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Printed from https://web1.writing.com/main/profile/blog/jim-d
by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 13+ · Book · Travel · #1779685

Being Retired now, I thought that it was time for a new name to this Blog

         Talk about perks, my career had one of the best I can think of! I traveled in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I was a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and taught classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2-way radio communications. I knew that when the time arrived that I would retire, and I have. I've always said that if you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, get out! I can't handle the heat anymore. I was qualified to deliver approximately 32 different classes, but about half of those were 'Legacy' classes, and were not in demand anymore. My students were technicians, those who maintained, programmed, calibrated, and repaired large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I traveled, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where have I been?

         Some of the places I've been (I can't list them all here, the list would be toio long) are pretty interesting.

         1. Hawaii - Four times, Oahu, Maui (twice), and the Big Island
         2. BangkokThailand, twice
         3. Frankfurt Germany, twice
         4. Algiers, Algeria
         5. Melbourne Australia
         6. Bismarck North Dakota, Summer & Winter
         7. Los Angeles, Too many times to count
         8. Washington DC, Too many times to count
         9. Seattle three or four times
         10. Texas, all over the state
         11. Florida, all over the state
         12. New Mexico, HOME! Several times


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July 23, 2025 at 11:10am
July 23, 2025 at 11:10am
#1093960
I'm A Great-Grandfather?



         Yep, I'm A Great-Grandfather? Three times over now. I have two Great-Grand Daughters, ages 1 & 2, and a newborn Great-Grandson, born July 7th, 2025. I haven't said much about them though, since only one of my Grand-daughters is now married. The other two are not married, and a bit young for my taste. Not to worry though, they are not underage!

         The plan for today is to go shopping for newborn clothes. My Great-Grandson was born weighing only 5 lbs, 14.5 oz. Our children were a lot heavier, weighing from 8 lbs 15 oz to 9 lb 7 oz! I've been told by Grandma that if we buy diapers, get newborn size, and if we buy clothes, to get Preemie size. I'm just not used to babies this small!

         So today is a shopping day. Maybe I can talk my wife into lunch somewhere too. It would be nice, we haven't gone out much at all with this high heat we're having. I have to laugh at the term high heat though. It's only 83 out right now, the high is supposed to be in the low 90's. That's not overly hot to me; Hell, the Engineroom on a Submarine (where I stood watch and worked) were typically in the upper 90's, during drills it wasn't uncommon to exceed 100! But... Humidity was low then, I was a young man; plus I weighed a lot less. Yes it's true. Fat men sweat a lot easier than a thin one.

         Other than shopping, it's going to be a lazy day. We're still looking at Motorhomes. I want us to get to Indianapolis tomorrow. There are a couple of very nice Navion's in various lots. We'll see what happens with that, huh.
July 17, 2025 at 4:57pm
July 17, 2025 at 4:57pm
#1093600
Storm Damage, Workers Clearing Tree 7/17/25



         After yesterday's storm, today was a cleaning up day. Not for us necessarily, but for our neighbor. The sad thing is, our neighbor is moving to the St. Louis area soon, he was down there when the storm hit yesterday. Today Four Seasons Tree and Landscaping Service showed up (after lunch), and proceeded to remove the tree! There were a couple of things that I was impressed by right away.

         First, I was impressed by their approach to safety. Seriously, everything they did was safe, at least in my somewhat inexperienced eye. One of the men was a little crazy too, he had no fear of heights it seemed. He was in a lift bucket, and up about 25-30 feet above the ground. I will say that he didn't have a lanyard on that would save him should he fall, however there was no place for him to tie off either. He also left the lift bucket to get on the roof at times, and never had a safety harness on. Again, no place to tie off. Still, their work was quick and safe (it still took over 3 hours to get that branch cleared off the roof).

         Secondly, their teamwork was something else. These men knew what their job was, as a team they were efficient. Being as old as I am, I was impressed by their strength and workmanship. I got tired watching them too! *Laugh*



         Four Seasons Lawn & Tree Service didn't have a crane to use in the tree removal, so one was leased for the afternoon from Litwiler Tree Service. Of course Litwiler provided their own crane crew, no surprise there. As I was typing this, they started working on the part of the tree that was still upright. We watched for a couple of minutes, then an accident occurred. At least no one injured, but we lost about 10 feet of our fence. The crane lost its grip on the tree trunk it was lifting and it crashed to the ground, taking out part of our fence, and part of the neighbors fence. There's a large area (about 8 feet long) where the wooden fence was just removed by the falling tree. We'll see where we go from here! I will be uploading my photos to Google Drive should anyone want to view them.




Jim Dorrell
July 16, 2025 at 8:54pm
July 16, 2025 at 8:54pm
#1093562
What A Day It's Been!


         How is your day/evening going? I hope this fine you well, with everything alright in your neighborhood. Not necessarily here. Let me explain.

         Let's start with thi morning. This morning I found a van, not a Class B Motorhome, but what's termed a Class B+ Van. I looked it over and fell in love, even though they're asking a little more than we want to pay.



         There was a link on the page that said, "View On Dealer's Website." So I did, and my day fell apart as far as this van goes. Why? Because on that page it said, "Sale Pending". All the air went out of me, I was completely devastated. Of course I got over it. Eventually.

         We had already planned to drive down to Springfield (Illinois) to Camping World, and did. We had been warned by Kathy's sister about Camping World. We weren't going there to buy one, we were going to 'Window Shop'. On the way, the sky looked very threatening, but she said, "No, it's not supposed to rain until this evening." Yeah, famous last words. It poured. I mean POURED. All thoughts of getting out of our van and seeing the rigs was gone. We weren't getting out, no way. Then we saw one we knew we couldn't afford it, probably. It was an older Class A. That didn't stop us from loving it. On the sides were decals of Zombies! On the back, at the top, a decal read Response Team 1. On the front, in the middle, below the Windshield was a decal of two mean looking eyes. On top, a decal read, "The Beast". We never asked anyone about its price, we just assumed we can't afford it, nor do we really want it. We just love it. And I can't find it on Camping Worlds website either., Oh well. After that, dinner, and a drive home, only to find that our neighbor (who's moving down St. Louis way), had a tree fall on his house during that storm.... And he's going to selling it soon. Any buyers?

         That was my day, I hope yours was infinitely better!






July 14, 2025 at 5:41pm
July 14, 2025 at 5:41pm
#1093418
Dang, You Mean I Actually Have WORK To Do?



         Well, I do have some work to get done tonight, work here at home, not 'Work work'. Yeah, my wife (Not me Thank God!) has somehow gotten a virus on her computer. It seems to cause a lot, I do mean A LOT, or pop ups on the right side of the screen. She got it last night after I was in bed. The bad thing is, even though I ran a full McAfee Scan, nothing was found. I might be changing AV software as a result.

         She was on FB reading a story, and like usual, the story has a link to click to finish reading it. She clicked the link, McAfee alerted her about the site, but it was too late. Oh well.

         I've managed to stop the Pop-Ups by activating her VPN. That still left a lot of windows on right side open, at least they can be closed. She's on it now, so once she gets off, I'll restore her PC. I've already backed up all her personal files. It's just a PC Restore now. That might take a while. Plus, reinstalling McAfee (Until I figure out which AV Software we'll use next), and Microsoft Office, and... and... you know.

         Now to see where this little adventure takes us.
July 13, 2025 at 1:08pm
July 13, 2025 at 1:08pm
#1093353
Things I've Done That Most Will Never Do



         I've done a lot in my life, we all have. But I think there are several things I've done that most people will never have the chance to do.

         1. I caught a plate as it flew past my head in a restaurant. I was working in a restaurant, heading to the dish area to drop off a tray of dishes. The person in front of my stopped unexpectedly, forcing me to stop also. And of course the guy behind me, and so on.... But, when the guy behind me stopped, a plate came flying off his tray past my head. I saw it out of the corner of my eye, and calmly reached up and grabbed it out of the air. That guy behind me could not believe what he saw, and exclaimed loudly about it. I didn't even realize what I had done until he said something. I couldn't do that again if I tried.

         2. I was on the Pre-Commissioning Crew of the USS Alabama SSBN 731, and did a couple of things that most will never do. I stood 10-15 feet from the Reactor Core as it was lowered into the boat. The Core is not that radioactive if it has not been taken critical yet. Obviously this one had never been taken critical, so it was 'safe' to be there.

         3. The second thing that I did on the Alabama, was easy. I was the first crewmember to spend the night on the boat. Now you have to understand the state of the Submarine at this time. There were still holes in the hull to for people to walk through. Since the boat's hull is about 43 feet in diameter, if those holes weren't there, everyone would have to climb ladders to reach the top. Those holes just made it easier to get in and out. I spent that first night on board since I was the Engineering Duty Petty Officer (EDPO). There was also an officer in the duty section, the Engineering Duty Officer (EDO). But he got to sleep in a trailer on the pier. I slept in the only bunkroom that had temporary walls assembled. It was noisy too! Why? Because drilling, sanding, cutting going on. As the EDPO, I did a tour of the Engineroom every 4 hours, as did the EDO. We alternated times so one of us toured every 2 hours. One of the crewmen would wake me, I'd shake the grinding dust and dirt from my hair before starting my tour. I'd also be woke by shipyard personnel because welding had been done, necessitating a radiograph of the new weld (All welds of piping and the hull were radiographed). Yeah, it was a fun time standing EDPO. NOT!

         4. In my senior year in High School, I was the Lead Drum Major in the band. The band voted on who would be next year's Drum Major based on their tryout. To be frank, I won in a landslide. It's not that much of a big deal, but how many of us have been a Drum Major?

         So, what have you done in your lifetime that few others have done? I'm interested in knowing things like this.


J D

July 11, 2025 at 12:24pm
July 11, 2025 at 12:24pm
#1093232
How Is A Tire Built?



         Today I thought I'd share how a tire is built. Knowing how a tire is built is not that important, but knowing how and why to care for your tires is. I thought knowing how a tire is built would help you understand why tire care is so important.

         Few people realize how the tires on their vehicle are made. They also don't realize the importance of their tires being properly inflated. So, inflation. There is no tire that can be safe on your vehicle if it's under-inflated. Not a one. That was the majority of the problems with the Ford Explorers in the late 90's and early 2000's. An under-inflated tire will overheat at any speed. The vehicle manufacturer specifies the tire pressure on the vehicle, not the tire manufacturer. Ford had specified a pressure that was too low for Ford Explorers. Why? Because people complained about the rough ride on Ford Explorers. Drive your vehicle over a hot road, maybe in the deep south, with under-inflated tires, and it's going to fail. How will it fail? The tread will become very soft and pliable, and eventually rip off the wheel. Now you're riding on a blend of rubber that is not meant to work as a tread. It will quickly fail, often explosively.

         I worked at the Firestone Tire Plant in Decatur Illinois for six years as a Electrical Maintenance Technician. I learned a lot about tire building, even though I was a Maintenance Technician. This entry is about how tires were made at this plant.

                   So how is a tire built? First, you have to realize that there are about 12 different blends of rubber used on a tire. So, first things first. Rubber, from a rubber tree is naturally white. In an are of the tire plant, Natural and synthetic rubbers are combined with various chemicals like carbon black, silica, and oils to create a rubber compound with specific properties. Depending on where that rubber will be used on the tire will determine how much of each compound is used. This rubber is blended in an area called the Banbury's. In the Firestone Plant I worked at, we used powdered Carbon Black to turn the rubber black. Newer plants use pellets or granules to accomplish this.

         Tire Building
         1. Let's start building a tire. One of the things needed, is the Bead, to seal the tire to the rim. A special blend of rubber is used,. It extrudes from the extruder on to the wire that forms the bead. This wire is wrapped a certain number of times around a cylinder type device. Once the necessary amount of wire is wrapped, it is cut, and moved to the side by the operator.

         2. The all important tread. This is a completely different blend of rubber, mixed to be used as Tread. Another, larger extruder forces the raw, uncured rubber compound through a specialized die plate that gives the tread rubber its specific shape and dimensions. It is cut to length by this machine for the specific tire and placed on flat metal pallets by the operator. The pallets are hinged and hold about 2 lengths of tread per pallet, maybe 10-15 pallets per set.

         3. Sidewall. The sidewall is built much like the Tread using a different rubber compound. It too is cut to length for the specific tire.

         4.. Calenders: There are two calenders used. One makes the Fiberglass belt, the other makes the Steel Belt The Fiberglass calender pulls the fiberglass sheet from a large roll, then pulls it over a series of mills where it has a special blend of rubber milled around it. This is wrapped around a large metal drum for use elsewhere. The Steel Belt Calender pulls the steel from large cylinders and threads them through the same kind of setup used on the Fiberglass Calender. The most important thing in setting this up, is that those steel threads cannot cross! Once the rubber is milled around the metal threads it is wrapped around a large metal drum for use elsewhere.

         3. Tire Building: Now with all the tire components built, the tire is assembled by an operator at a tire machine. Each component is placed in a certain area for use. The components are assembled layer by layer on a tire building machine, forming the "green tire". First, that bead is placed on either side, far apart. The sidewall is then fed to the Tire Machine. Its ends are carefully sealed by the Tire Builder using a hot knife and a special glue. The Fiberglass belt is next, it is cut by the tire builder and sealed. Now the Steel Belt is next, it too is cut to length by the tire builder. The tire builder presses a foot switch to rapidly spin the 'Green Tire. Now the Tread is applied. Remember, that tread is pre-cut for the specific tire being built. The machine is stopped, and the Tire Builder carefully seals the ends with glue. The tire is now complete, and looks a bit like a volcano with a mirror image side to side. The tire is placed on a rack and sent to the curing area. Not that so far, the tire is only held together by glue!

         4. Curing (where I worked in the plant):The green tire is placed in a mold, and heat and pressure are applied using high pressure hot water and steam. This process, known as vulcanization, it bonds the components together and shapes the tire, including imprinting the tread pattern. The mold has a movable top section, and a stationary bottom section. The sections are moved together by the machine, with very high pressure applied to seal the molds together. Each tire is 'baked' for a specified time period, based on the tire being built. Once baking has finished, it is sent to a cooling rack on the press and inflated. Once the cooling period is complete, the tire is discharged to a conveyor belt where it is sent to Final Finish where it is inspected, and a lot of the pin vents are ground off.

         5. Final Finish: Excess material is trimmed, and the tire undergoes rigorous quality control tests, including inflation and balancing, before being placed on a pallet to be stored, and eventually sent to a Firestone store.


July 9, 2025 at 11:50am
July 9, 2025 at 11:50am
#1093100
Road Trip (The Best Laid Plans Of Mice & Men)



         One of my favorite phrases is "The Best Laid Plans Of Mice & Men...." from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse". To me, it means that no matter how well you plan something, Murphy's Law is likely to step in. Let me tell you the complete story.

         We've been considering the purchase of a Motorhome for quite a while really. We've vacillated between getting one and not getting one. Neither of us are big on camping or getting out a lot. We're both in our 70's now, so hiking anywhere is almost a no-go, at least for her. As far as I go, let's just say I'd be the turtle in the Tortoise & Hare race. But we finally decided to get serious, and have been looking for a couple of weeks now.

         I wanted to start small, in fact I wanted a Class B+, a camper van. Somehow she got hooked on a 24 foot Concorde Motorhome in Holland Michigan, and wanted to go see it. So Monday was the day. I wanted to stay overnight in Holland (I was there twice on business), and see things I saw years ago, and anything new too. We packed things up for this overnight stay and loaded us and the dogs into my van, off we went. It was a decent drive, but honestly, it seemed the drivers in Michigan had imbibed in a little too much.... Even though it was the middle of the day. That, or they were just out to get us. I doubt either is true, but Wow....

         We arrived at 4:30, the place closed at 5. As I walked to the door, I met a salesman and gave him the name of the man I'd been in contact with (Josh). He asked if I was there to see the Concorde. I replied yep, and he said, "It was sold this morning!" Is there a need for me to tell you how I felt at that moment? So I went back to the van and told my wife what I had learned. Yeah, her reaction was the same as mine, but stronger. The biggest issue I had was Josh knew we were coming up Monday, knew it was a 4 hour drive, and never sent me a message about it being sold.

         We opted to leave immediately, and decided to head down to Logansport Indiana. From there, we would either head home, or spend the night. That drive was uneventful at least. We ended up staying overnight in Logansport, only to find that most restaurants were closed on Monday. I know that's a thing for smaller towns, but had forgotten it was Monday. C'mon, I'm retired now, the days run together... Buffalo Wild Wings it was for dinner.

         The next mornin we headed to Indianapolis to visit Braun's Fun Time Campers. They had a 2012 24 foot Winnebago View Profile Motorhome, as well as a 2005 Pleasure Way Van (Class B+) listed. Yes, I double checked this time. A quick check of them both at the dealership was enough, the Pleasure Way is a bit too old for my liking, undecided on the Winnebago. Either way, I thought we'd cut our losses and head home. That drive was pleasant, as pleasant as can be. Ahhh, The Best Laid Plans Of Mice & Men. So we didn't even test drive one, let alone see what we could get as far as pricing goes. The hunt continues.... Next up is a 2009 Pleasure Way Ascent TS in Champaign Illinois. It has a 3.0L V6 Turbo Diesel, it should be interesting. It looks very nice really, does not require the use of DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid), since that's only required on 2010 or later engines. She's asking $59,000 for it, I'd like to spend no more than $50,000. We'll see.
July 5, 2025 at 5:09pm
July 5, 2025 at 5:09pm
#1092886
Well, Should We, Or Should We Not?



         We are back to considering the purchase of a Class B Motorhome. Right now, we're undecided if we want a Roadtrek or Pleasureway Van, or about a 24 foot Class B Motorhome. The big thing for us will be comfort. The van's can't offer the comfort of a Motorhome. Yes, they are a little smaller, being about 5 feet shorter than the smaller Class B Motorhome we're looking at. It's the inside of the vehicle that really counts. This rig doesn't have a dedicated bed though, it needs to be looked at carefully by us. It's up in Holland Michigan, we'll probably be going there to see it Monday. I've decided we'll spend the night because it's about a 4 hour drive there. Obviously that's 8 hours round trip. Plus add time to look at it and sort of inspect as best we can. We do have a bit of help here, since neither of us has experience purchasing a Motorhome. Kathy's brother-in-law has this kind of experience! While he's not an RV Inspector, he has purchased several in the last 15 years or so. She sent him the link to the rig, and asked for his comments and advice. His reply was very thorough.

         Questions and things to look for:

         1. Lie down on the ground to see how the frame looks. Is it rusty? I’d expect some rust on a unit of this age, if it’s serious scaly rust I’d think twice. It all depends on its winter use.

         2. Was it in storage?

         3. Did it run from Michigan to Florida in salt every winter?

         4. Any maintenance records?

         5. How many owners?

         6. Does it have rear airbags? The literature suggests it may have them.

         7. Does it have stabilizers or levelers? I’m not seeing them and they don’t mention them so I’m guessing no. Not a deal breaker but they’re nice to have. For one or two nights I don’t worry about it but for longer stays I use my manual leveling stands to reduce sway when parked.

         8. Do the van seats swivel? If they do it adds seating when you have company.

         9. Does it have a rear view camera?

         10. Is the awning manual or electric?

         11. Does it have a trailer hitch?

         12. How old are the tires? There’s a date code stamped in the sidewall. RV tires are good for about 5-7 years before they need to be replaced, rarely worn out.


         He also provided a list of Pro's and Con's for the rig, but I won't bore you with those details. This is what has occupied most of my day. I even started a Speadsheet listing the rigs we've looked at and are interested in. I'd love to get a Pleasure Way of Roadtrek, but those are not much of an upgrade it seems. I guess we'll see what the future holds for us, huh!



July 3, 2025 at 8:09pm
July 3, 2025 at 8:09pm
#1092747
New(er) Van? No!



         Today was an interesting day. Our Akita had a appointment with the Groomer at noon. Though he saw them 2 weeks ago, he needed to be washed and brushed again. I assure you, our light brown carpet was testament to his continued shedding. *Laugh*

         Also, I had an appointment with my Oncologist at 1 pm. So I opted to drop Buddy off at the Groomer (Business name is Hair Of The Dog, a very appropriate name in my eyes), then I stopped by to see that 2022 Transit Connect. It's nice, but not what I wanted. Why? My van is the Titanium Edition, the top of the line for Ford Models. And I'm spoiled. Here is a little thing it has, that XLT Model (That blue van) doesn't have. Automatic Interval Wipers. I leave my wipers on all the time, except in a Car Wash. They don't operate until the windshield get wet. The Van senses the wet windshield and operates the wipers intermittently. If it rains harder, the wipers interval is shorter, so they are on as needed. If it rains really hard (downpour), the wipers will come on all the time. When the rain stops, the wipers stop. See, I'm so spoiled.

         What it really boiled down to is this. This newer Van didn't offer anything that wasn't already on our van. The only good thing about it was that it has less mileage (46000 to my van's 119000), and a chance to spend a bit of money. The dealership was asking $24000 for it, I would have stayed at $17000 out of my pocket. Why? I've put almost $5000 into it this year, at that dealership! I realize they wouldn't give me that $5000 back in trade in allowance. I know my van blue book is only about $4000, so I was looking to get $3000 back in trading in a better model van (Titanium vs XLT), and trade in value. I'm not sure they would have agreed to that though. Now, there's no worry, is there?
July 1, 2025 at 9:11pm
July 1, 2025 at 9:11pm
#1092636
The Chernobyl Elephant Foot



         I wonder how many of you have heard of, or seen photo's of the 'Elephant Foot' at Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near Pripyat, Ukraine. In case you haven't, let's learn a little about it. I'm pulling my information from Wikipedia, like I usually do, as well as my training from the Navy Nuclear Power Field.



         The Chernobyl disaster occurred on April 26, 1986. I was at sea on the USS Alabama SSBN 731 when the disaster occurred. Being in the Nuclear Power field, we were informed of it's occurrence. Even back then we had little to go on. I mean, there were no computers on board yet that we could access the Internet from, even if they were there. After all, the Internet as we know it was not created until January 1, 1983. You're going to say, "Jim, the accident occurred after the Internet was created!" And you're right. But it wasn't until the early 90's that the World Wide Web (Created by Tim Berners-Lee) was launched, making the internet significantly more accessible and user-friendly. Enough about WWW.

         We received our news from the daily unclasssfied broadcast from Shore Stations of the Navy. Us 'Nukes' eagerly devoured any news about Chernobyl, and of course we had training sessions about how/why it ocurred in an effort to make sure it never happened to a Navy Nuclear Powered Ship or Submarine. The radiation from something like the Elephant Foot might make some of the Engineroom uninhabitable, even with the shielding that is built into the Reactor Plant.

         The Elephant's Foot (Ukrainian: Слонова нога, romanized: Slonova noha) is the nickname given to the large mass of corium beneath Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The mass formed during the Chernobyl disaster of 26 April 1986 from materials such as molten concrete, sand, steel, uranium, and zirconium. It is named for its wrinkled appearance and large size, evocative of the foot of an elephant.

         Discovered in December 1986 (notice that it was discovered eight months after the disaster), the “foot” is located in a maintenance corridor below the remains of Reactor No. 4, though the often-photographed formation is only a small portion of several larger corium masses in the area. It has a popular reputation as one of the most radioactive objects in history, though the danger has decreased over time due to the decay of its radioactive components.

         Let's clear a couple of things up here. First, there is no such material as Corium. Note above that it's molten materials like concrete, sand, steel, uranium, and zirconium. Uranium and Zirconium are metals used in constructing the Reactor Core, and are what causes it to be radioactive. (We'll briefly discuss Radioactivity and Contamination in a little bit). When the foot was first formed it was so radioactive that if you were within about 10 feet of it for longer than about 10-15 seconds, you would be dead. Above, the web-page says 'the danger has decreased over time due to the decay of its radioactive components.' Don't be fooled by that statement, it's still very radioactive. The Elephant Foot will be radioative and pose a threat for a few thousqand more years! At the time of its discovery, radioactivity near the Elephant's Foot was approximately 8,000 to 10,000 roentgens per hour, or delivering a 50/50 lethal dose of radiation within 3 minutes. The only way to get any photo's or samples of it, was by using a Remote Controlled device. So let's leave it at 'You don't want to hang out near this thing, unless you're looking to commit suicide.'

         Now, just a little bit about Radioactivity and Contamination. What's the difference? I will try and write this in layman's terms so that everyone can understand. Let's say you're walking in a field and step in a pile of Poo. (Horse Poo, Dog Poo, Cow Poo, whatever). The thing is, this stuff is on your shoe and stinks to high heaven! That smell? That's essentially Radiation. The Poo on your shoe? That's contamination. Is contamination radioactive? It can be of course, depending on where it came from. The problem is, in my example you can see what's causing each. In real life, you will probably not be able to see it. That's why we sample the air, and 'swipe' (with a piece of special round paper) an area, and measure radioativity with a special meter. There, now you're a little more knowledgeable about Nuclear 'stuff'. Yeah, I'm pulling on knowledge gained about 53 years ago now....



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