome him. The word, ââ¬Ëremembranceââ¬â¢ is powerful, as it not only conveys the narratorââ¬â¢s struggle of emotions as he copes with the loss of his mother, but also conveys the theme of death, as his mother can no longer be by his side, and he is only left with memories of his mother.In conclusion, all six poems use a broad variety of poetic techniques in order to explore and convey the main themes of both loss and death. Funeral Blues by W. H Auden was the most dramatic and direct poem, as Auden not only used a range of words with negative connotation, but he also explored effective techniques such as, imperatives and ono matopoeia. Auden stresses the frustrating emotions that almost everyone would feel, if they ever experienced the loss of a loved one. Refugee Mother and Child by Chinua Achebe is a beautiful poem that expresses the unconditional love that a mother has for her son. Achebe successfully used powerful imagery throughout the poem, which made it even more sickening and sad. On My First Sonne by Ben Jonson was very similar to Refugee Mother and Child as both narrators had to cope with the loss of their children.Jonson conveyed the themes of loss and death much more carefully and delicately than the other two poems. Even though there were only a few words with positive connotation, Jonson still managed to create a reassuring, calming and comforting tone through the steady tempo of the iambic pentameter. I feel that the poem, which best represented both themes of death and loss, was Refugee Mother and Child due to Achebeââ¬â¢s use of powerful imagery and sensory appeal. I could feel a rea l connection with the mother, and I could imagine how tired she must have felt. I was strongly touched by the unconditional love that the mother had for her son, and, despite being tired, her determination to make the last moments of her sonââ¬â¢s life the happiest.
Monday, November 25, 2019
Hiroshima by John Hersey essays
Hiroshima by John Hersey essays In his book, Hiroshima, John Hersey tells the story of six human beings who lived through the greatest single man-made disaster in history the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Brilliant in his straightforward and unambiguous prose, John Hersey explains what these six individuals were doing immediately before and after 8:15 a.m. on that fateful day when the first atomic bomb destroyed Hiroshima. The story in its eloquence weaves a tale of the lives of these six survivors from the time they awoke on that momentous morning until the moment when, with a blinding flash, their lives were irrevocably changed. Hersey's purpose in writing this book is to demonstrate how the dropping of the atomic bomb impacted the lives of its victims in hopes that the horror of this event will never be repeated. Employing everyday language and depicting commonplace occurrences, Hersey enables the reader to experience the daily routines of the people. The author divides each chapter into sections that follow the movements of the six people during specific periods of time that morning. The book begins with their first waking thought, carries the six through the actual bombing of the city, and describes their utter bewilderment as to what had transpired. Hersey goes into minute detail, describing the sounds, the smells, and the sights. Although the citizens of Hiroshima anticipated that their city would be attacked, they did not expect the level of destruction that the atomic bomb produced. Hersey uses quotations from citizens who survived the assault to illustrate the people's inability to comprehend the devastation. Small clues such as the fact that walls had tumbled inward, not outward, the collapse of so many buildings when the people heard no planes, and the fact that not enough bombs h ad fallen to cause such a catastrophe, are but a few of the personal details the book sets forth. ...
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Case study report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2
Case study report - Essay Example One approach is to ensure they understand the cultural, organizational, and national framework to ensure the personnel tasked with the duties of implementing such strategies understands the expectations and the context of the business. Reardonââ¬â¢s Hotels is one of the United Kingdom companies in the hotel industry embracing the concept of MNCs. The hotel has seven branches with itââ¬â¢s headquarter in Bristol. Edward Readson is the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The organization has an up-market accommodation as its strategic market position. The managerial style and the organizational culture is that of a father figure because itââ¬â¢s a family run business (Reardonââ¬â¢s family) but follows a standardization human resource policy. Their primary customer targets are the travelers. Given that, most MNCs have strategies that lure, attract, and retain the best staff, tailoring the reward scheme that is justified to, the position will play a critical role in buildi ng the institution (Marginson et al., 2010; Tony 2010). Therefore, the MNC plays a significant role in influencing change and the possible directions the organization is likely to take to ensure acceptance and profitable entry into various markets across the globe. Therefore, the case of Reardon Hotels is a good example in assessing the roles played by MNC in the context of HRM to ensure integration and differentiation within and between the national and international system of organization. There are several perspectives on literature that assessed the MNC by examining the differentiation and integration. The perspective associated with the fact that most MNCs have had a tendency of retaining their national goals and values (Doremus et al 1998), because they retain a much stronger link between their country of origin and the subsidiaries. However, some researchers have documented converging evidence that aimed
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
What is the relationship between drug use and crime Essay
What is the relationship between drug use and crime - Essay Example Trade in illegal drugs and use of the same substances fosters crime in the society. Increased proliferation and usage of the illegal drugs lead to a proportionate increase in crime in the society as the discussion below portrays. The relationship between drugs and crime is three tiers given the nature of drug use and the trade in drugs. The three types of crime that have a close relationship with drugs use and trade are economic related crimes, use related crime and system related crime (Adint, 1997). Use related crimes are the types of crimes that drug users commit because of the ingestion of the drugs. Drug users are unstable individuals since the drugs affect the functionality of the nervous system. They are likely to behave violently and commit a number of other crimes. System related crimes refer to the crimes that arise from the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs. Economic related crimes, on the other hand, refer to the crimes that drug users commit in their attempt to fund their addictions. Firstly, the use of such drugs is a crime in the country. The drugs cause immense biological and psychological injuries to the populace. The government therefore banned the use of such drugs. In order to ensure that the country is free from such drugs, it formed an arm of law enforcement agency to curb the proliferation of such drugs in the country. The fact that the use of such drugs is a crime makes the linkage between drug use and crime proportional. Additionally, trade in drugs and drug use cause immense social disorder given the fact that both activities are illegal. Drug users are likely to act violently owing to the fact that the drugs impair their judgments. As such, they are likely to initiate various types of aggressive attacks all of which amount to criminal activities in the country (Galizio & Maisto, 1985). Trade in drugs is illegal in the country with the government forming a
Monday, November 18, 2019
Ethels Chocolate Lounges Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 13
Ethels Chocolate Lounges - Assignment Example The product line of gourmet chocolate comes at an expensive price to compete with multinationals in the industry such as Starbucks. Ethelââ¬â¢s Chocolate Lounge relies on limited decision making to influence the clients. Clients that engage in limited decision-making have a low level of involvement and do not engage in searching for alternative products and brands. The search for similar items will base the decision on similar ingredients when items are on sale or a prior experience on some of the item the consumer needed to purchase. Mars Corporation focuses on advantage routine response behavior frequent purchases by consumersââ¬â¢ exhibits routine response behavior. Some of the factors that can motivate the consumers to make a purchase at Ethelââ¬â¢s Chocolate include an advertisement with a desirable destination. A specific culture will move to various styles of chocolates to enjoy the taste-making of Ethelââ¬â¢s Chocolate. Some of the psychological factors that suit the consumers' needs include beliefs, perception, and attitudes. An upscale modern style will match with the popular culture of classy feel. The store has a modern look with an appeal of relaxing ambiance that encourages socialization to extend lounging.
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Design And Build Method Construction Essay
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Design And Build Method Construction Essay While construction contracts serves as a means of pricing construction, they also structure the allocation of risk to the various parties involved. The construction field is a very extensive and unique in each project. In this world most of the projects are managed by contracts. And as a principle to manage the project effectively we should first manage the contracts. The owner has the sole power to decide what type of contract delivery method should be used for a specific facility to be constructed and to set forth the terms in a contractual agreement. A firm has to choose the right delivery method which is project to project base and present its bid offer to the engineer/client during tendering stage to enable it to present competitive price and win the project without compromising the functional and the quality of the project. Choosing the right method to deliver the project will ease the project execution and give flexibility during construction as well as saving money and time for a firm and subsequently the same to the owner. It is important to understand the risks of the contractors associated with different type of delivery methods. In this instant you may ask what the contract delivery methods are and we should choose the right delivery methods. Projects delivery methods. There are three types of project delivery methods. In this section we will concentrate on design and Build because it s the best method for small and medium projects. 1- Tender or design-bid-build method In this type the owner/client will choose engineer to design the whole project and get the Approvals from authorities then floating tender to choose suitable contractor for the Construction under his supervision. In this type of method the client /engineer has full control of the project and the contractor has to comply with full design given by the engineer. Most suitable type of contract for this method is lump sum contract which the price given by the Contractor is fixed and the whole project is already designed and the scope of work is clear and fully detailed. 2-indefinite quantity contract method Under this type of contract there shall be no design and it is based on maintenance or repairing projects. Under this agreement the owner and the contractor will upfront set up prices for the labors and Equipments and markup etc 3- Design and build method. The term design-build refers to a range of alternatives to the traditional project delivery system. A useful way to look at design-build is by what it is not. Traditional design-bid-build is a segmented, sequential process in which the owner first contracts With a design professional to prepare detailed, suitable-for-construction plans and specifications (or Sometimes has them prepared by its in-house engineers), then uses the detailed plans and Specifications to solicit competitive bids for construction, and finally awards the construction Contract to the low bidder. Design-build means a procurement process in which both the design and construction of A project is procured from a single contractor. Usually, the design-build contract is awarded by some process other than competitive bidding Providing the best value (in price, features, functions [and] life-cycle costs) Thus, design-build differs from traditional design-bid-build in two ways. First, the design and construction components are packaged into a single contract. Second, the single contract is not necessarily awarded to the low bidder after competitive bidding I-Why Design-Build? (Advantages) Potential Cost Savings Design-build has the potential to reduce over-all project cost because the design-build contractor performing the design has a better feel for the construction cost of various alternatives, Thus can come up with a design that is less expensive to build and has an incentive to do so. Another way to look at this advantage is that it moves value engineering cost reduction incentive After contract award (with the contractor proposing cost-reduction ideas and sharing the savings with the owner) to pre-award (with the owner enjoying most of the cost savings). B. Earlier Project Completion Design-build may result in earlier completion and occupancy of the project because there is no Dead time between completion of design and start of construction. Further, the design-build Contractor can begin construction of early phases of the project (e.g. mobilization, site utilities, Foundations) before design of later phases (building envelope, interior partitions, HVAC, electrical) Is 100 percent complete? This process sometimes is referred to as fast track. C. Reduced Claims Exposure Design-build eliminates the liability gap. Design professionals can obtain insurance coverage only for negligent errors and omissions, and virtually all design contracts limit the designers liability to such. However, there can be non-negligent errors and omissions, which cost the owner money but for which the design professional is not liable. For example, a design professional may undertake Reasonable subsurface investigations but fail to detect a rock outcropping that will require additional work. In the traditional design-bid-build approach, the owner warrants the correctness of the plans and Specifications to the construction contractor. There can be design mistakes for which the owner is liable to the construction contractor under the Warranty of correctness but cannot transfer the liability on to the design professional. Even when the designer is in fact negligent, proving negligence can be difficult. The owner must obtain a certificate of merit from another design professional and then prove that the designer failed to meet the applicable professional standard of care, which requires expert testimony. On the other hand, the contractor usually can prove there was a defect in the plans that cost the Contractor money based on fact testimony alone. Thus, the owner may have to bear the cost. Design- build eliminates this gap because the design-bid build entity has no one but itself to blame For defective plans and specifications or differing site conditions. D. New Technologies Public Contracts usually prohibits brand-name or model-number specifications unless the Specification lists at least two brand names and is followed by the phrase or equal. This makes it difficult for traditional design-bid-build to reach innovative, proprietary Products where there may be only one brand-name and no equal. Further, substitution of a new or equal product for a standard product often is impracticable Because of the ripple effect. The designer designs the project around current generation Products and substitution of new or equal products after bidding can require revisions to structure, mechanical or electrical components to accommodate the new product. Who is going to pay for these ripple changes? Design-build resolves this problem. The design-build contractor selects the equipment (right down to make and model number) and Then designs the building around the selected equipment, which is a more logical way to proceed. In fact, the design-build contractor can sometimes obtain free design assistance from equipment Manufacturers desiring that their new technologies be used. E. Over-All Project Optimization Design-bid-build can suffer from sub-optimization when individual project participants optimize their own positions, often at the expense of the over-all project. The total cost to the owner of a building element, such as the steel frame, includes the cost of the engineering to determine the required steel sections plus the cost of the steel. The designer has little incentive to use a sharp pencil to achieve the minimum amount of Structural steel; he optimizes his own position by spending only the design time necessary to Ensure that there is enough steel to meet gravity and seismic loads, often by employing Conservative assumptions that may result in more steel than necessary. So, the owner may save money on design but pay for it in steel. With design-build, on the other hand, the design-build entity has an incentive to use the Optimum amount of engineering. As long as an additional dollar of engineering will save more than one dollars worth of steel, the design-build contractor will spend the engineering time up To the point of diminishing returns when an additional dollars worth of engineering saves only a Dollar s worth of steel because both the cost of design and the cost of steel come out of the same pocket. This is not to say that design-build results in flimsy or less-safe structures. More (steel, concrete, etc.) is not necessarily better. Simply specifying extra steel or concrete in one place because the engineer does not have the time or incentive to calculate exactly how much is actually required does not improve the over-all performance of the building. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If the owner wants a building with higher floor Loadings, less floor deflection or resistance to a bigger earthquake than required by code, then The way to achieve this is by placing that requirement on the design-build entity up front not by Hoping that the designer will throw in some extra steel or concrete because he or she does not have time in the budget to use a sharp pencil. F.Reduced Administrative Burden Design-build may reduce the administrative burden on the owner because there is one solicitation, one award and one contract to administer. G. Earlier Cost Visibility The total cost of the project is apparent earlier with design-build. In traditional design-bid-build, Construction costs are not known until bid opening, and it is possible to spend money on a design that the agency cannot afford to build. All too often, construction bids exceed the budget, and the Project must be re-designed to bring it within the budget, thus delaying completion. H. Agency CM with Multi-Prime Contracts One of the advantages of design-build can be achieved by a construction management (CM) to Manage design and over-all project coordination and then contracting directly with several contractors, which are then managed by the CM. Construction project management s services provided by a licensed architect, registered engineer, or licensed general contractor. Under this approach, the early phases of the project (earthwork, site utilities, and foundations) can be placed under contract before design of the building shell and interior is 100 percent complete, and the structural steel and other long lead-time components can be ordered. Then, the contracts for the early phases can be awarded to follow-on contractors. There are two types of construction managers. An agency CM is a consultant to the owner; an agency CM is not in the chain of privity between The owner and the contractor(s) and does not guarantee the cost of the work. An at-risk CM, on the other hand, essentially is a brokering general contractor. The at-risk CM is either in the chain of privity between the owner and the trade contractors or Guarantees that the aggregate price of the contracts will not exceed some maximum figure. Any individual or firm proposing to provide construction project management services shall provide Evidence that the individual or firm and its personnel carrying out onsite responsibilities have Expertise and experience in construction project design review and evaluation, construction Mobilization and supervision, bid evaluation, project scheduling, cost-benefit analysis, claims Review and negotiation, and general management and administration of a construction project. Which type of contract is better for design-build? Most suitable type of contracts is lump sum contract because the owner has essentially assigned all the risks to the contractor, who in turn can be expected to ask for a higher markup in order to take Care of unforeseen contingencies. Beside the fixed lump sum price, other commitments are often made by the contractor in the form of submittals such as a specific schedule, the management reporting system or a quality control Program. If the actual cost of the project is underestimated, the underestimated cost will reduce the Contractor s profit by that amount. An overestimate has an opposite effect, but may reduce the Chance of being a low bidder for the project. The scope of work, the price, the time of performance is already defined. Usually the contractors include allowance for contingencies in their bid price so the price Small and medium projects are most suitable for this kind of project where is the design is easy not Complicated and can be managed by one party. II-disadvantages The potential advantages of design-build do not come without risk. A. Less Control. Under traditional design-bid-build, the owner has full control over the details of the plans and Specifications and does not publish them for bids until it is satisfied that they reflect its Requirements, including functional and aesthetic preferences. With design-build, the owner gives up some of this control. i.e., advancing the level of design through the design development stage (30 percent or so) before award of the design-build contract. Of course, by doing so the owner may give up some of the advantages of design-build. B. Need for Earlier Requirements Definition With design-build, the owner must lock in its requirements much earlier. With traditional design-bid-build, if the owner is a little fuzzy on its functional or aesthetic Requirements, it can clarify them during the design phase after if sees where the designer is heading. But with design-bid-build, post-award programmatic changes can be very expensive and disruptive. C. Recommendation So, if the city (country) rules are not certain what it wants, traditional design-bid-build may be the better alternative. D. Compliance with Subcontractors The Subletting and Subcontracting Fair Practices Act, requires that bidders list their subcontractors with their bids. This can be a problem for a design-build bidder. Without detailed design drawings, the subcontractors cannot precisely estimate costs. But, listing a subcontractor without a firm subcontract price puts the design-build contractor at a disadvantage in subsequently pricing the subcontract work. A listed subcontractor has the prime design-build contractor over the proverbial barrel. This is a manageable problem for a design-build contractor with many of the same type of projects in an Area, as a subcontractor can only get away with gouging the design-build entity once. Parking garages and housing are good examples of where the design-build entities work with a group of subcontractors on a repetitive basis, and subcontractors can estimate their work on a perspace. or.pre-square.foot.basis. Design-build contractor shall search for competitive bids for subcontracts not listed with its prime bid. The problem with this approach is that it depends on specific legislative authorizations that do not apply to the country. Thus, the safest approach may be to require listing of subcontractors at time of bid, even though this may result in either the subcontractors or the prime design-build entity including some contingency and mark-up. E. Payment bonds Generally it is required a payment bond payable by the terms of the contract. However, when the design services and the construction are procured under a single contract, must the payment bond be in the full amount of the design-build contract or only in the amount of the Construction portion? Logically, it would seem that 100 percent of the construction portion would fulfil the intent of the statute.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
An Examination of the Second Meditation of Descartes :: Essays Papers
An Examination of the Second Meditation of Descartes Baird and Kaufmann, the editors of our text, explain in their outline of Descartes' epistemology that the method by which the thinker carried out his philosophical work involved first discovering and being sure of a certainty, and then, from that certainty, reasoning what else it meant one could be sure of. He would admit nothing without being absolutely satisfied on his own (i.e., without being told so by others) that it was incontrovertible truth. This system was unique, according to the editors, in part because Descartes was not afraid to face doubt. Despite the fact that it was precisely doubt of which he was endeavoring to rid himself, he nonetheless allowed it the full reign it deserved and demanded over his intellectual labors. "Although uncertainty and doubt were the enemies," say Baird and Kaufmann (p.16), "Descartes hit upon the idea of using doubt as a tool or as a weapon. . . . He would use doubt as an acid to pour over every 'truth' to see if there was anything that coul d not be dissolved . . . ." This test, they explain, resulted for Descartes in the conclusion that, if he doubted everything in the world there was to doubt, it was still then certain that he was doubting; further, that in order to doubt, he had to exist. His own existence, therefore, was the first truth he could admit to with certainty, and it became the basis for the remainder of his epistemology. In his "Synopsis of the Following Six Meditations," Descartes writes the longest paragraph by far on the Second Meditation. This is hardly surprising, since it is the one most critical to his methodology -- the one without which, his entire system of reasoning would collapse. In the first sentence of it, he presents exactly that conclusion which, as we have just seen, Baird and Kaufmann discussed: "In the Second Meditation," he says (p. 23), "the mind uses its own freedom and supposes the non-existence of all things about whose existence it can have even the slightest doubt; and in so doing the mind notices that it is impossible that it should not itself exist during this time." He goes on to say that this will enable the mind to distinguish itself from the body. At this point he spends a good deal of space speaking of exactly why he will not attempt to prove the immortality of the soul in this section, though perhaps some of his audience might have expected him to.
Monday, November 11, 2019
Deep Water
i i Dedication This report is dedicated to the 11 men who lost their lives on the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20, 2010 and to their families, in hope that this report will help minimize the chance of another such disaster ever happening again. Jason Anderson Aaron Dale Burkeen Donald Clark Stephen Curtis Gordon Jones Roy Wyatt Kemp Karl Dale Kleppinger, Jr. Blair Manuel Dewey Revette Shane Roshto Adam Weise ii Acknowledgements We wish to acknowledge the many individuals and organizations, government officials and agencies alike that offered their views and insights to the Commission.We would especially like to express our gratitude to the Coast Guardââ¬â¢s Incident Specific Preparedness Review (ISPR) for allowing Commission staff to participate in its interviews and discussions, which was invaluable to the preparation of this report. (A copy of the Coast Guardââ¬â¢s ISPR report can be found at the Commissionââ¬â¢s website at www. oilspillcommission. gov). We would also li ke to thank Chevron for performing the cement tests that proved so critical to our investigation into the Macondo well blowout. Related article: Why Nations Fail Chapter 5We also thank the Department of Energy, which served as our supporting agency, and all of the Department employees whose assistance was so essential to the success and functioning of the Commission. In particular, we would like to thank Christopher Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Natural Gas, who acted as the Commissionââ¬â¢s Designated Federal Officer, as well as Elena Melchert, Petroleum Engineer in the Office of Oil and Gas Resource Conservation, who served as the Committee Manager. But most importantly, we are deeply grateful to the citizens of the Gulf who shared their personal xperiences as Commissioners traveled in the region, providing a critical human dimension to the disaster and to our undertaking, as well as the many people who testified at the Commissionââ¬â¢s hearings, provided public comments, and submitted statements to our website. Together, these contributions greatly informed our work and led to a bette r report. Thank you one and all. Copyright, Restrictions, and Permissions Notice Except as noted herein, materials contained in this report are in the public domain.Public domain information may be freely distributed and copied. However, this report contains illustrations, photographs, and other information contributed by or licensed from private individuals, companies, or organizations that may be protected by U. S. and/or foreign copyright laws. Transmission or reproduction of items protected by copyright may require the written permission of the copyright owner. When using material or images from this report we ask that you credit this report, as well as the source of the material as indicated in this report. Permission to use materials copyrighted by other individuals, companies or organizations must be obtained directly from those sources. This report contains links to many Web sites. Once you access another site through a link that we provide, you are subject to the use, copyr ight and licensing restrictions of that site. Neither the Government nor the National Commission on the BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (Commission) endorses any of the organizations or views represented by the linked sites unless expressly stated in the report.The Government and the Commission take no responsibility for, and exercise no control over, the content, accuracy or accessibility of the material contained on the linked sites. Cover Photo: à © Steadfast TV ISBN: 978-0-16-087371-3 iii iii Deep Water The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling Report to the President National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling January 2011 iv Commission Members Bob Graham, Co-Chair William K. Reilly, Co-Chair Frances Beinecke Donald F. Boesch Terry D. Garcia Cherry A. Murray Fran Ulmer v Table of Contents Foreword PART I: The Path to Tragedy Chapter 1 ââ¬Å"Everyone involved with the jobâ⬠¦was completely satisfiedâ⠬ ¦. â⬠The Deepwater Horizon, the Macondo Well, and Sudden Death on the Gulf of Mexico vi xiii 1 21 Chapter 2 ââ¬Å"Each oil well has its own personalityâ⬠The History of Offshore Oil and Gas in the United States Chapter 3 ââ¬Å"It was like pulling teeth. â⬠Oversightââ¬âand Oversightsââ¬âin Regulating Deepwater Energy Exploration and Production in the Gulf of Mexico 55 PART II: Explosion and Aftermath: The Causes and Consequences of the Disaster Chapter 4 But, who cares, itââ¬â¢s done, end of story, [we] will probably be fine and weââ¬â¢ll get a good cement job. â⬠The Macondo Well and the Blowout 87 89 Chapter 5 ââ¬Å"Youââ¬â¢re in it now, up to your neck! â⬠Response and Containment 129 173 197 Chapter 6 ââ¬Å"The worst environmental disaster America has ever faced. â⬠Oiling a Rich Environment: Impacts and Assessment Chapter 7 ââ¬Å"People have plan fatigue . . . theyââ¬â¢ve been planned to deathâ⬠Recovery and Restor ation PART III: Lessons Learned: Industry, Government, Energy Policy Chapter 8 ââ¬Å"Safety is not proprietary. â⬠Changing Business as Usual 215 217Chapter 9 ââ¬Å"Develop options for guarding against, and mitigating the impact of, oil spills associated with offshore drilling. â⬠Investing in Safety, Investing in Response, Investing in the Gulf 249 Chapter 10 American Energy Policy and the Future of Offshore Drilling 293 307 356 358 359 362 365 366 368 Endnotes Appendices Appendix A: Commission Members Appendix B: List of Acronyms Appendix C: Executive Order Appendix D: Commission Staff and Consultants Appendix E: List of Commission Meetings Appendix F: List of Staff Working Papers Index vi Photo: Susan Walsh, Associated PressThe explosion that tore through the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig last April 20, as the rigââ¬â¢s crew completed drilling the exploratory Macondo well deep under the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, began a human, economic, and environmental disas ter. Eleven crew members died, and others were seriously injured, as fire engulfed and ultimately destroyed the rig. And, although the nation would not know the full scope of the disaster for weeks, the first of more than four million barrels of oil began gushing uncontrolled into the Gulfââ¬âthreatening livelihoods, precious habitats, and even a unique way of life.A treasured American landscape, already battered and degraded from years of mismanagement, faced yet another blow as the oil spread and washed ashore. Five years after Hurricane Katrina, the nation was again transfixed, seemingly helpless, as this new tragedy unfolded in the Gulf. The costs from this one industrial accident are not yet fully counted, but it is already clear that the impacts on the regionââ¬â¢s natural systems and people were enormous, and that economic losses total tens of billions of dollars.On May 22, 2010, President Barack Obama announced the creation of the National Commission on the BP Deepwat er Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling: an independent, nonpartisan entity, directed to provide a thorough analysis and impartial judgment. The President charged the Commission to determine the causes of the disaster, and to improve the countryââ¬â¢s ability to respond to spills, and to recommend reforms to make offshore energy production safer. And the President said we were to follow the facts wherever they led. This report is the result of an intense six-month effort to fulfill the Presidentââ¬â¢s charge.Foreword vii vii From the outset, the Commissioners have been determined to learn the essential lessons so expensively revealed in the tragic loss of life at the Deepwater Horizon and the severe damages that ensued. The Commissionââ¬â¢s aim has been to provide the President, policymakers, industry, and the American people a clear, accessible, accurate, and fair account of the largest oil spill in U. S history: the context for the well itself, how the explosion and sp ill happened, and how industry and government scrambled to respond to an unprecedented emergency.This was our first obligation: determine what happened, why it happened, and explain it to Americans everywhere. As a result of our investigation, we conclude: â⬠¢ â⬠¢ The explosive loss of the Macondo well could have been prevented. The immediate causes of the Macondo well blowout can be traced to a series of identifiable mistakes made by BP Halliburton, and Transocean that reveal such , systematic failures in risk management that they place in doubt the safety culture of the entire industry. Deepwater energy exploration and production, particularly at the frontiers of experience, involve risks for which neither industry nor overnment has been adequately prepared, but for which they can and must be prepared in the future. To assure human safety and environmental protection, regulatory oversight of leasing, energy exploration, and production require reforms even beyond those sign ificant reforms already initiated since the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Fundamental reform will be needed in both the structure of those in charge of regulatory oversight and their internal decisionmaking process to ensure their political autonomy, technical expertise, and their full consideration of environmental protection concerns.Because regulatory oversight alone will not be sufficient to ensure adequate safety, the oil and gas industry will need to take its own, unilateral steps to increase dramatically safety throughout the industry, including self-policing mechanisms that supplement governmental enforcement. The technology, laws and regulations, and practices for containing, responding to, and cleaning up spills lag behind the real risks associated with deepwater drilling into large, high-pressure reservoirs of oil and gas located far offshore and thousands of feet below the oceanââ¬â¢s surface.Government must close the existing gap and industry must support rather than r esist that effort. Scientific understanding of environmental conditions in sensitive environments in deep Gulf waters, along the regionââ¬â¢s coastal habitats, and in areas proposed for more drilling, such as the Arctic, is inadequate. The same is true of the human and natural impacts of oil spills. â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ viii We reach these conclusions, and make necessary recommendations, in a constructive spirit: we aim to promote changes that will make American offshore energy exploration and production far safer, today and in the future.More broadly, the disaster in the Gulf undermined public faith in the energy industry, government regulators, and even our own capability as a nation to respond to crises. It is our hope that a thorough and rigorous accounting, along with focused suggestions for reform, can begin the process of restoring confidence. There is much at stake, not only for the people directly affected in the Gulf region, but for the American peopl e at large. The tremendous resources that exist within our outer continental shelf belong to the nation as a whole.The federal governmentââ¬â¢s authority over the shelf is accordingly plenary, based on its power as both the owner of the resources and in its regulatory capacity as sovereign to protect public health, safety, and welfare. To be allowed to drill on the outer continental shelf is a privilege to be earned, not a private right to be exercised. ââ¬Å"Complex Systems Almost Always Fail in Complex Waysâ⬠As the Board that investigated the loss of the Columbia space shuttle noted, ââ¬Å"complex systems almost always fail in complex ways. Though it is tempting to single out one crucial misstep or point the finger at one bad actor as the cause of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, any such explanation provides a dangerously incomplete picture of what happenedââ¬âencouraging the very kind of complacency that led to the accident in the first place. Consistent with the Presidentââ¬â¢s request, this report takes an expansive view. Why was a corporation drilling for oil in mile-deep water 49 miles off the Louisiana coast? To begin, Americans today consume vast amounts of petroleum productsââ¬âsome 18. 7 million barrels per dayââ¬âto fuel our economy.Unlike many other oil-producing countries, the United States relies on private industryââ¬ânot a state-owned or -controlled enterpriseââ¬âto supply oil, natural gas, and indeed all of our energy resources. This basic trait of our private-enterprise system has major implications for how the U. S. government oversees and regulates offshore drilling. It also has advantages in fostering a vigorous and competitive industry, which has led worldwide in advancing the technology of finding and extracting oil and gas. Even as land-based oil production extended as far as the northern Alaska frontier, the oil and gas industry began to move offshore.The industry first moved into shallow water and e ventually into deepwater, where technological advances have opened up vast new reserves of oil and gas in remote areasââ¬âin recent decades, much deeper under the waterââ¬â¢s surface and farther offshore than ever before. The Deepwater Horizon was drilling the Macondo well under 5,000 feet of Gulf water, and then over 13,000 feet under the sea floor to the hydrocarbon reservoir below. It is a complex, even dazzling, enterprise. The remarkable advances that have propelled the move to deepwater drilling merit comparison with exploring outer space.The Commission is respectful and admiring of the industryââ¬â¢s technological capability. ix ix But drilling in deepwater brings new risks, not yet completely addressed by the reviews of where it is safe to drill, what could go wrong, and how to respond if something does go awry. The drilling rigs themselves bristle with potentially dangerous machinery. The deepwater environment is cold, dark, distant, and under high pressuresââ¬â and the oil and gas reservoirs, when found, exist at even higher pressures (thousands of pounds per square inch), compounding the risks if a well gets out of control.The Deepwater Horizon and Macondo well vividly illustrated all of those very real risks. When a failure happens at such depths, regaining control is a formidable engineering challengeââ¬âand the costs of failure, we now know, can be catastrophically high. In the years before the Macondo blowout, neither industry nor government adequately addressed these risks. Investments in safety, containment, and response equipment and practices failed to keep pace with the rapid move into deepwater drilling.Absent major crises, and given the remarkable financial returns available from deepwater reserves, the business culture succumbed to a false sense of security. The Deepwater Horizon disaster exhibits the costs of a culture of complacency. The Commission examined in great detail what went wrong on the rig itself. Our investi gative staff uncovered a wealth of specific information that greatly enhances our understanding of the factors that led to the explosion. The separately published report of the chief counsel (a summary of the findings is presented in Chapter 4) offers the fullest account yet of what happened on the rig and why.There are recurring themes of missed warning signals, failure to share information, and a general lack of appreciation for the risks involved. In the view of the Commission, these findings highlight the importance of organizational culture and a consistent commitment to safety by industry, from the highest management levels on down. * But that complacency affected government as well as industry. The Commission has documented the weaknesses and the inadequacies of the federal regulation and oversight, and made important recommendations for changes in legal authority, regulations, investments in expertise, and management.The Commission also looked at the effectiveness of the res ponse to the spill. There were remarkable instances of dedication and heroism by individuals involved in the rescue and cleanup. Much was done wellââ¬âand thanks to a combination of good luck and hard work, the worst-case scenarios did not all come to pass. But it is impossible to argue that the industry or the country was prepared for a disaster of the magnitude of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Twenty years after the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, the same blunt response technologiesââ¬âbooms, dispersants, and skimmersââ¬âwere used, to limited effect.On-the-ground shortcomings in the joint public-private response to an overwhelming spill like that resulting from the blowout of the Macondo well are now evident, and demand public and private investment. So do the weaknesses in local, state, and federal coordination revealed by the emergency. Both government and industry failed to anticipate and prevent this catastrophe, and failed again to be prepared to respond to it. *The chief counselââ¬â¢s investigation was no doubt complicated by the lack of subpoena power. Nonetheless, Chief Counsel Bartlit did an extraordinary job building the record and interpreting what he learned.He used his considerable powers of persuasion along with other tools at his disposal to engage the involved companies in constructive and informative exchanges. x If we are to make future deepwater drilling safer and more environmentally responsible, we will need to address all these deficiencies together; a piecemeal approach will surely leave us vulnerable to future crises in the communities and natural environments most exposed to offshore energy exploration and production. The Deepwater Drilling Prospect The damage from the spill and the impact on the people of the Gulf has guided our work from the very beginning.Our first action as a Commission was to visit the Gulf region, to learn directly from those most affected. We heard deeply moving accounts from oystermen witness ing multi-generation family businesses slipping away, fishermen and tourism proprietors bearing the brunt of an ill-founded stigma affecting everything related to the Gulf, and oil-rig workers dealing with mounting bills and threatened home foreclosures, their means of support temporarily derailed by a blanket drilling moratorium, shutting down all deepwater drilling rigs, including those not implicated in the BP spill.Indeed, the centrality of oil and gas exploration to the Gulf economy is not widely appreciated by many Americans, who enjoy the benefits of the energy essential to their transportation, but bear none of the direct risks of its production. Within the Gulf region, however, the role of the energy industry is well understood and accepted. The notion of clashing interestsââ¬âof energy extraction versus a natural-resource economy with bountiful fisheries and tourist amenitiesââ¬âmisses the extent to which the energy industry is woven into the fabric of the Gulf cul ture and economy, providing thousands of jobs and essential public revenues.Any discussion of the future of offshore drilling cannot ignore these economic realities. But those benefits have imposed their costs. The bayous and wetlands of Louisiana have for decades suffered from destructive alteration to accommodate oil exploration. The Gulf ecosystem, a unique American asset, is likely to continue silently washing away unless decisive action is taken to start the work of creating a sustainably healthy and productive landscape. No one should be deluded that restoration on the scale required will occur quickly or cheaply.Indeed, the experience in restoring other large, sensitive regionsââ¬âthe Chesapeake Bay, the Everglades, the Great Lakesââ¬âindicates that progress will require coordinated federal and state actions, a dedicated funding source, long-term monitoring, and a vocal and engaged citizenry, supported by robust non-governmental groups, scientific research, and more. We advocate beginning such an effort, seriously and soon, as a suitable response to the damage and disruption caused by the Deepwater Horizon emergency.It is a fair recognition not only of the costs that energy exploitation in the Gulf has, for decades, imposed on the landscape and habitatsââ¬âand the other economic activities they supportââ¬âbut also of the certainty that Americans will continue to develop the regionââ¬â¢s offshore energy resources. For the simple fact is that the bulk of our newly discovered petroleum reserves, and the best prospects for future discoveries, lie not on land, but under water. To date, we have xi xi made the decision as a nation to exploit the Gulf ââ¬â¢s offshore energy resourcesââ¬âruling much of the Florida, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts out of bounds for drilling.The choice of how aggressively to exploit these resources, wherever they may be found, has profound implications for the future of U. S. energy policy, for our need to u nderstand and assure the integrity of fragile environmental resources, and for the way Americans think about our economy and our security. Although much work is being done to improve the fuelefficiency of vehicles and to develop alternative fuels, we cannot realistically walk away from these offshore oil resources in the near future. So we must be much better prepared to exploit such resources with far greater care. The Commission and Its WorkWhile we took a broad view of the spill, it could not be exhaustive. There is still much we do not knowââ¬âfor instance, the blowout preventer, the last line of defense against loss of well control, is still being analyzed; and the Deepwater Horizon itself, after its explosive destruction, remained out of reach during our investigation. The understandable, immediate need to provide answers and concrete suggestions trumped the benefits of a longer, more comprehensive investigation. And as we know from other spills, their environmental conseq uences play out over decadesââ¬âand often in unexpected ways.Instead, the Commission focused on areas we thought most likely to inform practical recommendations. Those recommendations are presented in the spirit of transforming America into the global leader for safe and effective offshore drilling operations. Just as this Commission learned from the experiences of other nations in developing our recommendations, the lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon disaster are not confined to our own government and industry, but relevant to rest of the world. We wish we could say that our recommendations make a recurrence of a disaster like the Macondo blowout impossible. We do not have that power.No one can eliminate all risks associated with deepwater exploration. But when exploration occurs, particularly in sensitive environments like the Gulf of Mexico or the Arctic, the country has an obligation to make responsible decisions regarding the benefits and risks. The report is divide d into three sections. Chapters 1 through 3 describe the events of April 20th on the Deepwater Horizon, and, more important, the events leading up to it in the preceding decadesââ¬âespecially how the dramatic expansion of deepwater drilling in the Gulf was not met by regulatory oversight capable of ensuring the safety of those drilling operations.Chapters 4 through 7 lay out the results of our investigation in detail, highlighting the crucial issues we believe must inform policy going forward: the specific engineering and operating choices made in drilling the Macondo well, the attempts to contain and respond to the oil spill, and the impacts of the spill on the regionââ¬â¢s natural resources, economy, and peopleââ¬âin the context of the progressive degradation of the Mississippi Delta environment. xii Chapters 8 through 10 present our recommendations for reforms in business practices, regulatory oversight, and broader policy concerns.We recognize that the improvements we advocate all come with costs and all will take time to implement. But inaction, as we are deeply aware, runs the risk of real costs, too: in more lost lives, in broad damage to the regional economy and its long-term viability, and in further tens of billions of dollars of avoidable clean-up costs. Indeed, if the clear challenges are not addressed and another disaster happens, the entire offshore energy enterprise is threatenedââ¬âand with it, the nationââ¬â¢s economy and security.We suggest a better option: build from this tragedy in a way that makes the Gulf more resilient, the countryââ¬â¢s energy supplies more secure, our workers safer, and our cherished natural resources better protected. Our Thanks and Dedication We thank President Obama for this opportunity to learn thoroughly about the crisis, and to share our findings with the American public. We deeply appreciate the effort people in the affected Gulf regions made to tell us about their experiences, and the time and preparation witnesses before the Commission dedicated to their presentations.We have come to respect the seriousness with which our fellow Commissioners assumed our joint responsibilities, and their diverse expertise and perspectives that helped make its work thorough and productive. On their behalf, we wish to recognize the extraordinary work the Commissionââ¬â¢s staffââ¬âscientists, lawyers, engineers, policy analysts, and moreââ¬â performed, under demanding deadlines, to make our inquiries broad, deep, and effective; and we especially highlight the leadership contributions of Richard Lazarus, executive director, and Fred Bartlit, chief counsel.Together, they have fulfilled an extraordinary public service. Finally, to the American people, we reiterate that extracting the energy resources to fuel our cars, heat and light our homes, and power our businesses can be a dangerous enterprise. Our national reliance on fossil fuels is likely to continue for some timeââ¬â and all of us reap benefits from the risks taken by the men and women working in energy exploration. We owe it to them to ensure that their working environment is as safe as possible. We dedicate this effort to the 11 of our fellow citizens who lost their lives in the Deepwater Horizon explosion.Bob Graham, Co-Chair William K. Reilly, Co-Chair xiii xiii xiii Part I The Path to Tragedy On April 20, 2010, the 126 workers on the BP Deepwater Horizon were going about the routines of completing an exploratory oil wellââ¬âunaware of impending disaster. What unfolded would have unknown impacts shaped by the Gulf regionââ¬â¢s distinctive cultures, institutions, and geographyââ¬âand by economic forces resulting from the unique coexistence of energy resources, bountiful fisheries and wildlife, and coastal tourism.The oil and gas industry, long lured by Gulf reserves and public incentives, progressively developed and deployed new technologies, at ever-larger scales, in pursuit of va luable energy supplies in increasingly deeper waters farther from the coastline. Regulators, however, failed to keep pace with the industrial expansion and new technologyââ¬âoften because of industryââ¬â¢s resistance to more effective oversight. The result was a serious, and ultimately inexcusable, shortfall in supervision of offshore drilling that played out in the Macondo well blowout and the catastrophic oil spill that followed.Chapters 1 through 3 describe the interplay of private industry and public oversight in the distinctive Gulf deepwater context: the conditions that governed the deployment of the Deepwater Horizon and the drilling of the Macondo well. Chapter One 1 1 Chapter One ââ¬Å"Everyone involved with the job . . . was completely satisfied. . . â⬠The Deepwater Horizon, the Macondo Well, and Sudden Death on the Gulf of Mexico At 5:45 a. m. on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, a Halliburton Company cementing engineer sent an e-mail from the rig Deepwater Horizon, in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast, to his colleague in Houston.He had good news: ââ¬Å"We have completed the job and it went well. â⬠1 Outside in the Gulf, it was still darkââ¬âbeyond the glare of the floodlights on the gargantuan rig, the four decks of which towered above the blue-green water on four huge white columns, all floating on massive pontoons. The oil derrick rose over 20 stories above the top deck. Up on the bridge on the main deck, two officers monitored the satelliteguided dynamic positioning system, controlling thrusters so powerful that they could keep the 33,000-ton Deepwater Horizon centered over a well even in high seas.The rigââ¬â¢s industrial hum and loud mechanical noises punctuated the sea air as a slight breeze blew in off the water. The crew worked on Pride of the Transocean fleet of offshore drilling rigs, Deepwater Horizon rides calmly on station 40 miles off the Louisiana coast. The $560-million-dollar rig, under lease to BP was p utting the finishing touches on the oil companyââ¬â¢s , 18,000-foot-deep Macondo well when it blew out and escaping methane gas exploded. Eleven workers died in the inferno. According to the governmentââ¬â¢s estimates, by the time the well was sealed months later, over 4 million barrels of oil had spilled into the Gulf. lt; Photo courtesy of Transocean 2 National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling the well bore, aiming always to keep the pressure inside the well balancing the force exerted by the surrounding seabed. 2 By the time the Halliburton engineer had arrived at the rig four days earlier to help cement in the two-and-a-half-mile-deep Macondo well, some crew members had dubbed it ââ¬Å"the well from hell. â⬠3 Macondo was not the first well to earn that nickname;4 like many deepwater wells, it had proved complicated and challenging.As they drilled, the engineers had to modify plans in response to their increasing knowledge of the precise features of the geologic formations thousands of feet below. Deepwater drilling is an unavoidably tough, demanding job, requiring tremendous engineering expertise. BP drilling engineer Brian Morel, who had designed the Macondo well with other BP engineers including Mark Hafle, was also on board to observe the final stages of work at the well. 5 In an April 14 e-mail, Morel had lamented to his colleagues, ââ¬Å"this has been [a] nightmare well which has everyone all over the place. 6 BP and its corporate partners on the well, Anadarko Petroleum and MOEX USA, had, according to government reports, budgeted $96. 2 million and 51 days of work to drill the Macondo well in Mississippi Canyon Block 252. 7 They discovered a large reservoir of oil and gas, but drilling had been challenging. As of April 20, BP and the Macondo well were almost six weeks behind schedule and more than $58 million over budget. 8 The Deepwater Horizon was not originally meant to drill Macondo. Another gian t rig, the Marianas, had initiated work on the well the previous October. Drilling had reached more than 9,000 feet below the ocean surface (4,000 feet below the seabed), with another 9,000 feet to go to ââ¬Å"pay zoneâ⬠(the oil and gas reservoir), when Hurricane Ida so battered the rig on November 9 that it had to be towed in for repair. Both Marianas and Deepwater Horizon were semisubmersible rigs owned by Transocean, founded in Louisiana in 1919 as Danciger Oil & Refining Co. and now the worldââ¬â¢s largest contractor of offshore drilling rigs. 10 In 2009, Transoceanââ¬â¢s global fleet produced revenues of $11. 6 billion. 1 Transocean had consolidated its dominant position in the industry in November 2007 by merging with rival GlobalSantaFe. 12 Deepwater Horizon, built for $350 million,13 was seen as the outstanding rig in Transoceanââ¬â¢s fleet; leasing its services reportedly cost as much as $1 million per day. Since Deepwater Horizonââ¬â¢s 2001 maiden voyage to the Gulf, it had been under contract to London-based BP (formerly known as British Petroleum). By 2010, after numerous acquisitions, BP had become the worldââ¬â¢s fourth-largest corporation (based on revenue)14 producing more than 4 million barrels of oil daily from 30 countries. Ten percent of BPââ¬â¢s output came from the Gulf of Mexico, where BP America (headquartered in Houston) was the largest producer. But BP had a tarnished reputation for safety. Among other BP accidents, 15 workers died in a 2005 explosion at its Texas City, Texas, refinery; in 2006, there was a major oil spill from a badly corroded BP pipeline in Alaska. * *A barrel equals 42 gallons. * * * Chapter One 3 3 Deepwater Horizon had arrived at the Macondo lease site on January 31, at 2:15 p. m. It was 55 degrees, chilly and clearââ¬âthe night of a full moon.About 126 people were aboard: approximately 80 Transocean employees, a few BP men, cafeteria and laundry workers, and a changing group of worke rs contracted for specialized jobs. Depending on the status of the well, these might include Halliburton cementers, mud loggers from Sperry Sun (a Halliburton subsidiary), mud engineers from M-I SWACO (a subsidiary of Schlumberger, an international oilfield services provider), remotely operated vehicle technicians from Oceaneering, or tank cleaners and technicians from the OCS Group. The offices and living quarters were on the two bottom decks of the rig.Helicopters flew in and out regularly with workers and supplies, landing on the top-deck helipad, and service ships made regular visits. At its new Macondo assignment, Deepwater Horizon floated in 4,992 feet of water just beyond the gentle slope of the continental shelf in the Mississippi Canyon. 15 The seabed far below was near-freezing, visible to the crew only via cameras mounted on the rigââ¬â¢s subsea remotely operated vehicle. Another two and a half miles below the seabed was the prize BP sought: a large reservoir of oil an d gas from the Middle Miocene era trapped in a porous rock formation at temperatures exceeding 200 degrees. 6 These deepwater hydrocarbon fields, buried far below the seabedââ¬ânot just in the Gulf, but in other oil-rich zones around the world, tooââ¬âwere the brave new oil frontier. The size of some deepwater fields was so huge that the oil industry had nicknamed those with a billion barrels or more ââ¬Å"elephants. â⬠17 Drilling for oil had always been hard, dirty, dangerous work, combining heavy machinery and volatile hydrocarbons extracted at high pressures. Since 2001, the Gulf of Mexico workforceââ¬â35,000 people, working on 90 big drilling rigs and 3,500 production platformsââ¬âhad suffered 1,550 injuries, 60 deaths, and 948 fires and explosions. 8 The rig never slept. Most workers on Deepwater Horizon, from BPââ¬â¢s top ââ¬Å"company manâ⬠down to the roustabouts, put in a 12-hour night or day shift, working three straight weeks on and then hav ing three weeks off. Rig workers made good money for the dangerous work and long stints away from home and family. Top rig and management jobs paid well into six figures. On the morning of April 20, Robert Kaluza was BPââ¬â¢s day-shift company man on the Deepwater Horizon. On board for the first time, he was serving for four days as a relief man for Ronald Sepulvado, a veteran well-site leader on the rig.Sepulvado had flown back to shore April 16 for a required well-control class. 19 During the rigââ¬â¢s daily 7:30 a. m. operations conference call to BP in Houston, engineer Morel discussed the good news that the final cement job at the bottom of the Macondo well had gone fine. 20 To ensure the job did not have problems, a three-man Schlumberger team was scheduled to fly out to the rig later that day, able to perform a suite of tests to examine the wellââ¬â¢s new bottom cement seal. 21 4 National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore DrillingAccording to the BP teamââ¬â¢s plan, if the cementing went smoothly, as it had, they could skip Schlumbergerââ¬â¢s cement evaluation. Generally, the completion rig would perform this test when it reopened the well to produce the oil the exploratory drilling had discovered. The decision was made to send the Schlumberger team home on the 11:00 a. m. helicopter, thus saving time and the $128,000 fee. As BP Wells Team Leader John Guide noted, ââ¬Å"Everyone involved with the job on the rig site was completely satisfied with the [cementing] job. 22 At 8:52 a. m. , Morel e-mailed the Houston office to reiterate: ââ¬Å"Just wanted to let everyone know the cement job went well. Pressures stayed low, but we had full returns on the entire jobâ⬠¦We should be coming out of the hole [well] shortly. â⬠At 10:14 a. m. , David Sims, BPââ¬â¢s new drilling operations manager in charge of Macondo, e-mailed to say, ââ¬Å"Great job guys! â⬠* * * * The rest of the day would be devoted t o a series of further tests on the wellââ¬âpositiveand negative-pressure testsââ¬âin preparation for ââ¬Å"temporary abandonment. * During the positive-pressure test, the drill crew would increase the pressure inside the steel casing and seal assembly to be sure they were intact. The negative-pressure test, by contrast, would reduce the pressure inside the well in order to simulate its state after the Deepwater Horizon had packed up and moved on. If pressure increased inside the well during the negative-pressure test, or if fluids flowed up from the well, that would indicate a well integrity problemââ¬âa leak of fluids into the well.Such a leak would be a worrisome sign that somewhere the casing and cement had been breachedââ¬âin which case remedial work would be needed to reestablish the wellââ¬â¢s integrity. At 10:43 a. m. , Morel, about to leave the rig on the helicopter with the Schlumberger team, sent a short e-mail laying out his plan for conducting the day ââ¬â¢s tests of the wellââ¬â¢s integrity and subsequent temporary abandonment procedures. Few had seen the planââ¬â¢s details when the rig supervisors and members of the drill team gathered for the rigââ¬â¢s daily 11:00 a. m. pre-tour meeting in the cinema room. Basically [we] go over whatââ¬â¢s going to be taking place for today on the rig and the drill floor,â⬠said Douglas Brown, chief mechanic. 23 During the rig meeting, the crew on the drill floor was conducting the Macondo wellââ¬â¢s positive-pressure test. 24 The positive-pressure test on the casing was reassuring, a success. 25 There was reason for the mood on the rig to be upbeat. Ross Skidmore, a subsea engineer explained, ââ¬Å"When you run the last string of casing, and youââ¬â¢ve got it cemented, itââ¬â¢s landed out, and a test was done on it, you say, ââ¬ËThis job, weââ¬â¢re at the end of it, weââ¬â¢re going to be okay. â⬠26 At noon, the drill crew began to run drill pipe int o the well in preparation for the negativepressure test later that evening. 27 By now, it was a sunny afternoon. Transoceanââ¬â¢s top men on the rig, Jimmy Harrell and Captain Curt Kuchta, were standing together near the helipad, watching a helicopter gently land. Kuchta had come in from New Orleans just * Temporary abandonment describes the process, after successful exploration, for securing the well until the production platform can be brought in for the purpose of extracting the oil and gas from the reservoir. Chapter One 5 5 that morning to begin his three-week hitch.Harrell was the top Transocean man on the rig whenââ¬âas nowââ¬âthe well was ââ¬Å"latched up. â⬠Captain Kuchta, who had served on the Deepwater Horizon since June 2008, was in command when the vessel was ââ¬Å"unlatchedâ⬠and thus once again a maritime vessel. 28 The helicopter landed, the doors opened, and four Houston executives stepped out to begin their 24-hour ââ¬Å"management visibili ty tour. â⬠29 Harrell and Kuchta greeted the VIPs. 30 Two were from Transocean: Buddy Trahan, vice president and operations manager for assets, and Daun Winslow, a one-time assistant driller who had worked his way up to operations manager.BPââ¬â¢s representatives were David Sims, the new drilling operations manager (he had sent the congratulatory e-mail about the cement just that morning), and Pat Oââ¬â¢Bryan, vice-president for drilling and completions, Gulf of Mexico Deepwater. 31 At about 4:00 p. m. , Harrell began his escorted tour of the Deepwater Horizon for the VIPs. 32 He was joined by Chief Engineer Steve Bertone, on board since 2003, and senior toolpusher Randy Ezell, another top man on the rig. 33 Like Harrell, Ezell was an offshore veteran. He had worked for 23 years with Transocean34 and was now the senior man in charge of the drilling floor.He had been on the rig for years. If any people knew this rig, they were Harrell, Bertone, and Ezell; they showed the V IPs around. At 5:00 p. m. , the rig crew, including toolpusher Wyman Wheeler, began the negativepressure test. 35 After bleeding pressure from the well, the crew would close it off to check whether the pressure within the drill pipe would remain steady. But the pressure repeatedly built back up. As the crew conducted the test, the drill shack grew crowded. 36 The night crew began arriving to relieve the day shift, and Harrell brought the VIPs through as part of their tour. 7 ââ¬Å"There was quite a few people in there,â⬠said Transoceanââ¬â¢s Winslow. ââ¬Å"I tapped Dewey Revette on the shoulder. He was the driller master. I said, ââ¬ËHey, howââ¬â¢s it going, Dewey? You got everything under control here? ââ¬â¢ ââ¬Å"And he said, ââ¬ËYes, sir. ââ¬â¢ ââ¬Å"And there seemed to be a discussion going on about some pressure or a negative test. And I said to Jimmy [Harrell] and Randy Ezell, ââ¬ËLooks like theyââ¬â¢re having a discussion here. Maybe you coul d give them some assistance. ââ¬â¢ And they happily agreed to that. â⬠38 Bertone took over the tour, wandering on to look at the moon pool, down toward the pontoons and the thrusters. 9 The two shifts continued to discuss how to proceed. It was about 6:00 p. m. Jason Anderson, a tool pusher, turned to Ezell and said, ââ¬Å"Why donââ¬â¢t you go eat? â⬠40 Ezell had originally planned to attend a meeting with the VIPs at 7:00 p. m. He replied, ââ¬Å"I can go eat and come back. â⬠41 6 National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling Anderson was from Bay City, Texas, and had been on the rig since it was built; he was highly respected as a man who understood the finer points of deepwater well control.This was his final shift on the Deepwater Horizon: he had been promoted to teaching in Transoceanââ¬â¢s well-control school, and he was scheduled to fly out the next day. He told Ezell, ââ¬Å"Man, you ainââ¬â¢t got to do that. Iâ⠬â¢ve got this. Donââ¬â¢t worry about it. If I have any problems at all with this test Iââ¬â¢ll give you a call. â⬠42 ââ¬Å"I knew Jason well,â⬠said Ezell, ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ve worked with him for all those years, eight or nine yearsâ⬠¦. He was just like a brother. So I had no doubt that if he had any indication of any problem or difficulty at all he would have called me. So I went ahead and ate. I did attend the meeting with the dignitaries. 43 Wheeler was ââ¬Å"convinced that something wasnââ¬â¢t right,â⬠recalled Christopher Pleasant, a subsea supervisor. Wheeler couldnââ¬â¢t believe the explanations he was hearing. But his shift was up. 44 Don Vidrine, the company man coming on the evening shift, eventually said that another negative test had to be done. 45 This time the crew members were able to get the pressure down to zero on a different pipe, the ââ¬Å"kill line,â⬠but still not for the drill pipe, which continued to show elevated pres sure. 46 According to BP witnesses, Anderson said he had seen this before and explained away the anomalous reading as the ââ¬Å"bladder effect. 47 Whether for this reason or another, the men in the shack determined that no flow from the open kill line equaled a successful negative-pressure test. 48* It was time to get on with the rest of the temporary abandonment process. Kaluza, his shift over, headed off duty. 49 At 7:00 p. m. , after dinner, the VIPs had gathered in the third floor conference room with the rigââ¬â¢s leadership. According to BPââ¬â¢s Patrick Oââ¬â¢Bryan, the Deepwater Horizon was ââ¬Å"the best performing rig that we had in our fleet and in the Gulf of Mexico.And I believe it was one of the top performing rigs in all the BP floater fleets from the standpoint of safety and drilling performance. â⬠Oââ¬â¢Bryan, at his new job just four months, was on board in part to learn what made the rig such a stand-out. 50 Despite all the crewââ¬â¢s troubl es with this latest well,51 they had not had a single ââ¬Å"lost-time incidentâ⬠in seven years of drilling. 52 The Transocean managers discussed with their BP counterparts the backlog of rig maintenance. A September 2009 BP safety audit had produced a 30-page list of 390 items requiring 3,545 man-hours of work. 3 The managers reviewed upcoming maintenance schedules and discussed efforts to reduce dropped objects and personal injuries: on a rig with cranes, multiple decks, and complicated heavy machinery, errant objects could be deadly. 54 Around 9:00 p. m. , Transoceanââ¬â¢s Winslow proposed they all go visit the bridge, which had not been part of their earlier tour. According to David Sims, the bridge was ââ¬Å"kind of an impressive place if you hadnââ¬â¢t been thereâ⬠¦[l]ots of screensâ⬠¦lots of technology. â⬠55 The four * The precise content of this particular conversation is disputed and is considered more fully in Chapter 4.Chapter One 7 7 men walked outside. The Gulf air was warm and the water calm as glass. Beyond the glare of the rigââ¬â¢s lights, the night sky glimmered with stars. * * * * After concluding that the negative-pressure test was successful, the drilling crew prepared to set a cement plug56 deep in the wellââ¬â3,000 feet below the top of the well. 57 They reopened the blowout preventer and began pumping seawater down the drill pipe to displace the mud and spacer* from the riser (the pipe that connected the rig to the well assembly on the seafloor below). 8 When the spacer appeared up at the surface, they stopped pumping because the fluid had to be tested to make sure it was clean enough to dump it in the Gulf, now that it had journeyed down into the well and back. By 9:15 p. m. , the crew began discharging the spacer overboard. 59 * * * * Inside the bridge, Captain Kuchta welcomed visitors Sims, Oââ¬â¢Bryan, Trahan, and Winslow. 60 The two dynamic-positioning officers, Yancy Keplinger and Andrea Fleytas , were also on the bridge. 61 Keplinger was giving the visitors a tour of the bridge while Fleytas was at the desk station. 2 The officers explained how the rigââ¬â¢s thrusters kept the Deepwater Horizon in place above the well, showed off the radars and current meters, and offered to let the visiting BP men try their hands at the rigââ¬â¢s dynamic-positioning video simulator. 63 Winslow watched as the crew programmed in 70-knot winds and 30-foot seas, and hypothetically put two of the rigââ¬â¢s six thrusters out of commission. Then they put the simulator into manual mode and let Sims work the hand controls to maintain the rigââ¬â¢s location. Keplinger was advising about how much thrust to use.Winslow decided it was a good moment to go grab a quick cup of coffee and a smoke. He walked down to the rigââ¬â¢s smoking area, poured some coffee, and lit his cigarette. 64 * * * * Senior Toolpusher Randy Ezell left the evening meeting with BP feeling pleased at their praise à ¢â¬Å"on how good a job we had doneâ⬠¦How proud they were of the rig. â⬠He stopped in at the galley to get a beverage before continuing to his office. At 9:20, he called Anderson up on the rig floor and asked, ââ¬Å"ââ¬ËHow did your negative test go? ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ 65 Anderson: ââ¬Å"It went good. . . . We bled it off. We watched it for 30 minutes and we had no flow. Ezell: ââ¬Å"What about your displacement? Howââ¬â¢s it going? â⬠Anderson: ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s going fine. . . . It wonââ¬â¢t be much longer and we ought to have our spacer back. â⬠* As described more fully in Chapter 4, a ââ¬Å"spacerâ⬠is a liquid that separates drilling mud used during the drilling operations from the seawater that is pumped in to displace the mud once drilling is complete. 8 National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling Ezell: ââ¬Å"Do you need any help from me? â⬠Anderson: ââ¬Å"No, man. . . . Iââ¬â¢ve got this. . . . Go to bed. Iââ¬â¢ve got it. â⬠Ezell concluded: ââ¬Å"Okay. 66 Ezell walked to his cabin. He had worked with Anderson since the rig came from the shipyard. He had complete confidence in him. ââ¬Å"Jason was very acute on what he did. . . he probably had more experience as far as shutting in for kicks than any individual on the Deepwater Horizon. â⬠So Ezell prepared for bed, called his wife, and then turned off the lights to watch a bit of TV before going to sleep. 67 * * * * Up on the bridge, Oââ¬â¢Bryan was taking his turn on the simulator. 68 Sims had stepped to the opposite side of the bridge when he felt a distinct high-frequency vibration. 9 Captain Kuchta looked up and remarked ââ¬Å"Whatââ¬â¢s that? â⬠He strode to the port-side door and opened it. 70 Outside, Oââ¬â¢Bryan could see the supply vessel Bankston glistening with what looked like drilling mud. 71 The captain shut the door ââ¬Å"and told everybody to stay inside. â⬠72 Then the re began a hissing noise. 73 * * * * BPââ¬â¢s Vidrine had headed back to his office to do paperwork. He had been there about 10 to 15 minutes when the phone rang. It was Anderson, who reported ââ¬Å"they were getting mud back and were diverting to the gas buster. â⬠Vidrine grabbed his hard hat and started for the drill floor.By the time he got outside, ââ¬Å"[t]here was mud and seawater blowing everywhere, there was a mud film on the deck. I decided not to continue and came back across. â⬠74 * * * * Down in Ezellââ¬â¢s cabin, he was still watching TV when his phone rang. It was assistant driller Steve Curtis calling, also from the rig floor. ââ¬Å"We have a situation. â⬠¦The well is blown out. . . . We have mud going to the crown. â⬠Ezell was horrified. ââ¬Å"Do yââ¬â¢all have it shut in? â⬠75 Curtis: ââ¬Å"Jason is shutting it in now. . . Randy, we need your help. â⬠Ezell: ââ¬Å"Steve, Iââ¬â¢ll beââ¬âIââ¬â¢ll be right there. 76 He put on his coveralls, pulled his socks on, and opened the door to go across the hall to his office for his boots and hard hat. Once in the hall, ââ¬Å"a tremendous explosionâ⬠¦ blew me probably 20 feet against a bulkhead, against the wall in that office. And I remember then that the lights went out, power went out. I could hear everything deathly calm. â⬠77 * * * * Chapter One 9 9 Up on the main deck, gantry crane operator Micah Sandell was working with the roustabouts. ââ¬Å"I seen mud shooting all the way up to the derrick. . . . Then it just quit. . . I took a deep breath thinking that ââ¬ËOh, they got it under control. Then all the sudden the. . . mud started coming out of the degasser. . . so strong and so loud that it just filled up the whole back deck with a gassy smoke. . . loud enough. . . itââ¬â¢s like taking an air hose and sticking it in your ear. Then something exploded. . . that started the first fireâ⬠¦ on the starboard side of the derrick. â⬠78 Sandell jumped up and turned off the crane cabââ¬â¢s air conditioner, worried that the gas would come in. ââ¬Å"And about that time everything in the back just exploded at one time. It. . . knocked me to the back of the cab. I fell to the floor. . put my hands over my head and I just said, ââ¬ËNo, God, no. ââ¬â¢ Because I thought that was it. â⬠79 Then the flames pulled back from his crane and began to shoot straight up, roaring up and over the 20-story derrick. 80 * * * * Down in the engine control room, Chief Mechanic Douglas Brown, an Army veteran employed by Transocean, was filling out the nightly log and equipment hours. He had spent the day fixing a saltwater pipe in one of the pontoons. First, he noticed an ââ¬Å"extremely loud air leak sound. â⬠Then a gas alarm sounded, followed by more and more alarms wailing.In the midst of that noise, Brown noticed someone over the radio. ââ¬Å"I heard the captain or chief mate, Iââ¬â¢m not sure who, ma ke an announcement to the standby boat, the Bankston, saying we were in a well-control situation. â⬠81 The vessel was ordered to back off to 500 meters. 82 Now Brown could hear the rigââ¬â¢s engines revving. ââ¬Å"I heard them revving up higher and higher and higher. Next I was expecting the engine trips to take over. . . . That did not happen. After that the power went out. â⬠Seconds later, an explosion ripped through the pitch-black control room, hurtling him against the control panel, blasting away the floor.Brown fell through into a subfloor full of cable trays and wires. A second huge explosion roared through, collapsing the ceiling on him. All around in the dark he could hear people screaming and crying for help. 83 Dazed and buried in debris, he pulled himself out of the subfloor hole. In front of him appeared Mike Williams, chief electronic technician, blood pouring from a wound on his forehead, crawling over the rubble, screaming that he had to get out. 84 * * * * Steve Bertone, the rigââ¬â¢s chief engineer, had been in bed, reading the first sentence of his book, when he noticed an odd noise. As it progressively got louder, it sounded like a freight train coming through my bedroom and then there was a thumping sound that consecutively got much faster and with each thump, I felt the rig actually shake. â⬠85 After a loud boom, the lights went out. 86 He leapt out of bed, opening his door to let in the emergency hall light so he could get dressed. 87 The overhead public-address system crackled to life: ââ¬Å"Fire. Fire. Fire. â⬠88 10 National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling The air smelled and tasted of some kind of fuel.A second explosion roared through, flinging Bertone across his room. He stood up, pulled on his coveralls, work boots, and hard hat, and grabbed a life vest. Out in the hall, clogged with debris from blown-out walls and ceilings, four or five men stood in shock. Berton e yelled to them to go out by the port forward or starboard forward spiral staircases and report to their emergency stations. He ran toward the bridge. 89 He went to the portside back computer, the dynamic positioning system responsible for maintaining the rigââ¬â¢s position. ââ¬Å"I observed that we had no engines, no thrusters, no power whatsoever.I picked up the phone which was right there and I tried calling extension 2268, which is the engine control room. There was no dial tone whatsoever. â⬠It was then that Bertone looked out to the bridgeââ¬â¢s starboard window. ââ¬Å"I was fully expecting to see steel and pipe and everything on the rig floor. â⬠ââ¬Å"When I looked out the window, I saw fire from derrick leg to derrick leg and as high as I could see. At that point, I realized that we had just had a blowout. â⬠90 Fleytas hit the general alarm. 91 The alarm went off: ââ¬Å"Report to emergency stations and lifeboats. â⬠The rig crew heard: ââ¬Å "This is not a drill. This is not a drill. 92 Fleytas, realizing that the rig had not yet issued a Mayday call, sent it out. 93 Out in the dark of the Gulf, three friends on the 31-foot Ramblinââ¬â¢ Wreck were out on the water for a day of tuna fishing. 94 Around 9:45 p. m. , Bradley Shivers trained his binoculars at a brilliant light in the distance and realized it must be an oil rig on fire. 95 On their radio, they heard, ââ¬Å"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is the Deepwater Horizon. We are on fire. â⬠96 At that moment they ââ¬Å"heard and felt a concussive sonic boom. â⬠97 The Ramblinââ¬â¢ Wreck headed to the scene, their first tuna outing of the year cut short. 8 Bertone was now back to his station on the bridge, thinking, ââ¬Å"The engines should be starting up because in approximately 25 to 30 seconds two engines start up, come online. . . . There was still no power of any kind. No engines starting; no indication of engines starting. â⬠99 At that moment, the water-tight door to his left banged open and he heard someone say, ââ¬Å"The engine room ECR [engine control room] and pump room are gone. They are all gone. â⬠Bertone turned around, ââ¬Å"What do you mean gone? â⬠The man speaking was so coated in blood Bertone had no idea who he was. Then he recognized the voice. It was Mike Williams.Bertone saw how badly lacerated Williamsââ¬â¢s forehead was, grabbed a roll of toilet paper from the bathroom, pressed it on the wound to staunch the bleeding, and ordered, ââ¬Å"Hold this here. â⬠100 Then he went back to his station and looked at his screen. ââ¬Å"There was still nothing, no engines starting, no thrusters running, nothing. We were still [a] dead ship. â⬠101 He heard the water-tight door slam again and saw another man soaked in blood, holding a rag to his head, repeating, ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m hurt. Iââ¬â¢m hurt bad, Chief. Iââ¬â¢m hurt real bad. â⬠It was the voice of Brent Mansfield, a Transoce an marine engineer. Bertone pulled back Mansfieldââ¬â¢sChapter One 11 11 hand holding a rag, saw the head wound, and ran over to the bridge door and yelled down to the life-vessel area, ââ¬Å"We need a medic up here now. â⬠102 * * * * After the explosion, Randy Ezell lay buried under the blown-out walls and ceilings of the toolpusherââ¬â¢s office. The room was dark and smoky, the debris atop him so heavy he could barely move. On the third try, adrenalin kicked in. ââ¬Å"I told myself, ââ¬ËEither you get up or youââ¬â¢re going to lay here and die. ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ Pulling hard on his right leg, he extricated it and tried to stand up. ââ¬Å"That was the wrong thing to do because I immediately stuck my head into smoke. . . I dropped back down. I got on my hands and knees and for a few moments I was totally disoriented. â⬠He wondered which way the door was. He felt air. He crawled through the debris toward the door and realized the ââ¬Å"airâ⬠was methane. He could feel the droplets. He was crawling slowly atop the rubble in the pitch-black hall when he felt a body. 103 Ezell then saw a bobbing beam of light. Stan Carden, the electrical supervisor, came round the corner. Carden had a light that bounced off shattered walls and collapsed ceilings in the pitch-black corridor, giving glimpses into rooms on each side wrecked by the power of the blast. 04 Stumbling into what was left of the hall was Offshore Installation Manager Jimmy Harrell, who had been in the shower when the rig exploded;105 he had donned coveralls, and now was groping his way out of what was left of his room. ââ¬Å"I think Iââ¬â¢ve got something in my eyes,â⬠Harrell said. He had no shoes. ââ¬Å"I got to see if I can find me some shoes. â⬠106 Carden and Ezell tugged debris off the man they now recognized as Wyman Wheeler. Chad Murray, Transoceanââ¬â¢s Chief Electrician, also appeared in the hall with a flashlight, and was immediately dispatched to fi nd a stretcher for the injured man. 07 Believing it would save time to walk Wheeler out, Ezell slung Wheelerââ¬â¢s arm around his shoulder. Wheeler groaned, ââ¬Å"Set me down . . . . Yââ¬â¢all go on. Save yourself. â⬠108 Ezell said, ââ¬Å"No, weââ¬â¢re not going to leave you. Weââ¬â¢re not going to leave you in here. â⬠109 Just then, they heard another voice from under the rubble: ââ¬Å"God help me. Somebody please help me. â⬠Near the ruins of the maintenance office the flashlight picked out a pair of feet jutting from the rubble. It was the visiting Transocean manager, Buddy Trahan, badly injured. By now Murray was there with a stretcher.Ezell, Carden, and Murray dragged away the remains of ceilings and walls trapping Trahan and loaded him on the stretcher. Carden and Murray carried him through the smoke and dark to the bow of the rig and the lifeboats. 110 Outside, the derrick fire roared upward into the night sky, an inferno throwing off searing hea t and clouds of black smoke. The blinding yellow of the flames was the only illumination except for the occasional flashlight. The rigââ¬â¢s alarms were going off, while over the public announcement system Keplinger yelled, ââ¬Å"THIS IS NOT A DRILL! â⬠111 As the 12National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling crew struggled out of the blasted quarters, galley, and offices, in various states of undress, they converged in a chaotic and panicked mass at the lifesaving vessels, putting on life vests. 112 Sandell, the gantry crane operator, had escaped and come around the port side of the deck to the life vessels. ââ¬Å"It was a lot of screaming, just a lot of screaming, a lot of hollering, a lot of scared people, including me, was scared. And trying to get people on boats. It was very unorganizedââ¬âwe had some wounded we was putting in the boat.Had people on the boat yelling, ââ¬ËDrop the boat, drop the boat,ââ¬â¢ and we still didn ââ¬â¢t have everybody on the boat yet. We was still trying to get people on the boat and trying to calm them down enough toââ¬âtrying to calm them down enough to get everybody on the boat. And there was people jumping off the side. We was trying to get an accurate count and just couldnââ¬â¢t get an accurate count because people were just jumping off the boat. â⬠113 * * * * On the Bankston, Captain Alwin J. Landry was on the bridge updating his log when his mate noticed the mud. Landry stepped out and saw ââ¬Å"mud falling on the back half of my boat, kind of like a black rain. He called the Deepwater Horizon bridge to say, ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m getting mud on me. â⬠Landry instructed his crew to get inside. The Deepwater Horizon called back and told him to move back 500 meters. 114 A crew member noticed a mud-covered seagull and egret fall to the deck. 115 Shortly after, Landry saw the rig explode. Before the ship could move away, his crew had to detach the long mu d transfer hose connecting them to the rig. 116 As they scrambled to disconnect, the Bankston slowly moved 100 meters back, then 500 meters. As the rig went dark, and secondary explosions rocked the decks, the Bankston turned on its searchlight.Landry could see the Deepwater Horizon crew mustering by the portside life vessels. ââ¬Å"Thatââ¬â¢s when I seen the first of three or four people jump to the water from the rig. â⬠117 One of those was Gregory Meche, a compliance specialist. After five minutes of the chaos around the lifeboats, and a series of large explosions, he headed down to the lower deck. He jumped into the water. 118 Antonio Gervasio, the Bankstonââ¬â¢s relief chief, and two others began launching the shipââ¬â¢s fast rescue craft. 119 Within a minute or two of the explosions, they got the boat lowered into the water, and noticed how calm the Gulf was. 20 ââ¬Å"I saw the first person jump in the water. So I told one of the guys to keep an eye on him. â⠬ 121 The rig life jackets were reflective, and as the fast craft made its first sweep round from one side of the burning rig to the other, they hauled Meche and two or three others out of the water. 122 * * * * Back on the rig, Transoceanââ¬â¢s Winslow had made his way from the coffee shop to the lifeboats, surviving the second blastââ¬â¢s wave of concussive force, which blew in the Chapter One 13 13 corridorââ¬â¢s walls and ceilings. On the deck, a firestorm of flames roared in the night sky above the derrick. 23 Winslow directed the dazed crew toward the covered life-saving vessels, instructing the first arrivals, ââ¬Å"We need to make sure we get a good head count. â⬠Seeing Captain Kuchta standing at the starboard bridge door, he ran up, and said people should evacuate. Kuc
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