Probably a Bad Day

I have a friend that was working a "turnaround" years ago. What's a turnaround? It's when a unit in a petrochemical facility is brought down for maintenance, or repair.

Turnarounds are expensive; very expensive. Beside the coordination, multiple units involved, and the loss of product, the enormous cost is almost mind boggling. The labor costs are extremely high, since the hours demanded are 7 day weeks, with 10 to 12 hour days. Sometimes, the cranes alone to remove components take weeks to assemble, and the hourly rates are 5 figure numbers. With all the additional equipment and materials involved, a few million dollars can disappear in a week.

My friend was working for one of the contractors at the end of the turnaround. At that point, all the pipes were back together, things were being checked, and the manways were buckled up. It was time to start the startup procedure, which required a head count before proceeding.

They were missing someone. Double checking revealed no error, so the large scale checking began. Hours were spent, but they still couldn't find the missing man. The next step required removing manways to see if the missing man was inside the unit. That's when what I consider a bad day became worse.

The missing man, since there are so many involved, figured out he could slip through a fence, go home, and spend the day doing what he wanted. He would slip back in before quitting time, and nobody was the wiser....until that evening. When he appeared, and the head count became accurate, it was obvious he was the "missing man".

The man was fired, which didn't really make much of a difference. For all practical purposes, he was useless, and the contractor found their supervision practices under the microscope. The plant manager would have to do a report, and I know that was not a pleasant thing to turn in.

So it was a bad day for all involved, but the unit was brought back on line. If it was like most of these units, the revenue paid for the turnaround in a short period of time.

This I Did Not Know

A girls name, which is spelled Abcde, is a name I've never heard. A gate agent, who was probably amazed, took a picture of a boarding pass, and placed it on social media.  The mother was upset. The little girl will be upset in the future. I'm betting she changes her name, and probably doesn't spend too much time with Mom. One thing is for sure, if the little girl manages to learn to spell her name, she's learned a substantial amount of the alphabet.

Waiting for the Result

The Russian collusion investigation is drawing to a close...or not. Muellor is steadily at work, which some call organized crime, since his track record includes using some shady people for evidence. There are even projections of the investigation lasting through 2020, which makes me wonder how Muellor can justify such a waste of taxpayer money.

With the new AG, there are many that feel he'll step in, make some drastic changes, and the investigation will end. I'll believe that, when I see it, but whatever happens, nothing will change the fact some people had their lives crushed by the monetary weight of the government. While they were bled dry financially, Muellor was steadily digging in the pockets of taxpayers to keep he job.

The Sympathy is Waning

The television is full of clips of the invaders trying to force their way across the U.S. border. The invaders, throwing rocks, were repelled by Border Patrol agents with tear gas. Of course, the narrative of how horrible this is, due to children being present, is being presented by many in the media.

This isn't the first time this happened. Invaders were repelled by the Obama Administration for the same reason. They even used tear gas. The difference now is that the media can't hide this fact, since the internet isn't completely controlled by those willing to remove the sovereignty of U.S. citizens for political gain.

I'm not seeing much sympathy. That, and there's anger at the parents bringing their children to what can only be described as a riot.  The supposed "refugees" are finding they're not only unwelcome in the United States, the Mexicans are angry at them for interrupting the normal crossings of the border, and causing damage to their economy.

Trump is threatening to shut down the border, which is withing his authority. If he does, he'll find the majority of voters behind his action, and the Mexican government will ramp up their efforts to either deport the invaders, or incarcerate them for their criminal behavior.

Knocking at the Door

If someone knocks at my door, I will examine them from a window, and decide whether I'll answer the door, or allow them in. If I don't want them in, the door will remain locked, and they will be asked to leave. If they don't, they become trespassers, and I will call the Sheriff. If they try to force the door, they will be stopped as they enter with a loaded gun. If they attempt to encroach further, deadly force will be used.

The description above is how most people in the United States react to a knock on the door. Some might not have a weapon, but will still notify authorities someone is attempting unauthorized access, and they need them to stop the invasion.

The border of the United States is the same. Access is by permission only. Attempting to forcibly enter is an invasion, and those involved are criminals.