1 00:00:15,276 --> 00:00:25,516 Speaker 1: Pushkin. It was like a normal day, you know, beautiful weather. 2 00:00:25,676 --> 00:00:29,036 Speaker 1: We'd got all our gear packed up, you know, fueled 3 00:00:29,116 --> 00:00:33,956 Speaker 1: up the boat and headed for Santa Barbara Island to 4 00:00:33,996 --> 00:00:38,996 Speaker 1: go do some fishing. His name is Joe Blushtain. He's 5 00:00:39,036 --> 00:00:42,436 Speaker 1: remembering a single day in his life back in September 6 00:00:42,436 --> 00:00:45,356 Speaker 1: of twenty fourteen, when he was floating off the coast 7 00:00:45,356 --> 00:00:50,676 Speaker 1: of southern California on a sleek sixty five ft yacht fisher. 8 00:00:51,636 --> 00:00:55,276 Speaker 1: I was playing cards with my brother's boss and a 9 00:00:55,316 --> 00:01:00,876 Speaker 1: couple of buddies, and they decided to go to sleep 10 00:01:00,876 --> 00:01:03,596 Speaker 1: because it's a long ride end, and I decided to 11 00:01:03,636 --> 00:01:05,956 Speaker 1: go clean the fish and they all went to bed, 12 00:01:06,636 --> 00:01:09,356 Speaker 1: and my brother was behind the wheel, you know, during 13 00:01:09,396 --> 00:01:13,516 Speaker 1: the boat and I went to grab a bucket of 14 00:01:13,516 --> 00:01:15,876 Speaker 1: water to get some water in there, and that's when 15 00:01:15,916 --> 00:01:19,876 Speaker 1: it all happened. So what happened. The bucket of water 16 00:01:20,236 --> 00:01:25,076 Speaker 1: pulled me in into the water in the In the moment, 17 00:01:25,356 --> 00:01:28,436 Speaker 1: what did you think as it was happening. In the moment, 18 00:01:28,636 --> 00:01:32,956 Speaker 1: I thought it was a bad dream. No one had 19 00:01:32,956 --> 00:01:36,916 Speaker 1: seen him fall overboard, no one had hurt him, He 20 00:01:36,996 --> 00:01:42,116 Speaker 1: had no life fast He watched the boat shrink. Then Vanish. 21 00:01:42,276 --> 00:01:46,076 Speaker 1: I had a pair of cargo shorts on with a 22 00:01:46,116 --> 00:01:51,716 Speaker 1: pair of slippers and my sunglasses, and that's it. I 23 00:01:51,756 --> 00:01:55,196 Speaker 1: had no shirt on. And when I fell over, I 24 00:01:55,236 --> 00:01:57,276 Speaker 1: realized that the guys are not going to realize that 25 00:01:57,316 --> 00:01:59,716 Speaker 1: I was missing until they got back to the marina, 26 00:01:59,876 --> 00:02:02,156 Speaker 1: because every it's you know, it's a big boat. And 27 00:02:02,836 --> 00:02:08,836 Speaker 1: that reality set in. Now, obviously, Joe's going to live 28 00:02:08,836 --> 00:02:11,436 Speaker 1: to tell his story. I mean, you can hear that 29 00:02:11,516 --> 00:02:14,356 Speaker 1: he's still alive. He's in New Jersey with his wife 30 00:02:14,356 --> 00:02:18,396 Speaker 1: and young son. But why is Joe Bluestein still alive, 31 00:02:19,436 --> 00:02:23,196 Speaker 1: or more exactly, how will Joe explain why he's still alive? 32 00:02:24,036 --> 00:02:27,996 Speaker 1: How will he tell the story man lost at sea? 33 00:02:28,116 --> 00:02:30,476 Speaker 1: For most of human history, that was the end of 34 00:02:30,476 --> 00:02:34,796 Speaker 1: the story because the storyteller was dead. But this one's 35 00:02:34,836 --> 00:02:38,876 Speaker 1: still around. Where are you in relation to the shore, 36 00:02:39,516 --> 00:02:41,916 Speaker 1: I was like fourteen miles off from Marina del Rey, 37 00:02:42,076 --> 00:02:44,036 Speaker 1: you know, I flew in it out of Lax like 38 00:02:44,516 --> 00:02:47,796 Speaker 1: probably like hundreds of times, and I saw the planes 39 00:02:48,116 --> 00:02:51,996 Speaker 1: going over me, the planes that were flying out of Lax. 40 00:02:52,676 --> 00:02:55,476 Speaker 1: At that point, I'm like, I gotta swim to shore. 41 00:02:55,956 --> 00:02:59,676 Speaker 1: You know, in my mind I prepared myself mentally to 42 00:02:59,716 --> 00:03:04,436 Speaker 1: swim to shore. It sounds so dumb to fall off 43 00:03:04,436 --> 00:03:08,476 Speaker 1: a boat, but Joe's not dumb. He's thinking about what 44 00:03:08,476 --> 00:03:12,596 Speaker 1: he's doing. He marks his position to measure his progress. 45 00:03:13,516 --> 00:03:16,316 Speaker 1: I saw a sunset. I thought it might have been 46 00:03:16,356 --> 00:03:20,516 Speaker 1: my last sunset, and I start swimming towards shore, and 47 00:03:21,036 --> 00:03:25,476 Speaker 1: I realized, probably like a couple hours in, that I 48 00:03:25,556 --> 00:03:29,036 Speaker 1: wasn't getting closer to shore. It was actually around a 49 00:03:29,076 --> 00:03:32,316 Speaker 1: full moon. And I don't know if you're familiar with 50 00:03:32,436 --> 00:03:36,396 Speaker 1: tides and moons, but during full moons the tides are 51 00:03:36,516 --> 00:03:38,876 Speaker 1: very very heavy. Like what are you doing? Are you 52 00:03:39,036 --> 00:03:42,396 Speaker 1: treading water? Are you laying on your back? Yeah? I'm 53 00:03:42,396 --> 00:03:45,316 Speaker 1: treading water. Yeah, I'm flipping back and forth because it 54 00:03:45,476 --> 00:03:48,996 Speaker 1: was a little choppy. So like if I laid on 55 00:03:49,076 --> 00:03:51,396 Speaker 1: my back, you know, like I would get a little 56 00:03:51,436 --> 00:03:53,796 Speaker 1: water splash over my face, and you know a few 57 00:03:53,876 --> 00:03:57,996 Speaker 1: drops of water, I would, you know, just inhale. So 58 00:03:58,116 --> 00:04:00,996 Speaker 1: then what do you think. I realized that I was 59 00:04:01,076 --> 00:04:06,276 Speaker 1: being sucked out to sea with the currents. So at 60 00:04:06,316 --> 00:04:10,996 Speaker 1: that point I try to figure out how to stay 61 00:04:11,036 --> 00:04:15,836 Speaker 1: afloat until, you know, hopefully somebody finds me. But Joe 62 00:04:15,916 --> 00:04:18,036 Speaker 1: had no real reason to think anyone was even looking 63 00:04:18,076 --> 00:04:21,716 Speaker 1: for him. He was just drifting alone on the Pacific 64 00:04:21,756 --> 00:04:25,276 Speaker 1: Ocean in the dark, at the mercy of forces beyond 65 00:04:25,316 --> 00:04:29,116 Speaker 1: his control. By far, the most important of these forces 66 00:04:29,236 --> 00:04:31,756 Speaker 1: is a machine that's been quietly humming in the background 67 00:04:32,356 --> 00:04:40,956 Speaker 1: since long before Joe was born. I'm Michael Lewis, and 68 00:04:41,156 --> 00:04:44,796 Speaker 1: this is against the Rules, where we explore unfairness in 69 00:04:44,836 --> 00:04:48,276 Speaker 1: American life by looking at what's happened to various characters 70 00:04:48,276 --> 00:04:53,676 Speaker 1: in American life this season. That character is the Expert. 71 00:05:04,156 --> 00:05:07,876 Speaker 1: Welcome to the twelfth annual Samuel J. Hayman's Service to 72 00:05:07,916 --> 00:05:11,396 Speaker 1: America Medals Dinner, or as we call them, the Sammy's. 73 00:05:13,476 --> 00:05:16,116 Speaker 1: For two decades, a man named Max Stier has run 74 00:05:16,156 --> 00:05:19,276 Speaker 1: an outfit called the Partnership for Public Service. It's a 75 00:05:19,396 --> 00:05:24,476 Speaker 1: wildly ambitious and possibly insane attempt to fix the entire 76 00:05:24,636 --> 00:05:28,236 Speaker 1: United States government. The group's nonpartisan. I mean, it's not 77 00:05:28,316 --> 00:05:31,676 Speaker 1: pushing any agenda about what government should do. It's just 78 00:05:31,716 --> 00:05:34,316 Speaker 1: trying to help government to do whatever it does better. 79 00:05:34,636 --> 00:05:39,116 Speaker 1: We're all here tonight to recognize and honor all that 80 00:05:39,316 --> 00:05:43,076 Speaker 1: is right with our government. At some point, Max realized 81 00:05:43,076 --> 00:05:45,436 Speaker 1: that part of the government's problem was that its workers 82 00:05:45,476 --> 00:05:49,276 Speaker 1: had wacky incentives. When they screwed up, everyone noticed them, 83 00:05:49,636 --> 00:05:52,796 Speaker 1: but when they did something great, no one noticed. The 84 00:05:52,836 --> 00:05:55,556 Speaker 1: American people had not the first clue what various public 85 00:05:55,556 --> 00:05:58,516 Speaker 1: servants had done on their behalf, even when those things 86 00:05:58,516 --> 00:06:01,356 Speaker 1: were a matter of life and death. So Max created 87 00:06:01,396 --> 00:06:03,956 Speaker 1: a new award for people who did great things in government, 88 00:06:04,636 --> 00:06:08,196 Speaker 1: the Sammy. He then ran around the United States government 89 00:06:08,556 --> 00:06:12,676 Speaker 1: begging people to nominate colleagues for a Sammy Award. It 90 00:06:12,756 --> 00:06:15,636 Speaker 1: took a ridiculous amount of time and energy. The people 91 00:06:15,636 --> 00:06:18,156 Speaker 1: who did these jobs had no taste for the red carpet. 92 00:06:18,836 --> 00:06:20,756 Speaker 1: I am humbled to be in the company of my 93 00:06:20,876 --> 00:06:25,316 Speaker 1: fellow nominees tonight. You all have done and are continuing 94 00:06:25,396 --> 00:06:29,316 Speaker 1: to do, amazing things, and as a taxpayer, I want 95 00:06:29,316 --> 00:06:34,236 Speaker 1: to say thank you. Max's list of Sammy nominees now 96 00:06:34,276 --> 00:06:37,676 Speaker 1: has several thousand names on it, but what it really 97 00:06:37,796 --> 00:06:41,796 Speaker 1: is is a list of experts whose existence you never imagined. 98 00:06:42,276 --> 00:06:44,916 Speaker 1: Another one I love is Osama Elissie, who is a 99 00:06:44,996 --> 00:06:49,116 Speaker 1: Department of Agriculture who is the foremost expert on the 100 00:06:49,836 --> 00:06:54,956 Speaker 1: pink bullworm, and he was responsible for eradicating it in 101 00:06:54,956 --> 00:06:57,316 Speaker 1: the United States and it's one of the biggest pests 102 00:06:57,356 --> 00:06:59,876 Speaker 1: for cotton. And wait, wait, what's it called. What's it 103 00:06:59,916 --> 00:07:02,956 Speaker 1: called the pink paintworm? Yes, a bullworm. I mean I 104 00:07:02,996 --> 00:07:05,276 Speaker 1: didn't even know there was a pink bullworm, much less 105 00:07:05,276 --> 00:07:07,276 Speaker 1: that there was an expert in the pink bullworm, and 106 00:07:07,316 --> 00:07:09,436 Speaker 1: the pink bullworm was doing damage to the cotton crop 107 00:07:09,436 --> 00:07:11,596 Speaker 1: and he figured out how to stop that. Absolutely, And 108 00:07:11,596 --> 00:07:13,196 Speaker 1: it's a huge deal. It's a huge deal for the 109 00:07:13,236 --> 00:07:16,596 Speaker 1: livelihood for thousands of farmers and for our economy. And 110 00:07:16,596 --> 00:07:19,116 Speaker 1: it's a yeah, it's a big deal. And the list 111 00:07:19,196 --> 00:07:22,116 Speaker 1: is forever. I mean, another person, who are you get 112 00:07:22,156 --> 00:07:25,036 Speaker 1: the idea? When you hear what these nominees do, you 113 00:07:25,076 --> 00:07:27,956 Speaker 1: don't say, oh, what a waste, why bother with that? 114 00:07:28,916 --> 00:07:31,316 Speaker 1: But what they do, and what a lot of experts do, 115 00:07:31,676 --> 00:07:36,476 Speaker 1: tends to be complicated and undramatic. Not movie material, not 116 00:07:36,516 --> 00:07:40,836 Speaker 1: even really podcast material. They're just people working on problems 117 00:07:40,836 --> 00:07:42,916 Speaker 1: the free market would never ever solve on its own. 118 00:07:42,956 --> 00:07:46,236 Speaker 1: I mean, it doesn't pay for any one cotton company 119 00:07:46,276 --> 00:07:49,036 Speaker 1: to figure out the pink bullworm problem for the whole world, 120 00:07:49,636 --> 00:07:52,916 Speaker 1: even though the solution would save everyone billions. A lot 121 00:07:52,916 --> 00:07:54,876 Speaker 1: of people on the list we're working on stuff that 122 00:07:54,916 --> 00:07:59,436 Speaker 1: would save not just money, but lives, lives like Joe 123 00:07:59,476 --> 00:08:13,916 Speaker 1: Bluestains against the rules. Will be right back alone in 124 00:08:13,956 --> 00:08:18,956 Speaker 1: the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Joe Bluestein 125 00:08:20,036 --> 00:08:23,396 Speaker 1: is still floating. I took my shorts off and tried 126 00:08:23,436 --> 00:08:26,476 Speaker 1: to take the waist because I had like one of 127 00:08:26,476 --> 00:08:32,316 Speaker 1: these like a material belt, and try to make like 128 00:08:32,356 --> 00:08:34,836 Speaker 1: a noose around the waist and try to get some 129 00:08:34,956 --> 00:08:38,036 Speaker 1: air into the you know where the legs come out. 130 00:08:38,116 --> 00:08:41,116 Speaker 1: Because I saw that somewhere online, like some kind of 131 00:08:41,116 --> 00:08:44,676 Speaker 1: survival video years ago, and that that didn't work. So 132 00:08:44,716 --> 00:08:47,436 Speaker 1: I just dumped the shorts, dump you know, flip flops, 133 00:08:47,796 --> 00:08:50,436 Speaker 1: and at that point I was naked. So you're there 134 00:08:50,436 --> 00:08:52,916 Speaker 1: in the water. You just got shorts and slippers. You 135 00:08:52,956 --> 00:08:55,396 Speaker 1: saw some survival video from years ago and you tried 136 00:08:55,436 --> 00:08:57,236 Speaker 1: to replicate it but didn't, so you just got rid 137 00:08:57,276 --> 00:09:00,756 Speaker 1: of everything. Yep. I was just exhausting too much energy. 138 00:09:00,836 --> 00:09:03,876 Speaker 1: You know, my slippers were gone. I didn't have on 139 00:09:03,996 --> 00:09:07,596 Speaker 1: to arano summertime. You know, I was commando style. So 140 00:09:09,156 --> 00:09:12,596 Speaker 1: Joe clearly knows so much about survival techniques and boats 141 00:09:12,636 --> 00:09:16,596 Speaker 1: and fish. Everybody always asked sharks, sharks. I'm like, I 142 00:09:16,676 --> 00:09:20,636 Speaker 1: really was a concern. One time I had a little 143 00:09:20,676 --> 00:09:24,036 Speaker 1: concern was when I was floating on my back and 144 00:09:24,076 --> 00:09:26,596 Speaker 1: I saw it was a bait fish and I think 145 00:09:26,596 --> 00:09:29,276 Speaker 1: it was a mackerel because that's what is normally around 146 00:09:29,276 --> 00:09:31,996 Speaker 1: that area. It wasn't a sardine because sardines are smaller. 147 00:09:32,436 --> 00:09:35,036 Speaker 1: What Joe didn't know was what his life depended on. 148 00:09:36,036 --> 00:09:37,916 Speaker 1: I mean, in that moment, there were all sorts of 149 00:09:37,916 --> 00:09:41,516 Speaker 1: forces at work that would determine his fate, but one 150 00:09:41,556 --> 00:09:44,756 Speaker 1: of them was a guy far away who many years 151 00:09:44,796 --> 00:09:49,876 Speaker 1: earlier had decided to make himself an expert. How hard 152 00:09:49,956 --> 00:09:52,356 Speaker 1: is it to see a person in the water. You're 153 00:09:52,356 --> 00:09:56,556 Speaker 1: a coconut. You're a coconut floating in the water. Extremely difficult. 154 00:09:57,316 --> 00:10:02,796 Speaker 1: Arthur A. Allen, oceanographer, United States Coast Guard Search and 155 00:10:02,836 --> 00:10:06,636 Speaker 1: Rescue Division. In the whole of human history, people have 156 00:10:06,676 --> 00:10:09,796 Speaker 1: been man has been sailing the seas forever. But the 157 00:10:09,916 --> 00:10:13,516 Speaker 1: general assumption was lost at sea met lost at sea. 158 00:10:13,796 --> 00:10:16,476 Speaker 1: That is correct. Yes, there was no act of searching. 159 00:10:17,236 --> 00:10:19,396 Speaker 1: No one was going to come look for you. You 160 00:10:19,436 --> 00:10:21,756 Speaker 1: sort of assume that it's just normal for people to 161 00:10:21,756 --> 00:10:24,556 Speaker 1: be rescued at sea. But the first time the American 162 00:10:24,596 --> 00:10:26,996 Speaker 1: government even tried to find someone in the ocean in 163 00:10:27,036 --> 00:10:30,796 Speaker 1: any systematic way was during World War Two when it 164 00:10:30,836 --> 00:10:33,196 Speaker 1: went looking for the life rafts of pilots shot down 165 00:10:33,196 --> 00:10:36,676 Speaker 1: over the Pacific Ocean. It's only since then that things 166 00:10:36,676 --> 00:10:41,196 Speaker 1: have changed, and men have they changed. How big a 167 00:10:41,236 --> 00:10:43,596 Speaker 1: deal is search and rescue in the Coastguard? Like, how 168 00:10:44,676 --> 00:10:48,036 Speaker 1: often is it out there doing stuff? On an average day, 169 00:10:48,756 --> 00:10:51,916 Speaker 1: we rescue about ten people and we lose about three. 170 00:10:52,436 --> 00:10:56,236 Speaker 1: One is lost before we're even notified, so someone is 171 00:10:56,756 --> 00:10:59,956 Speaker 1: we didn't even get a chance to respond. One is 172 00:11:01,276 --> 00:11:04,276 Speaker 1: lost after we're notified and we didn't get there in time. 173 00:11:04,396 --> 00:11:07,476 Speaker 1: A third is never found. So that's sort of the 174 00:11:07,556 --> 00:11:10,116 Speaker 1: daily average, if you will. And is that on you 175 00:11:10,516 --> 00:11:13,156 Speaker 1: do we like have a talent for getting lost at sea? 176 00:11:13,316 --> 00:11:15,796 Speaker 1: Is that you are those unusually high numbers or is 177 00:11:15,836 --> 00:11:18,636 Speaker 1: this going on all over the world. Everyone in Florida 178 00:11:18,676 --> 00:11:22,236 Speaker 1: has got their own boat, so yeah, there is. My 179 00:11:22,316 --> 00:11:25,076 Speaker 1: husband is much fishing this morning and hasn't come home. 180 00:11:25,876 --> 00:11:29,956 Speaker 1: That sort of thing. Back in twenty eighteen, Art Allen 181 00:11:29,996 --> 00:11:33,236 Speaker 1: was nominated for a Sammy Award. I'd seen his name 182 00:11:33,276 --> 00:11:36,036 Speaker 1: at the top of Max's list, which was an alphabetical order. 183 00:11:36,956 --> 00:11:39,556 Speaker 1: Art turned out to be the lone oceanographer in the 184 00:11:39,596 --> 00:11:43,676 Speaker 1: Coastguard Search and Rescue Division. He'd studied oceans with one 185 00:11:43,756 --> 00:11:47,996 Speaker 1: clear goal to help find Americans lost on them. But 186 00:11:48,076 --> 00:11:50,036 Speaker 1: I got the sense no one had ever asked him 187 00:11:50,116 --> 00:11:54,356 Speaker 1: what he'd done or why. The search and rescue problem 188 00:11:54,436 --> 00:11:58,796 Speaker 1: has two major parts. The first part is where should 189 00:11:58,836 --> 00:12:02,476 Speaker 1: we look? And then the second part is how should 190 00:12:02,516 --> 00:12:05,236 Speaker 1: we search? In the beginning, there was a sort of 191 00:12:05,276 --> 00:12:08,796 Speaker 1: a lot more attention being paid how should we search? 192 00:12:08,836 --> 00:12:11,476 Speaker 1: Than where do we look? Yeah, so I was kind 193 00:12:11,476 --> 00:12:14,756 Speaker 1: of assigned that problem. If you will your problem and 194 00:12:15,516 --> 00:12:18,756 Speaker 1: go figure it out, kind of level of guidance. This 195 00:12:18,836 --> 00:12:21,956 Speaker 1: is the where should we look? Problem? That's correct. Art 196 00:12:21,996 --> 00:12:25,236 Speaker 1: spent many, many years finding better ways to measure wind 197 00:12:25,236 --> 00:12:28,556 Speaker 1: and ocean currents. After all, to track down any object 198 00:12:28,556 --> 00:12:31,036 Speaker 1: that's been floating on the ocean, you need to measure 199 00:12:31,076 --> 00:12:33,756 Speaker 1: as accurately as possible the forces that move it from 200 00:12:33,796 --> 00:12:37,076 Speaker 1: one place to another. But there came a moment when 201 00:12:37,196 --> 00:12:42,636 Speaker 1: Art realized measuring wind and currents isn't enough. That moment 202 00:12:42,676 --> 00:12:45,276 Speaker 1: came late one night in May of two thousand and one. 203 00:12:45,516 --> 00:12:48,156 Speaker 1: It was Senko de Mayo day that part I remember 204 00:12:48,316 --> 00:12:52,836 Speaker 1: I had gone been invited down to Portsmouth, Virginia, a 205 00:12:52,956 --> 00:12:56,956 Speaker 1: rescue coordination center of Portsmith. The Coastguard commander and Portsmouth 206 00:12:56,956 --> 00:12:59,556 Speaker 1: thought it might be useful for the house scientists to 207 00:12:59,596 --> 00:13:02,836 Speaker 1: see some actual searches and rescues. So this is the 208 00:13:02,836 --> 00:13:05,236 Speaker 1: first time you're kind of out in the field. Yeah, 209 00:13:05,276 --> 00:13:08,716 Speaker 1: that's the first time that I was directly involved with 210 00:13:08,716 --> 00:13:12,756 Speaker 1: the opera rational Coastguard as opposed to conducting my experiments 211 00:13:12,796 --> 00:13:17,396 Speaker 1: and trying to write reports. Right, So it was a 212 00:13:17,436 --> 00:13:22,676 Speaker 1: gorgeous day. I arrived at four o'clock. There was a 213 00:13:22,676 --> 00:13:27,316 Speaker 1: listed man on duty. He was vacuum the rug. I 214 00:13:27,556 --> 00:13:30,196 Speaker 1: introduced by South. He said, sure, have a seat, and 215 00:13:30,236 --> 00:13:34,076 Speaker 1: we started telling Coastguard stories as as everyone does in 216 00:13:34,156 --> 00:13:39,996 Speaker 1: the Coastguard, and some ruse. Around five thirty the phone 217 00:13:40,036 --> 00:13:43,716 Speaker 1: started to ring off the hook. Art watched lots of 218 00:13:43,756 --> 00:13:46,836 Speaker 1: bad things happened at once to people who thought they'd 219 00:13:46,876 --> 00:13:48,956 Speaker 1: simply gone out for a nice day on the bay. 220 00:13:49,676 --> 00:13:52,716 Speaker 1: A dry cold front it comes swept down to Chesapeake 221 00:13:52,716 --> 00:14:00,156 Speaker 1: Bay and there was run the grounds, fires, overdue people, 222 00:14:00,756 --> 00:14:03,796 Speaker 1: and he was just writing all this down and calling 223 00:14:03,876 --> 00:14:08,436 Speaker 1: st and calling the other groups, getting people under way, 224 00:14:08,556 --> 00:14:12,756 Speaker 1: all kinds of things, just going at it for a 225 00:14:12,836 --> 00:14:16,316 Speaker 1: couple hours straight, and then the end of the evening, 226 00:14:16,596 --> 00:14:19,436 Speaker 1: you know, a seven thirty or so, he goes, oh, 227 00:14:19,516 --> 00:14:24,276 Speaker 1: I still have this overdue sailboat at his shankat by 228 00:14:24,316 --> 00:14:27,196 Speaker 1: now it's dark. The coastguard is trying to account for 229 00:14:27,276 --> 00:14:29,876 Speaker 1: every boat that's been out on the bay, and one 230 00:14:29,916 --> 00:14:34,076 Speaker 1: sailboat is still missing. Art Allen watches is this coastguard 231 00:14:34,076 --> 00:14:37,236 Speaker 1: colleague goes to his computer. The guy boots up the 232 00:14:37,236 --> 00:14:39,476 Speaker 1: software program it's supposed to help him to figure out 233 00:14:39,476 --> 00:14:43,836 Speaker 1: where a lost sailboat might be. So he opens it 234 00:14:43,956 --> 00:14:47,156 Speaker 1: up and he zooms into what he thinks is the 235 00:14:47,236 --> 00:14:49,916 Speaker 1: Chesapeake Bay. It turns out he was zooming into some 236 00:14:50,076 --> 00:14:52,596 Speaker 1: place in China. I sort of tapped him on the 237 00:14:52,636 --> 00:14:55,476 Speaker 1: shoulder and says, you might want to back out because 238 00:14:55,516 --> 00:14:58,956 Speaker 1: I'm looking over and watching every step. So then he 239 00:14:59,076 --> 00:15:03,716 Speaker 1: backs out, gets to Chesapeake Bay. And then there's the 240 00:15:03,756 --> 00:15:07,996 Speaker 1: only option for a where things can go wrong, and 241 00:15:08,356 --> 00:15:10,556 Speaker 1: that tool it was what is known as a last 242 00:15:10,636 --> 00:15:13,996 Speaker 1: known position. So it's a it's just a point. It's 243 00:15:14,036 --> 00:15:17,156 Speaker 1: basically a circle, right circle where where the last place 244 00:15:17,196 --> 00:15:20,716 Speaker 1: you ever saw these people? What we knew about this 245 00:15:21,076 --> 00:15:24,516 Speaker 1: was that it was a mother and her daughter and 246 00:15:25,676 --> 00:15:29,796 Speaker 1: her in laws, So there was three adults at a child, 247 00:15:30,076 --> 00:15:34,436 Speaker 1: and she was the wife of Chesapeake Bay Bridge commissioned, 248 00:15:34,516 --> 00:15:37,756 Speaker 1: and they knew that the plan was to go down 249 00:15:37,756 --> 00:15:41,356 Speaker 1: and visit the bridge. The coastguard actually knew quite a 250 00:15:41,356 --> 00:15:44,316 Speaker 1: lot about where the boat had planned to go. They 251 00:15:44,356 --> 00:15:47,236 Speaker 1: knew the boat's size and shape. They knew what time 252 00:15:47,276 --> 00:15:50,276 Speaker 1: the boat had set sail and from where. They could 253 00:15:50,276 --> 00:15:53,756 Speaker 1: even guess exactly when the boat had capsized the moment 254 00:15:53,796 --> 00:15:56,796 Speaker 1: the storm hit. What they didn't know was how the 255 00:15:56,796 --> 00:16:01,356 Speaker 1: sailboat drifted on the water after it capsized. Like any object, 256 00:16:01,396 --> 00:16:04,636 Speaker 1: it moved with the wind and the currents. But every 257 00:16:04,636 --> 00:16:07,676 Speaker 1: object moves differently in relation to the wind in the currents. 258 00:16:08,516 --> 00:16:11,996 Speaker 1: How it moved where it goes depends on its size 259 00:16:11,996 --> 00:16:15,836 Speaker 1: and shape. Art watched the search and rescue operator make 260 00:16:15,876 --> 00:16:20,116 Speaker 1: his best guess, but he was thinking, the mom in 261 00:16:20,156 --> 00:16:23,636 Speaker 1: that sailboat is the same age as my wife. The 262 00:16:23,756 --> 00:16:26,636 Speaker 1: girl is the same age as my daughter. He was 263 00:16:26,676 --> 00:16:31,196 Speaker 1: thinking that could be my family. The coast guard got, 264 00:16:31,836 --> 00:16:34,316 Speaker 1: I think two helicopters up in the air because right 265 00:16:34,356 --> 00:16:37,156 Speaker 1: next to Elizabeth City and we had a eighty seven 266 00:16:37,196 --> 00:16:41,156 Speaker 1: footer that was out there. They searched all night, major effort, 267 00:16:42,076 --> 00:16:47,276 Speaker 1: and in the first layed a good samaritan located the 268 00:16:47,316 --> 00:16:53,036 Speaker 1: overturned boat across the Chesapeake Bay. Everyone on the sailboat 269 00:16:53,076 --> 00:16:55,716 Speaker 1: was rushed to the hospital, but the mother and her 270 00:16:55,756 --> 00:16:59,396 Speaker 1: nine year old daughter didn't survive. Their deaths made the 271 00:16:59,436 --> 00:17:03,636 Speaker 1: front page of the Virginian Pilot. The story haunted Art. 272 00:17:04,716 --> 00:17:06,756 Speaker 1: They died because no one had taken the trouble to 273 00:17:06,756 --> 00:17:08,996 Speaker 1: figure out the drift of a twenty foot overturned sail 274 00:17:09,116 --> 00:17:14,356 Speaker 1: about it died for lack of expertise. Art saved the 275 00:17:14,396 --> 00:17:17,596 Speaker 1: newspaper story. He kept it between two books on his 276 00:17:17,636 --> 00:17:20,876 Speaker 1: living room shelf. Every now and then for the next 277 00:17:20,916 --> 00:17:25,796 Speaker 1: ten years, he'd pull it out to remind himself, why 278 00:17:25,796 --> 00:17:29,116 Speaker 1: did two live and to die? Simply body masks? The 279 00:17:29,196 --> 00:17:33,076 Speaker 1: aunt and uncle were very large, and you know, the 280 00:17:33,156 --> 00:17:36,876 Speaker 1: daughter is very slight. She perished first. It's hypothermia, was 281 00:17:37,036 --> 00:17:40,956 Speaker 1: it was. It's basically, the water draws the heat out 282 00:17:40,956 --> 00:17:44,556 Speaker 1: of your body, and you can't generate heat fast enough, 283 00:17:44,596 --> 00:17:50,356 Speaker 1: so your body shuts down. So you you watched this, Yeah, 284 00:17:50,476 --> 00:17:53,836 Speaker 1: I watched it from the inside the command center. That's correct. 285 00:17:53,996 --> 00:17:58,916 Speaker 1: And basically what I was watching was how he didn't 286 00:17:58,916 --> 00:18:04,076 Speaker 1: have an adequate tool. So that then was inspiration for 287 00:18:04,116 --> 00:18:08,916 Speaker 1: me to say, hey, we need to really have adequate tools. 288 00:18:09,276 --> 00:18:12,076 Speaker 1: Part of the problem with a tool was it didn't 289 00:18:12,076 --> 00:18:16,036 Speaker 1: have the ability to describe the way this particular object 290 00:18:16,036 --> 00:18:18,276 Speaker 1: would drift, so you couldn't predict where it was going 291 00:18:18,316 --> 00:18:22,396 Speaker 1: to be. Right, he couldn't certainly do a swamp sailboat 292 00:18:22,476 --> 00:18:26,036 Speaker 1: or something like that, or swamp sailboat and persons in 293 00:18:26,076 --> 00:18:30,756 Speaker 1: the water. At that moment, Art decided to create some 294 00:18:30,836 --> 00:18:34,076 Speaker 1: new knowledge and build it into a new Coastguard search 295 00:18:34,076 --> 00:18:37,556 Speaker 1: and rescue tool. The tool would grab real time ocean 296 00:18:37,596 --> 00:18:40,836 Speaker 1: currents and windspeed faster than the existing tool, but it 297 00:18:40,876 --> 00:18:42,676 Speaker 1: was also going to do something no tool in the 298 00:18:42,676 --> 00:18:47,516 Speaker 1: world was even trying to do. Calculate drift. This was 299 00:18:47,556 --> 00:18:50,236 Speaker 1: not a trivial problem. A person in a life jacket 300 00:18:50,356 --> 00:18:53,836 Speaker 1: moves differently on the sea's surface than a person without one. 301 00:18:54,876 --> 00:18:57,916 Speaker 1: A life raft drifts differently than a fishing trawler, which 302 00:18:58,036 --> 00:19:01,756 Speaker 1: drifts differently than a capsized twenty foot sailboat. Toss a 303 00:19:01,756 --> 00:19:04,156 Speaker 1: bunch of objects into the ocean at the same spot 304 00:19:04,236 --> 00:19:08,276 Speaker 1: at the same time, and pretty soon they're miles from 305 00:19:08,276 --> 00:19:12,756 Speaker 1: each other. Joe Blushtein didn't know that he had his 306 00:19:12,836 --> 00:19:16,836 Speaker 1: own particular drift, But as he drifted on the dark ocean, 307 00:19:17,636 --> 00:19:21,716 Speaker 1: he had time to think. And what he did as 308 00:19:21,756 --> 00:19:25,276 Speaker 1: he drifted is what people do. He tried to make 309 00:19:25,356 --> 00:19:29,516 Speaker 1: sense of things in the form of a story before 310 00:19:29,556 --> 00:19:32,596 Speaker 1: the story ended. You know, I grew up in a 311 00:19:32,676 --> 00:19:37,876 Speaker 1: Christian home and went to church religiously. You could say 312 00:19:37,916 --> 00:19:40,676 Speaker 1: they took me to church, you know, Bible believing Jesus 313 00:19:40,676 --> 00:19:47,236 Speaker 1: believing folks. And I knew like I wasn't really following 314 00:19:47,596 --> 00:19:49,476 Speaker 1: what the Bible was teaching at the time. You know, 315 00:19:49,516 --> 00:19:54,316 Speaker 1: I was young, stupid, partying whatever, you know, And I 316 00:19:54,436 --> 00:19:57,996 Speaker 1: realized that I couldn't do it myself. What was happening 317 00:19:58,036 --> 00:20:01,996 Speaker 1: out there, out there alone on the ocean. Joe sensed 318 00:20:01,996 --> 00:20:05,356 Speaker 1: that he'd made a mistake. He blamed himself for what 319 00:20:05,396 --> 00:20:09,076 Speaker 1: was happening. So I called God's name and I started 320 00:20:09,196 --> 00:20:17,116 Speaker 1: praying to him, and he just strengthened me. Now in 321 00:20:17,196 --> 00:20:20,836 Speaker 1: everything that happened to him, Joe felt this invisible hand. 322 00:20:21,916 --> 00:20:25,356 Speaker 1: At one point, my one leg started to cramp and 323 00:20:26,636 --> 00:20:30,036 Speaker 1: I realized this, you know, if I lose my legs, 324 00:20:30,036 --> 00:20:35,316 Speaker 1: I'm done. And you know, at that point, I start 325 00:20:35,356 --> 00:20:39,036 Speaker 1: praying a bit more, and I at one point I 326 00:20:39,116 --> 00:20:44,596 Speaker 1: really was ready to meet my maker, and I already 327 00:20:44,596 --> 00:20:49,356 Speaker 1: thought about how to drown myself with the least amount 328 00:20:49,356 --> 00:20:53,316 Speaker 1: of pain. So, you know, I thought in my mind, 329 00:20:53,396 --> 00:20:56,836 Speaker 1: like I'm gonna just let out all the air out 330 00:20:56,836 --> 00:21:01,156 Speaker 1: of my lungs, go as deep as I can, and 331 00:21:01,476 --> 00:21:04,516 Speaker 1: just you know, suck up salt water and just be 332 00:21:04,596 --> 00:21:07,356 Speaker 1: done with it. Because I was so exhausted. And then 333 00:21:07,396 --> 00:21:10,596 Speaker 1: I start praying even harder and harder, and then my 334 00:21:10,676 --> 00:21:13,836 Speaker 1: second leg started to cramp, and I started rubbing one 335 00:21:13,916 --> 00:21:17,716 Speaker 1: leg out, you know, like with my hands. I'm probably 336 00:21:18,316 --> 00:21:22,796 Speaker 1: six hours in already all this and trying to keep afloat, 337 00:21:23,676 --> 00:21:26,396 Speaker 1: and he just gave me the strength. Michael, like the 338 00:21:26,756 --> 00:21:29,276 Speaker 1: story that I'm telling you, It's not like for me, 339 00:21:29,316 --> 00:21:32,156 Speaker 1: it's physically impossible, you know what I mean. You were 340 00:21:32,196 --> 00:21:34,956 Speaker 1: able to keep yourself afloat for six hours? Yeah, I 341 00:21:35,036 --> 00:21:38,316 Speaker 1: was more like eight hours. Yes, it's physically impossible. Like 342 00:21:38,476 --> 00:21:40,916 Speaker 1: for me right now, it's physically impossible. I have a 343 00:21:40,956 --> 00:21:43,276 Speaker 1: pool in my backyard. I mean I could barely do 344 00:21:43,316 --> 00:21:48,436 Speaker 1: two laps around the pool, you know, like seriously and 345 00:21:48,436 --> 00:21:50,956 Speaker 1: and and it's just during the time that I was 346 00:21:50,996 --> 00:21:53,236 Speaker 1: out there, I had I was floating on my back, 347 00:21:53,276 --> 00:21:55,756 Speaker 1: and I had a white I'm pretty sure it was 348 00:21:55,796 --> 00:22:01,316 Speaker 1: a seagull. And this bird just kind of zoomed by me, 349 00:22:01,436 --> 00:22:06,636 Speaker 1: like probably two inches from my nose and flew away. 350 00:22:07,276 --> 00:22:11,236 Speaker 1: And this happened probably about that whole night. It probably 351 00:22:11,276 --> 00:22:14,196 Speaker 1: happened about four or five times. And I know it 352 00:22:14,236 --> 00:22:19,556 Speaker 1: was just God just sending me like signals of life. 353 00:22:20,436 --> 00:22:23,756 Speaker 1: Joe had rediscovered his faith, but he also had at 354 00:22:23,836 --> 00:22:26,396 Speaker 1: least two other things going for him. He was a 355 00:22:26,436 --> 00:22:30,356 Speaker 1: big guy, his body fat warmed and floated him. The 356 00:22:30,396 --> 00:22:33,276 Speaker 1: second thing he had going for him a man with 357 00:22:33,396 --> 00:22:42,276 Speaker 1: special powers. Art Allen. Welcome back to against the Rules. 358 00:22:49,036 --> 00:22:51,476 Speaker 1: Art Allen had watched the mother and her child die 359 00:22:52,276 --> 00:22:54,356 Speaker 1: on that morning in May of two thousand and one. 360 00:22:55,516 --> 00:22:59,476 Speaker 1: He returned home and went looking for anything written anywhere 361 00:22:59,516 --> 00:23:03,396 Speaker 1: in the world about how objects drift. There was only 362 00:23:03,436 --> 00:23:06,596 Speaker 1: one good study done back in the nineteen fifties in 363 00:23:06,636 --> 00:23:11,276 Speaker 1: Hawaii by a Coastguard commander named W. E. Chaplain who 364 00:23:11,316 --> 00:23:14,436 Speaker 1: had grown weary of not finding people. But the guy 365 00:23:14,476 --> 00:23:17,316 Speaker 1: had only studied a few objects, a couple of surfboards, 366 00:23:17,316 --> 00:23:20,716 Speaker 1: and small fishing boats. There was no real body of knowledge, 367 00:23:21,316 --> 00:23:26,796 Speaker 1: no expertise, so Art decided to create it all by himself, 368 00:23:27,116 --> 00:23:30,956 Speaker 1: without anyone asking him to. He just started tossing objects 369 00:23:30,956 --> 00:23:34,356 Speaker 1: into the Long Island Sound near his home and measuring 370 00:23:34,356 --> 00:23:38,356 Speaker 1: how they moved. So persons in the water, it's really clear. 371 00:23:38,436 --> 00:23:40,956 Speaker 1: We want to know how. It was assumed that people 372 00:23:40,956 --> 00:23:43,516 Speaker 1: in the water drifted one hundred percent with the currents. Well, 373 00:23:43,516 --> 00:23:45,396 Speaker 1: that turns out not to be true. And then we 374 00:23:45,476 --> 00:23:50,716 Speaker 1: have life rafts, life rafts with canopies, without canopies. Then 375 00:23:50,756 --> 00:23:54,956 Speaker 1: we have things like surfboards and kayaks, and then we 376 00:23:55,076 --> 00:24:00,596 Speaker 1: have skiffs and Boston whalers. To anyone else, it would 377 00:24:00,596 --> 00:24:04,596 Speaker 1: have seemed incredibly tedious just tossing all these objects into 378 00:24:04,636 --> 00:24:07,916 Speaker 1: the water and watching how they moved. Sometimes Art was 379 00:24:07,956 --> 00:24:10,316 Speaker 1: on duty, but a lot of times he wasn't. He 380 00:24:10,476 --> 00:24:16,716 Speaker 1: was basically working for free, but he loved it. By 381 00:24:16,756 --> 00:24:20,436 Speaker 1: two thousand and seven, he had created mathematical equations to 382 00:24:20,516 --> 00:24:24,476 Speaker 1: describe the drift of sixty eight different objects the way 383 00:24:24,516 --> 00:24:27,676 Speaker 1: sixty eight different objects moved on the open sea in 384 00:24:27,756 --> 00:24:30,596 Speaker 1: relation to the wind and the currents. One of the 385 00:24:30,636 --> 00:24:35,236 Speaker 1: objects was a small capsized sailboat. Art used his new 386 00:24:35,356 --> 00:24:38,756 Speaker 1: data to recreate the failed Coastguard search of Sinco de 387 00:24:38,836 --> 00:24:42,276 Speaker 1: Mayo two thousand and one after the fact. Could you 388 00:24:42,356 --> 00:24:45,876 Speaker 1: see that they've looked in completely the wrong place after 389 00:24:45,956 --> 00:24:48,836 Speaker 1: the fact. What I did later on, when I had 390 00:24:48,956 --> 00:24:52,916 Speaker 1: access to proper title currents for the Chesapeake Bay and 391 00:24:53,596 --> 00:24:57,076 Speaker 1: still had the winds from that day that basically brought 392 00:24:57,116 --> 00:25:00,436 Speaker 1: it across the bay to where they were located. He'd 393 00:25:00,436 --> 00:25:03,796 Speaker 1: been right all those years ago in Portsmouth. A better 394 00:25:03,836 --> 00:25:07,196 Speaker 1: tool would have saved the mother and the child. He'd 395 00:25:07,236 --> 00:25:11,516 Speaker 1: been right. They didn't have to die. The US government 396 00:25:11,516 --> 00:25:13,516 Speaker 1: had just needed to figure out something no one at 397 00:25:13,516 --> 00:25:17,076 Speaker 1: the time knew. Art had figured it out. He'd made 398 00:25:17,116 --> 00:25:21,196 Speaker 1: himself the world's expert on how objects drift. Now it 399 00:25:21,316 --> 00:25:23,476 Speaker 1: was just a matter of teaching every Coastguard search and 400 00:25:23,556 --> 00:25:27,796 Speaker 1: rescue person how to use the expertise. We've traveled around 401 00:25:27,796 --> 00:25:32,396 Speaker 1: the country basically for two months implementing this. Can you 402 00:25:32,396 --> 00:25:35,916 Speaker 1: think of any examples of things that were found that 403 00:25:36,116 --> 00:25:38,796 Speaker 1: in a previous generation never would have been found? Oh? 404 00:25:38,876 --> 00:25:42,476 Speaker 1: I think. And a month later we had a guy 405 00:25:42,556 --> 00:25:45,596 Speaker 1: fall off a cruise vessel off Miami and we found him. 406 00:25:46,516 --> 00:25:49,556 Speaker 1: Here I need to stop to say something about experts. 407 00:25:50,836 --> 00:25:54,876 Speaker 1: They absolutely suck at telling their own stories. I mean 408 00:25:55,356 --> 00:25:58,796 Speaker 1: really suck. Think of all the great stories in Western culture, 409 00:25:59,036 --> 00:26:02,636 Speaker 1: the parables and the fairy tales and the myths, where's 410 00:26:02,636 --> 00:26:06,676 Speaker 1: the expert in them? Nowhere there are oracles and prophets 411 00:26:06,676 --> 00:26:10,036 Speaker 1: and witches and wizards, characters who just magically no stuff, 412 00:26:10,596 --> 00:26:12,676 Speaker 1: but no one who actually starts from a position of 413 00:26:12,716 --> 00:26:17,316 Speaker 1: ignorance and works his way slowly towards deep understanding. It's 414 00:26:17,436 --> 00:26:20,556 Speaker 1: very nearly the definition of the expert that they resist 415 00:26:20,596 --> 00:26:24,636 Speaker 1: finding a narrative about their work, never mind promoting its value. 416 00:26:25,396 --> 00:26:28,596 Speaker 1: And so in the end, the experts we need wind 417 00:26:28,676 --> 00:26:34,956 Speaker 1: up being considered expendable. The federal government will shut down tonight, 418 00:26:35,196 --> 00:26:37,916 Speaker 1: That is the bottom line. After days of wrangling. During 419 00:26:37,956 --> 00:26:41,356 Speaker 1: government shutdowns, Art Allen will find himself classified as a 420 00:26:41,436 --> 00:26:46,476 Speaker 1: non essential worker and furloughed without pay. In twenty nineteen, 421 00:26:46,516 --> 00:26:49,556 Speaker 1: he'll retire without ever teaching anyone how they might advance 422 00:26:49,596 --> 00:26:53,916 Speaker 1: his expertise. Because the government won't even try to replace him. 423 00:26:54,156 --> 00:26:57,556 Speaker 1: Art will never actually receive any recognition from his former employer, 424 00:26:57,876 --> 00:27:09,956 Speaker 1: the US government. The Taiwanese government will send Art a 425 00:27:09,956 --> 00:27:13,476 Speaker 1: coffee mug with his name in English and song lyrics 426 00:27:13,596 --> 00:27:16,076 Speaker 1: written in Chinese. This was to thank you for the 427 00:27:16,116 --> 00:27:20,436 Speaker 1: lives his work saved in the waters around Taiwan. Art 428 00:27:20,436 --> 00:27:24,196 Speaker 1: says he doesn't know what the song means. He actually 429 00:27:24,196 --> 00:27:26,796 Speaker 1: didn't even know it was a song, but at least 430 00:27:26,836 --> 00:27:37,836 Speaker 1: there was a mug with his name on it. Our 431 00:27:37,916 --> 00:27:41,676 Speaker 1: next award tonight is for Management Excellence. It recognizes federal 432 00:27:41,716 --> 00:27:47,276 Speaker 1: employees whose accomplishments help our governments serve citizens more efficiently 433 00:27:47,316 --> 00:27:51,876 Speaker 1: and effectively. Their work often involves important processes and procedures 434 00:27:51,876 --> 00:27:55,796 Speaker 1: the public doesn't hear about. Typically, so badly do experts 435 00:27:55,796 --> 00:27:59,356 Speaker 1: suck at telling their stories that Max Steyer was forced 436 00:27:59,356 --> 00:28:02,636 Speaker 1: to dream up an entire weird award show where he 437 00:28:02,636 --> 00:28:06,156 Speaker 1: could tell their stories for them. Another person who I 438 00:28:06,236 --> 00:28:10,036 Speaker 1: love is Markiken, who is at the National Oceanic and 439 00:28:10,076 --> 00:28:14,916 Speaker 1: Atmospheric Administration otherwise known as Noah, and his expertise is 440 00:28:15,036 --> 00:28:18,676 Speaker 1: on coral and what he has been able to do 441 00:28:18,836 --> 00:28:23,116 Speaker 1: is to understand how to use data to figure out 442 00:28:23,116 --> 00:28:28,236 Speaker 1: when the oceans are going to warm sufficiently around coral reasons. 443 00:28:28,236 --> 00:28:30,796 Speaker 1: Max is the only one trying to tell the stories, 444 00:28:31,356 --> 00:28:34,476 Speaker 1: and Max is the first to admit that even he 445 00:28:34,596 --> 00:28:37,516 Speaker 1: doesn't really know how to tell a story and be 446 00:28:37,596 --> 00:28:40,756 Speaker 1: able to give notice to local communities so they can 447 00:28:40,796 --> 00:28:45,356 Speaker 1: actually do various things to prevent the real harm from happening. 448 00:28:45,396 --> 00:28:47,716 Speaker 1: And that can include even you know, it's funny, Let 449 00:28:47,796 --> 00:28:50,476 Speaker 1: stop your verse. The problem isn't the talent in the 450 00:28:50,516 --> 00:28:55,076 Speaker 1: American population. The problem is the way it's used in 451 00:28:55,116 --> 00:28:59,796 Speaker 1: that we have this vessel in which this expertise can 452 00:28:59,876 --> 00:29:02,756 Speaker 1: be grown. It's like a Petri dish for growing expertise. 453 00:29:02,836 --> 00:29:05,316 Speaker 1: Art Allen would never have grown his expertise outside of 454 00:29:05,316 --> 00:29:07,636 Speaker 1: the US government. He wouldn't have had the resources or 455 00:29:07,676 --> 00:29:11,156 Speaker 1: even really the reason to toss a thousand objects into 456 00:29:11,196 --> 00:29:14,156 Speaker 1: the Long Island Sound and see how they drifted. And 457 00:29:14,436 --> 00:29:16,956 Speaker 1: he just wouldn't have done it right. Exactly. It's the 458 00:29:16,956 --> 00:29:21,156 Speaker 1: collective asset. So there is no way that we can 459 00:29:21,196 --> 00:29:27,516 Speaker 1: reproduce that critical pool of expertise through you know, nonprofit 460 00:29:27,756 --> 00:29:33,356 Speaker 1: or corporate collective action. It doesn't work. So you need 461 00:29:33,396 --> 00:29:36,356 Speaker 1: I mean, it's part of our democracy, like it, you know, 462 00:29:36,436 --> 00:29:39,396 Speaker 1: having an effective government. You need that in order to 463 00:29:39,436 --> 00:29:42,836 Speaker 1: be able to survive and thrive in the crazy world 464 00:29:42,916 --> 00:29:45,756 Speaker 1: we live in. So let me tell you what happened 465 00:29:46,036 --> 00:29:48,716 Speaker 1: right after Art's new tool got rolled out back in 466 00:29:48,756 --> 00:29:52,676 Speaker 1: two thousand and seven, all the details that Art left out. 467 00:29:53,676 --> 00:29:56,196 Speaker 1: The first thing that happened was a blind, drunk, three 468 00:29:56,316 --> 00:29:59,716 Speaker 1: hundred pound American man ran out of his cruise ship 469 00:29:59,756 --> 00:30:03,996 Speaker 1: window seventy five miles off the Florida coast. He dropped 470 00:30:04,036 --> 00:30:08,036 Speaker 1: sixty feet into the water. The ship's cameras recorded exactly 471 00:30:08,076 --> 00:30:11,276 Speaker 1: where and when the guy had gone overboard, so they 472 00:30:11,276 --> 00:30:13,916 Speaker 1: had a starting point. And because Art had figured out 473 00:30:14,196 --> 00:30:17,876 Speaker 1: exactly how a person without a lifejacket drifted, the coastguard 474 00:30:17,956 --> 00:30:21,436 Speaker 1: knew where the lost passenger was likely to be. Eight 475 00:30:21,476 --> 00:30:23,796 Speaker 1: hours after the guy ran out of his cabin window. 476 00:30:24,276 --> 00:30:27,636 Speaker 1: Art's equations led the coastguard right to him, drifting in 477 00:30:27,676 --> 00:30:31,836 Speaker 1: open waters. To this day, that guy is, somehow, in 478 00:30:31,916 --> 00:30:36,636 Speaker 1: spite of himself, very much alive. You can google all this. 479 00:30:37,316 --> 00:30:39,796 Speaker 1: You'll find a bunch of stories about the obvious drama 480 00:30:39,836 --> 00:30:42,596 Speaker 1: of pulling this guy from the water. But you'll only 481 00:30:42,636 --> 00:30:45,556 Speaker 1: find one story, it's in the Baltimore Sun, about the 482 00:30:45,636 --> 00:30:50,316 Speaker 1: drama behind the Coastguard's new search tool. You'll find zero 483 00:30:50,356 --> 00:30:54,476 Speaker 1: mentions of Art Allen. Art Allen's tool has now saved 484 00:30:54,556 --> 00:30:58,356 Speaker 1: thousands of lives. The coastguards pluck so many people from 485 00:30:58,396 --> 00:31:00,596 Speaker 1: the ocean that it no longer even makes the news 486 00:31:00,636 --> 00:31:04,276 Speaker 1: when they do it. If Joe Bluestein had gone over 487 00:31:04,316 --> 00:31:06,996 Speaker 1: the side of his brother's boat before two thousand and seven, 488 00:31:07,556 --> 00:31:10,996 Speaker 1: he'd have been gone forever. But he went overboard seven 489 00:31:11,116 --> 00:31:14,836 Speaker 1: years after that. One thirty two o'clock in the morning, 490 00:31:15,996 --> 00:31:20,356 Speaker 1: I saw a light that was probably closest, not probably, 491 00:31:20,396 --> 00:31:23,116 Speaker 1: I'm pretty certain it was the closest that I saw 492 00:31:23,156 --> 00:31:27,556 Speaker 1: that night. And I start screaming, and I start whistling 493 00:31:27,796 --> 00:31:31,196 Speaker 1: because I could whistle very very loud, like very loud. 494 00:31:31,476 --> 00:31:33,956 Speaker 1: If you want, I could whistle right now for you, yes, please. 495 00:31:38,796 --> 00:31:41,156 Speaker 1: And I started whistling. It was even louder back then, 496 00:31:42,836 --> 00:31:45,876 Speaker 1: and I saw the lights on the boat. They stopped, 497 00:31:47,476 --> 00:31:50,276 Speaker 1: and I realized that somebody heard me, that they heard me, 498 00:31:50,916 --> 00:31:53,396 Speaker 1: that they were close enough to hear him. Whistle was 499 00:31:53,556 --> 00:31:57,156 Speaker 1: to Joe, just another in a long string of miracles. 500 00:31:57,836 --> 00:32:00,676 Speaker 1: I saw that those lights getting closer and closer, and 501 00:32:00,756 --> 00:32:03,476 Speaker 1: they got the spotlight on me, and they found me. 502 00:32:04,196 --> 00:32:08,076 Speaker 1: They threw me a LifeRing with the rope. I grabbed 503 00:32:08,116 --> 00:32:14,276 Speaker 1: that thing like my life depended on it. No pun intended. Yeah, 504 00:32:14,316 --> 00:32:17,796 Speaker 1: and they pulled me in and I was like just 505 00:32:17,916 --> 00:32:21,796 Speaker 1: completely drained, exhausted. And I'm a big guy, you know. 506 00:32:21,836 --> 00:32:24,316 Speaker 1: I was like two fifty at the time, two hundred 507 00:32:24,316 --> 00:32:27,196 Speaker 1: and fifty pounds, and they pulled me in and I 508 00:32:27,276 --> 00:32:30,876 Speaker 1: crawled on that boat and I told him thank you. 509 00:32:31,316 --> 00:32:35,156 Speaker 1: Were they surprised they found you? They didn't show it, 510 00:32:35,676 --> 00:32:40,236 Speaker 1: but yeah, yeah they were. They were very surprised, and 511 00:32:40,276 --> 00:32:44,996 Speaker 1: were you. I was very surprised. I mean, you really 512 00:32:44,996 --> 00:32:48,076 Speaker 1: are almost invisible, a little person in the ocean in 513 00:32:48,116 --> 00:32:50,276 Speaker 1: the middle of the night. They told me later on, 514 00:32:50,316 --> 00:32:53,836 Speaker 1: It's like finding a needle in a stack. No media 515 00:32:53,956 --> 00:32:56,676 Speaker 1: reached out to Joe. He went home to New Jersey 516 00:32:56,676 --> 00:32:59,756 Speaker 1: the next day and told his story only when called 517 00:32:59,796 --> 00:33:04,956 Speaker 1: upon to do so. I told it in three churches. Basically, 518 00:33:04,956 --> 00:33:09,316 Speaker 1: this is my testimony. My parents' church, my church where 519 00:33:09,356 --> 00:33:13,196 Speaker 1: I go to, and my brother's church. I've had a 520 00:33:13,196 --> 00:33:18,236 Speaker 1: few people record me. Also for my wife's cousin's church, 521 00:33:18,396 --> 00:33:21,996 Speaker 1: and for the youth there in Portland, Oregon. And I'm 522 00:33:22,036 --> 00:33:25,676 Speaker 1: telling you right now. When we reached out to Joe, 523 00:33:25,716 --> 00:33:28,316 Speaker 1: he couldn't have been nicer about it or more open, 524 00:33:28,956 --> 00:33:30,956 Speaker 1: But he was aware that there might be other ways 525 00:33:30,996 --> 00:33:34,156 Speaker 1: to tell his story, and he wanted to insist on 526 00:33:34,196 --> 00:33:37,396 Speaker 1: his own version. The coast guard found me. I give 527 00:33:37,436 --> 00:33:41,036 Speaker 1: them the credit that they deserve, but just can you 528 00:33:41,076 --> 00:33:45,756 Speaker 1: please put in there that, like, through my Lord Savior 529 00:33:45,876 --> 00:33:50,076 Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, thank God that this all transpired the way 530 00:33:50,076 --> 00:33:54,916 Speaker 1: it did, because you guys are talking to a miracle. 531 00:33:55,196 --> 00:33:58,916 Speaker 1: I mean, like, whether you believe or not, you guys 532 00:33:58,916 --> 00:34:02,756 Speaker 1: are talking to an a miracle right now, we are 533 00:34:02,836 --> 00:34:07,516 Speaker 1: talking to a miracle. Two miracles. Actually, the other miracle, 534 00:34:08,116 --> 00:34:12,916 Speaker 1: the ordinary mirror, is Art Allen that a person decides 535 00:34:12,996 --> 00:34:17,236 Speaker 1: all by himself to become an expert on drift. His 536 00:34:17,396 --> 00:34:21,556 Speaker 1: expertise changes the world. What he's done becomes so woven 537 00:34:21,676 --> 00:34:25,196 Speaker 1: into daily life that we don't even see it. We 538 00:34:25,276 --> 00:34:28,476 Speaker 1: cease to include it in the stories we tell. The 539 00:34:28,596 --> 00:34:32,996 Speaker 1: experts can't really defend themselves. Telling stories is almost the 540 00:34:33,036 --> 00:34:36,436 Speaker 1: opposite of what experts to do, even when they have 541 00:34:36,516 --> 00:34:40,316 Speaker 1: great ones to tell. And then you know this is 542 00:34:40,476 --> 00:34:44,756 Speaker 1: universal that once you get exposed to the search and 543 00:34:44,836 --> 00:34:54,836 Speaker 1: rescue world, it's there's something passionate about what is this? 544 00:34:55,036 --> 00:35:08,996 Speaker 1: What's passionate about it? You're saving them? Excuse me, there's 545 00:35:09,116 --> 00:35:15,756 Speaker 1: saving wise, Oh, the most desperate people, you know, it 546 00:35:15,876 --> 00:35:19,476 Speaker 1: must be. It's very similar to say, working you know, 547 00:35:19,516 --> 00:35:23,476 Speaker 1: in an emergency room. We're we're pulling, literally pulling people 548 00:35:23,476 --> 00:35:26,116 Speaker 1: out of the water that would be dead within hours. 549 00:35:28,596 --> 00:35:31,796 Speaker 1: When they pluck a man out of sea who who, 550 00:35:31,876 --> 00:35:34,636 Speaker 1: you know, any other time in human history would have 551 00:35:34,676 --> 00:35:39,716 Speaker 1: been dead. Is there any awareness of in the general public, 552 00:35:39,796 --> 00:35:42,596 Speaker 1: or in the news reporting, or in the man himself 553 00:35:43,036 --> 00:35:45,876 Speaker 1: that like this is different or did people just kind 554 00:35:45,876 --> 00:35:48,956 Speaker 1: of move along like, oh, yeah, now we can do this. Well, 555 00:35:48,996 --> 00:35:53,876 Speaker 1: you know, the what you see is very spectacular footage 556 00:35:53,916 --> 00:35:58,836 Speaker 1: from our helicopters lowering the basket to survivors, and the 557 00:35:59,196 --> 00:36:03,516 Speaker 1: helicopter crews and the air crews. They're all heroes and 558 00:36:03,796 --> 00:36:07,756 Speaker 1: very difficult job and deserve all the kind of they get. 559 00:36:10,876 --> 00:36:14,036 Speaker 1: And then there's a little bit bringing it back to 560 00:36:14,196 --> 00:36:18,396 Speaker 1: the science. But I'm a long ways away from shaking 561 00:36:18,436 --> 00:36:23,956 Speaker 1: a hand of someone whose life I've saved. But in 562 00:36:23,996 --> 00:36:29,316 Speaker 1: one case, the case of Joe Blushtain, that wasn't quite true. 563 00:36:30,556 --> 00:36:32,756 Speaker 1: A few months after his rescue, Joe returned to the 564 00:36:32,756 --> 00:36:35,716 Speaker 1: Coastguard station in Long Beach to thank the guys who 565 00:36:35,836 --> 00:36:38,556 Speaker 1: pulled him out of the water. A local TV station 566 00:36:38,596 --> 00:36:41,236 Speaker 1: found the moment so touching that they showed up to 567 00:36:41,236 --> 00:36:44,636 Speaker 1: film it. But dramatic Rescue at Sea is remembered today 568 00:36:44,676 --> 00:36:47,076 Speaker 1: as the man who survived the ordeal thanks to the 569 00:36:47,116 --> 00:36:50,756 Speaker 1: Coastguard personnel who saved his life on that very day 570 00:36:51,396 --> 00:36:55,156 Speaker 1: by sheer accident. Art Allen was in that same Coastguard 571 00:36:55,196 --> 00:36:58,756 Speaker 1: station to upgrade their search tools. He slipped in and 572 00:36:58,756 --> 00:37:02,356 Speaker 1: watched the ceremony. No one mentioned Art Allen's name or 573 00:37:02,396 --> 00:37:06,516 Speaker 1: what he had done. The cameras never found him, nor 574 00:37:06,596 --> 00:37:09,636 Speaker 1: did Joe Blushtain. Joe is at the ont of the room, 575 00:37:09,676 --> 00:37:13,196 Speaker 1: pinning medals on the rescue crew. In the back, a 576 00:37:13,276 --> 00:37:16,436 Speaker 1: Coastguard colleague leaned over to Art and whispered in his ear, 577 00:37:17,596 --> 00:37:30,036 Speaker 1: just two words. Nice job. Against the Rules is written 578 00:37:30,036 --> 00:37:33,236 Speaker 1: and hosted by me Michael Lewis and produced by Catherine 579 00:37:33,276 --> 00:37:37,596 Speaker 1: Girardo and Lydia Jeancott. Julia Barton is our editor, with 580 00:37:37,636 --> 00:37:42,196 Speaker 1: additional editing by Audrey Dilling. Beth Johnson is our fact checker, 581 00:37:42,476 --> 00:37:46,676 Speaker 1: and Mia Lobell executive produces. Our music is created by 582 00:37:46,796 --> 00:37:51,756 Speaker 1: John Evans and Matthias Bossi of Stellwagon Symphonette. We record 583 00:37:51,796 --> 00:37:55,956 Speaker 1: our show at Berkeley Advanced Media Studios, expertly helmed by 584 00:37:55,996 --> 00:38:01,556 Speaker 1: Tofa Ruth. Thanks also to Jacob Weisberg, Heather Fain, John Snars, 585 00:38:01,836 --> 00:38:08,756 Speaker 1: Carly Migliori, Christina Sullivan, Eric Sandler, Maggie Taylor, Nicole Morano, Royston, 586 00:38:08,796 --> 00:38:15,516 Speaker 1: bas Daniella Lacan, Mary Beth Smith, and Jason Gambrel. Against 587 00:38:15,516 --> 00:38:19,036 Speaker 1: the Rules is a production of Pushkin Industries. Keep in touch, 588 00:38:19,476 --> 00:38:22,836 Speaker 1: sign up for Pushkin's newsletter at pushkin dot fm, or 589 00:38:22,916 --> 00:38:27,516 Speaker 1: follow at Pushkin Pods. To find more Pushkin podcasts, listen 590 00:38:27,556 --> 00:38:31,716 Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 591 00:38:31,756 --> 00:38:41,356 Speaker 1: to podcasts. Do you still fish? Oh? Absolutely, you still 592 00:38:41,396 --> 00:38:43,196 Speaker 1: got it? You will still go on out on a boat. 593 00:38:43,556 --> 00:38:46,156 Speaker 1: I was ready to go the next day like no, no, no, 594 00:38:46,316 --> 00:38:50,916 Speaker 1: no jokes. I'm amazed. I got I got Michael, I 595 00:38:50,956 --> 00:38:52,436 Speaker 1: got salt running through my veins.