...U.S. CHEMIC AL S AFETY AND H AZ ARD INVESTIG ATION BOARD INVESTIGATION REPORT LPG FIRE AT VALERO – MCKEE REFINERY (Four Injured, Total Refinery Evacuation, and Extended Shutdown) Photo: Associated Press VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION SUNRAY, TEXAS FEBRUARY 16, 2007 KEY ISSUES: • FREEZE PROTECTION OF DEAD-LEGS • EMERGENCY ISOLATION OF EQUIPMENT • FIREPROOFING OF SUPPORT STEEL • FIRE PROTECTION FOR HIGH PRESSURE LPG SERVICE • CHLORINE RELEASE REPORT NO. 2007-05-I-TX JULY 2008 Valero - Sunray July 2008 Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................................6 1.0 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................10 1.1 1.2 2.0 Background....................................................................................................................... 10 Investigative Process......................................................................................................... 10 VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION.........................................................................................11 2.1 2.2 McKee Refinery................................................................................................................ 11 2.3 3.0 Company History .......................................................................................
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...The adolescent brain and the adult brain have many similarities and differences. A difference that Richard Knox explains in his article between the teen brain and the adult brain is the white matter coating your nerves. “That’s because the nerve cells that connect teenagers’ frontal lobes with the rest of their brains are sluggish. Teenagers don’t have as much of the fatty coating called myelin, or “white matter,” that adults have in this area. Think of it as insulation on an electrical wire. Nerves need myelin for nerve signals to flow freely. Spotty or thin myelin leads to inefficient communication between one part of the brain and another.” In other words, the reason teens' frontal part of the brain is slow is because they don’t have the...
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...Major League Baseball (MLB) is one of the oldest professional sports leagues in the United States. Professional baseball teams have existed in the Unites States since the mid 1800’s. As with any professional sport, the MLB had its share of scandals. Prior to the 1920’s, not many homeruns were hit in the game. After the 1920’s the MLB league grew and drew in more crowds. By 1990, new stadiums with artificial turf were being built by every MLB team. Another great change was that in the 90’s homeruns dominated much of the game. In such a short period of time, homeruns went from never being seen in a game, to dominating the game itself. This trend drew media attention, and the speculation about anabolic steroids began in the early 2000’s (Klein, 2006)....
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...Aaron Lightsey Dr. Riggs History 1013 9 April 2012 From the Middle Class to Murderers Throughout the course of human history there have always been senseless acts of atrocities committed for one reason or another, whether it was the massacre of the Armenian Christians during and after World War I by the Ottoman Empire or the murders of some twenty million people by Joseph Stalin in Russia. It seems that mankind has a natural knack for the killing of each other. Evidence of this can be seen in some of the greatest technological advancements that have originally stemmed from inventions meant for devastation. What causes these acts of violence towards one another? History indicates that these actions may be caused by a sense of religious justification, economic factors, or aspirations for strengthening of an empire. However there can be more reasons than those of a political or religious nature. In many ways personal bias, environmental and psychological factors play heavily into some of the worst atrocities ever envisioned by mankind. This is the case argued in Christopher R. Browning’s book Ordinary Men. Christopher Browning’s book focuses on a key part of World War II that took place behind the scenes of the war, The Holocaust. The Holocaust led to the systematic death of millions of people. These innocent people were only guilty of being labeled as “undesirable” by a supposedly “superior race.” These people consisted of not only Jewish people, who were the majority,...
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...despair. With time comes the ability to cope with the loss of a loved one, the acceptance of failure, and intellectual growth and maturity. What Tidwell says about time in Louisiana, however, conflicts with the previously quoted description because “In Louisiana, the opposite is true: since that day a year ago… the state has lost 17,845 more acres of land” (291). This chilling statistic prevents us from accepting time as a natural healer and leads us to believe that it is, in fact, the most influential factor in the loss of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, fishing industry, and Cajun heritage. In Tidwell’s Bayou Farewell, evidence suggests the state’s failure to anticipate the problems from leveeing of the Mississippi River, the unintended consequences of the levees and mechanical drudging, and an overall attitude of denial are the main contributing factors in the destruction of Louisiana’s wetlands. The most pressing problem overlooked by the engineers responsible for building the Mississippi River levees is the lack of nutrients deposited into the land surrounding the river during floods. The Mississippi River carries sediments and soil from all over the country downstream where it eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Along its route, the river deposited sediment that reinforced the surrounding land as well as creating new land. One estimate suggests that before leveeing, the Mississippi deposited an average of 85 million tons of sediments across coastal Louisiana and the...
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...power. Beautiful to see, Gilgamesh selfishly indulges his cravings, raping whatever woman he desires, whether she is the wife of a warrior or the daughter of a noble, or even a bride on her wedding night. One particular night when Enkidu, the wild beast of the steppes comes to find Gilgamesh, he is infuriated by the inconsiderate behavior and attacks Gilgamesh. The men fight and Gilgamesh realizes that Enkidu is a lot like him. Enkidu and Gilgamesh spoke after their fight, and Gilgamesh wants Enkidu to help him fight the beast of the Cedar forest Humbaba. Enkidu agrees after telling Gilgamesh about his experience within the same forest. My friend, I knew that country When I roamed with the wild beasts. The forest is sixty double leagues in every direction, Who can go into it? Humbaba’s cry is the roar of a deluge, His maw is fire, his breath is death. Why do you want to do this? The haunt of Humbaba is a hopeless quest. (Unknown) The two heroes stand before the forest’s gate, and they see that Humbaba’s footsteps have cut clear paths through the woods, indicating his size and might. That night Gilgamesh makes another offering to Shamash the sun god. He prays that Shamash will visit him in a dream and grant him a favorable omen. Gilgamesh and Enkidu construct a shelter against the wind and, huddling together for warmth, lie down, and sleep. The extent of Shamash’s importance and influence is a...
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...Running Head: Research Paper – Effect of Divorce on Parenting Derin Ireyomi 103091991 University of Windsor 02-48-305 Dr. Omorodion Abstract In the past two decades, the trend of divorce and shared custody has increased and affected the lives of almost 57% of couples and their children (Boyan, 2003). Divorces have been known to have a huge effect on parenting practices of both the mother and the father. For the complete and balanced development of children and adolescents, the involvement of both the father and the mother is extremely crucial. From playing and socializing during the primary years to negotiation, monitoring and supervision in early teens, both the mother and father play equal guiding roles in the development of children (Boyan, 2003). Introduction Children who have both parents feel successful, competent and happy, when both parents are involved in their lives (Markham et al, 2012). Conversely, children who live with a single parent are more likely to feel unhappy, depressed, and garner an awkward feeling (Schwartz, 2006). Additionally, couples involved in the divorce also experience a huge effect on their parenting practices and their daily lives as well (Sayer, 2006). This paper will investigate the negative effects divorce has on parenting practices and how it will affect the way the children are raised. Through this, I will analyze the evidence provided in the articles by Sayer (2006), Pruett (1998), Schwartz (2007), and other authors to determine...
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...Scene One Summary: Claudius, Gertrude, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern talk about Hamlet and his lunacy. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell the King and Queen that they have tried to find out the reason for Hamlet’s madness, but he avoids their questions. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell the King and Queen about the actors that have arrived at the court and will be giving a performance. After Rosencrantz and Guildenstern leave, Claudius tells Gertrude that he has arranged for Hamlet to run into Ophelia, and Polonius and the King will hide and spy on their conversation to see if Hamlet is truly going crazy because he is in love. Gertrude tells Ophelia that she hopes that Hamlet’s madness is due to his love for her. Polonius tells Ophelia to read from a prayer book while waiting for Hamlet, which makes Claudius feels guilty as he remembers his own sin that he disguises with kind words. Then, Hamlet arrives speaking his famous to be or not to be speech. He is contemplating suicide, but he decides against it because he is worried that the environment after death will be even worse than the one he is living in right now. Ophelia then tells Hamlet that she has some of his mementos that she needs to return, which Hamlet denies ever giving her. Hamlet then goes into a dialogue with Ophelia that focuses on women and marriage. He is telling Ophelia to go to a nunnery because he does not believe in women or marriage anymore. Hamlet says that women use their beauty and power to fool their...
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...INTRODUCTION Although significant progress has been made over several years in the evolution of management theories, the discipline has suffered from a deluge of theories that may be more confusing in practice than directional (Koontz, 1980). Though the earlier work from classical theorists like Taylor and Fayol contributed significantly to developments in management practice (some still applicable today), it has become clearer that confidence in the universal validity of management theories developed in countries like the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA) is questionable. Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol are historical figures, well known within the field of business for their challenging views on business and administration policies and principles. In this regard, the convergence of Fayol’s principle and Taylor’s theory has made contribution to the applicability of management philosophies across cultures and has lent some form of sanity to the body of knowledge by tackling the differences in relevance across regions as being attributable to cultural differences. MANAGEMENT DEFINED If you walked into a company, how could you tell who the managers are? Management expert Peter Drucker says that management “. . . is the responsibility for contribution.” In other words, it is the manager who is responsible for making sure that the company achieves its goals. A manager is someone who is responsible for accomplishing an organizational unit’s goals and who...
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...leadership organization, and community support are just a few considerations in the prevention of police corruption. An examination of a local newspaper or any police-related publication in an urban city during any given week would most likely have an article about a police officer that got caught committing some kind of corrupt act. Police corruption has increased dramatically with the illegal cocaine trade, with officers acting alone or in-groups to steal money from dealers or distribute cocaine themselves. Large groups of corrupt police have been caught in New York, New Orleans, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles, as well as many other cities. Corruption within police departments falls into 2 basic categories, external corruption and internal corruption. In this research project, I will concentrate on external corruption. Recently, external corruption has been given the larger center of attention. I have decided to include the fairly recent accounts of corruption from a few major cities, mainly New York, because that is where I have lived in the past year. I compiled my information from a number of articles written in the New York Times over the last few years. My definitional information and background data came from books that have been written on the issues of police corruption. Those books helped me create a basis of just what the different types of corruption, as well as how and why corruption happens. Corruption in policing is usually viewed as the mistreatment of...
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...alcohol distribution and consumption, as well as a drinking age which has changed over the years. Ultimately, it seems that legislative bodies in the U.S. cannot make up their minds. A big part of that indecision may stem from the fact that most amendments have been largely ineffective in culling what has been a very real, very large problem in the United States: alcohol related deaths or sicknesses. Nearly one out of every ten deaths in working class adults dies from alcohol-related incidents (10% of all deaths), making alcohol the fourth largest cause of preventable deaths in the United States. As a result of this, promoting responsible alcohol consumption and continued responsible actions once its effects take place are paramount in responding to those significant statistics. The method that seems to have been most focused on in curtailing dangerous alcohol consumption has been legally regulating who is allowed to consume it (as mentioned above: prohibition, and drinking ages). In short, alcohol consumption has been made illegal, and consequently deemed unjust, for people below certain ages. Many people have raised ethical, practical, scientific, and legal arguments surrounding the issue, and lawful restrictions are what have resulted from it. The semi-unique thing about alcohol is that one can laud it as the great igniter of conversations and vivacity, and another can condemn it as the devil’s juice, leading to many vices—and both people are right. This will be discussed further...
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...Risk-Based Inspection API RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 580 SECOND EDITION, NOVEMBER 2009 --``,,,,,``,,`,``,``,`````````,,-`-`,,`,,`,`,,`--- --``,,,,,``,,`,``,``,`````````,,-`-`,,`,,`,`,,`--- Risk-Based Inspection Downstream Segment --``,,,,,``,,`,``,``,`````````,,-`-`,,`,,`,`,,`--- API RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 580 SECOND EDITION, NOVEMBER 2009 Special Notes API publications necessarily address problems of a general nature. With respect to particular circumstances, local, state, and federal laws and regulations should be reviewed. API is not undertaking to meet the duties of employers, manufacturers, or suppliers to warn and properly train and equip their employees, and others exposed, concerning health and safety risks and precautions, nor undertaking their obligations under local, state, or federal laws. Information concerning safety and health risks and proper precautions with respect to particular materials and conditions should be obtained from the employer, the manufacturer or supplier of that material, or the material safety datasheet. Neither API nor any of API’s employees, subcontractors, consultants, or other assigns make any warranty or representation, either express or implied, with respect to the accuracy, completeness, or utility of the information contained herein, or assume any liability or responsibility for any use, or the results of such use, of any information or process disclosed in this publication, or represent that its used would...
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...development through the life stages. The main life stages of human development are: * Conception * Pregnancy and birth. * Infancy * Childhood * Adolescence * Adulthood * Later adulthood. The holistic development of an individual involves them developing physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. All humans go through the following things: * Growth: an increase in some measured quantity, such as height or weight. * Development: complex changes including an increase in skills, abilities and capabilities. * Maturation: when development is assumed to be due to a genetically programmed sequence of change. All human beings have needs. Some of these needs are universal but others vary according to life stag. According to Abraham Maslow, all individuals have five main hierarchy needs which are required for development and survival. This is shown in his...
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...in the most memorable manner the opinions and the fortunes of the human species, is Jesus Christ. At this day, his name is connected with the devotional feelings of two hundred millions of the race of man. The institutions of the most civilized portions of the globe derive their authority from the sanction of his doctrines; he is the hero, the God, of our popular religion. His extraordinary genius, the wide and rapid effect of his unexampled doctrines, his invincible gentleness and benignity, the devoted love borne to him by his adherents, suggested a persuasion to them that he was something divine. The supernatural events which the historians of this wonderful man subsequently asserted to have been connected with every gradation of his career, established the opinion. His death is said to have been accompanied by an accumulation of tremendous prodigies. Utter darkness fell upon the earth, blotting the noonday sun; dead bodies, arising from their graves, walked through the public streets, and an earthquake shook the astonished city, rending the rocks of the surrounding mountains. The philosopher may attribute the application of these events to the death of a reformer, or the events themselves to a visitation of that universal Pan who—— ***** The thoughts which the word "God" suggests to the human mind are susceptible of as many variations as human minds themselves. The Stoic, the Platonist, and the Epicurean, the Polytheist, the Dualist, and the Trinitarian, differ infinitely in...
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...[pic] TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 INTRODUCTION 5 KONGO GUMI ENVIRONMENT 7 Feudal Japan 8 The Restoration of Edo 8 The Meiji Restoration 9 World War 1 12 The Mid War Period 13 World War 2 15 The Occupation of Japan and Post War Reconstruction 16 The Economic Miracle 17 The Lost Decade 18 Global Financial Crisis 19 Natural Disasters 20 Abenomics 21 STRATEGIES KONGO GUMI USED TO SURVIVE TURBULENCE 23 Kongo Gumi in the 20th Century 23 Meiji restoration 23 The Mid War Period 24 World war 11 24 KONGO GUMI WOULD HAVE SURVIVED IF: 25 WOULD KONGO GUMI HAVE SURVIVED IF IT MADE IT THROUGH TO THE ABENOMICS ERA? 26 LESSONS FROM KONGO GUMI 27 CONCLUSION 28 REFERENCES 31 Appendix 1 – Infographic of Japan’s timeline EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Kongo Gumi was a success as it operated in a stable industry. The belief system has survived for thousands of years and has many millions of adherents. With this firm foundation, Kongo had survived some tumultuous times. The temple construction had until recently been a reliable mainstay, contributing 80% of Kongo Gumi's $67.6 million in 2004 revenues. The story of Kongo Gumi suggests that firms should blend elements of conservatism and flexibility. This means that firms should stay in the same business for more than a millennium and...
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