Daniel Miller's Shameless Self-Promotion

Nuclear Tour

Driving up to the nuclear power station, I wasn't sure what to expect from the day's tour. I suppose that guaranteed surprises for me, but none as big as for some others at the vehicle checkpoint on the way in. My car cleared but the sniffer machines picked up traces of heroin in my friend Lori's truck (turned out to be different medication) and TNT on my friend Jason's jeep (he had recently driven through NASA's Plum Brook facility which used to be a munitions manufacturing plant). Let's just say that the security during our visit made airports look like shopping malls.

I did find some interesting things out for myself though. It turns out it's easier for us to contaminate their clean areas than it is to be contaminated there since they are much more anal about their cleanliness. I found out that my Canon 70-200 2.8 L zoom lens is radioactive enough to spike their sensing equipment. Apparently the fluorite coatings on the lenses emit some natural radiation. There's a reason they suggested wearing all cotton garments. We were told radioactive particles love to cling to the static electricity that fabrics like rayon are so good at making. Good fact to know for the next time you find yourself walking into a reactor containment vessel.

As often as I think about radiation contamination during the course of my day, I was surprised by the procedures associated with touring the containment vessel. You have to realize that while you will be standing about 20 feet from a live nuclear reactor, it's not like vacationing in Chernobyl. They don't keep piles of uranium in the corner (turns out the building is round anyway) Now this doesn't mean there aren't tiny radioactive particles on pipes or the floor, so precautions must still be taken. And who knew precautions could make *such* a fashion statement? During a previous project I joked with friends about making a Tyvek suit. Along with a rubber bootie and gloves ensemble, I can safely say: mission accomplished. I have worn Tyvek.

Being on the other side of the airlock, inside the vessel, is a strange feeling. Uncomfortable doesn't even begin to do it justice. I can only describe it as the most physically and mentally unnerving place I've even been. For starters, you are wearing long cotton pants and shirt and are covered by a buttoned Tyvek lab coat, (Tyvek is used as a moisture barrier for houses) cotton and rubber gloves and paper and rubber booties. It is a darkly lit cement space, the temperature at the upper levels is 120 degrees fahrenheit and even with earplugs, the noise is deafening. You aren't even supposed to touch your own exposed skin, earplugs or your glasses. And, oh yeah, you're standing next to an active nuclear reactor. What's not to like?

Adding the two tests before we entered, myself and my equipment went through no less than 9 separate radiation detection procedures after exiting. The most interesting tests made it look like you were like standing in a non rotating human-sized rotisserie grill, like those at your local gyro restaurant. They were made of metal sheets with lots of small holes drilled into them. I made it through the detectors clean but a few others in my group had to surrender their contaminated hard hats. At least we didn't need to submit to the most common decontamination removal material they use. Masking tape.

After seeing the facility firsthand, I was impressed by how much work and improvement was done. I do believe the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant is now one of the safest in the country. Lew Meyers and the rest of the crew should be proud of their work. What Lew should be ashamed of is the fact that it took a near catastrophic failure for them to fully address all the apparent problems at the plant. They did a great job but only at the insistence of the NRC and the public. First Energy also operates the Perry and Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Stations.

Photos by DANIEL MILLER
Vince Vassello, at left, Ron Purk and Greg Walter man the control room at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, Friday, Feb, 27, 2004. The power station has been shut down for 2 years while the reactor head was replaced due to corrosion damage. Repairs have been completed and it is now up to the Nuclear Regulatory Comission to authorize a restart.

Environmental and Chemistry Manager Patrick McCloskey crouches while looking at the clean floor nest to the turbine and generator unit at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, Friday, Feb, 27, 2004.

This is me in the dressing room after putting on the full protective outfit including paper and rubber booties, cotton and rubber gloves, a Tyvek lab coat, hard hat (on backwards for camerawork) and safety goggles.

Joe McAdoo, from First Energy, opens the main airlock to allow our group access to the reactor containment vessel at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station.

The newly replaced reactor head sits in the containment vessel at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, Friday, Feb, 27, 2004.

A painted American flag adorns the dome of the containment vessel at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, Friday, Feb, 27, 2004. The flag was painted at the same time the acre-sized dome was stripped and recoated.

The Davis-Besse cooling tower rises up well past the power lines near the exit road from the facility.

Sounds of Mardi Gras

If you don't know what zydeco is, shame on you. If you know but don't know who Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas are, shame again. I was lucky enough to see them play for free while covering an assignment and finished quickly enough to actually sit down and enjoy a few songs. If you haven't heard any zydeco, you should try it (link is for iTunes Music Store preview). You might find you like it.

Photos by DANIEL MILLER
Nathan Williams, Sr., frontman for Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, steps up to the microphone as he provides ryhthm on the accordion during a performance at Gumbos restaurant in International Park.

Mark Williams jams on the scrub board, the signature sound of zydeco music, while playing a set at Gumbo's restaurant with Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas.

The Best Move Is To Not Play The Game

It looks like the fireworks between TFT President Fran Lawrence and the Toledo School Board are going to continue after the apparent harsh conclusions made earlier by Lawrence. From the looks of it, she hastily concluded that the school board was going to apply different (lower) standards for hiring prospective black teachers and wrote out against it.
After The Blade revealed that her conclusions were based on little hard fact, not much else was said on the subject and I assumed it would fade into the noise of other daily news... until today.

A news item has appeared in the Toledo Journal, the city's only black newspaper including comments from Toledo School Board Member Larry Sykes. From the article:

Some of the harshest criticism came from board member Larry Sykes, who said Mr. [sic] Lawrence has made a fool of herself and compared the union president to the singing star of the Super Bowl halftime show.

“I feel that Fran is like Janet Jackson. She’s got her tit out,” Mr. Sykes said.
He said TPS would never consider anything but one standard for all teachers. At the same time, an intern program that is greatly controlled by the TFT should be periodically reviewed, Mr. Sykes said.

“We review all other programs. Why can’t we review the intern program?” he said.
“Fran Lawrence is a liar – quote me on that,” Mr. Sykes continued. “She’s saying African Americans are not equipped to teach in our system unless we give them some type of assistance. If I was a teacher, I would be sending in my damn TFT card.”

Wow. I have no inside information but it seems obvious there is a lot of animosity between members of the teachers union and the school board. Sykes' comparison is not only vulgar but unnecessary and inflammatory. I'm also at a loss to understand how the paragraph written by Lawrence could be interpreted that way. As I read it, she was upset because she believed the school board was going to enforce lower standards for black teachers, not the teachers union. In fact she said, "There is no evidence that our standards result in a higher percentage of African-American teacher dismissals than others."

In my opinion both Fran Lawrence and Larry Sykes have acted very unprofessionally in this matter. It's even more disappointing considering the importance of education and the fact that the Toledo Public School system needs everyone working together to do its job well. Perhaps the best action left for both sides (and the media) to take is to let this non-issue die.

New Look

You might have noticed that I finally took some time to refresh the look of my Website. (Many thanks go to Raena and MaryBeth for all the help. This wouldn't have been finished without them.) I'd like to invite you to comment, criticise and let me know where I may have messed things up.

Thanks for visiting!

-Dan

Trail Mix

Senator John Kerry came through Toledo on the campaign trail for the democratic presidential primaries and a client had me there on assignment. Since I've already had President Bush on these pages, I thought it would only be fair to post some pics of Kerry.

Photos by DANIEL MILLER
Senator John Kerry gestures during his speech at the University of Toledo, Wednesday, Feb. 25. Kerry was visiting Ohio in preparation for the democratic primary election in which he hopes to gain the nomination for president.

Senator John Kerry stands at the podium during his speech at the University of Toledo, Wednesday, Feb. 25. Kerry was visiting Ohio in preparation for the democratic primary election in which he hopes to gain the nomination for president.

Senator John Kerry raises his arms as he steps up to the podium to give his speech at the University of Toledo, Wednesday, Feb. 25. Kerry was visiting Ohio in preparation for the democratic primary election in which he hopes to gain the nomination for president.

Hard Shoes To Fill

In October 2003, a new bishop came to the Toledo diocese. After five months, not even enough time to fill the shelves in his office, he found himself in the unenviable position of having to deal with the topic of sexual abuse by local clergy. After a press conference I accompanied a writer with the Toledo City Paper while he sat with Bishop Blair to do a question and answer interview.

Photo by DANIEL MILLER
Toledo Bishop Leonard Blair sits in his office after a news conference held at the Toledo Diocese, Friday, Feb. 13, 2004. Bishop Blair not only released information on allegations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy in the Diocese of Toledo from 1950 through today, but personally apologized for the actions of others.

A Terrible Day

I was having one of those days you always seem to have when you least need it. The past week had taken its toll both emotionally and physically and today was getting worse by the minute. That's when I got the call alerting me to a crane collapse at the new suspension bridge construction project. I grabbed my gear and ran. As I was walking up to the crash site, an iron worker was talking to me, telling me he was on an adjacent tower when it fell. "There were two men on it when it went down", he said. Sitting here now, I look back regretfully on something I said at the height of my earlier frustration. "That's it, someone's gonna die!" I was wrong. Three people died and I'm left humbled. I want to offer my sincerest condolences to the families of those those who have died. And good thoughts for those injured. [Edit] During the last 24 hours, one of the seriously injured workers died in the hospital, bringing the total to 4 dead.

Photos by DANIEL MILLER
Construction workers embrace away from the wreckage of a construction crane that collapsed at the new Maumee River Crossing project in Toledo, Ohio, Monday, Feb. 16, 2004.

Two million pounds of wreckage from a construction crane that collapsed lies between roadway supports at the new Maumee River Crossing.

A closeup of the two million pounds of wreckage from a construction crane that collapsed lies between roadway supports at the new Maumee River Crossing.

Construction workers stand at the side of Interstate 280 looking the wreckage of the construction crane that collapsed at the new Maumee River Crossing. The interstate will remain closed at least until the debris can be removed.

Workers stand on a partially completed section of roadway overlooking the scene of the fallen construction crane.

Wreckage from a construction crane that collapsed lies next to Interstate 280 at the new Maumee River Crossing project.

A closeup of the wreckage from a construction crane that collapsed lies next to Interstate 280 at the new Maumee River Crossing project.

Conventional Wisdom

There's a gorgeous old building in Toledo's Old West End that used to house nuns as a convent but now is home to local artists as it is renovated. The architecture and ornate woodwork in the Collingwood Arts Center is almost as stunning as the quality of the art being created there.

Photos by DANIEL MILLER
Artist in residence Calvin Reese warms up on the piano in the auditorium at the Collingwood Arts Center before the rest of his performing group arrives.

Calvin Reese's fingers hit the well worn keys of a genuine Steinway & Sons piano while warming up for a practice session.

A semicircular hallway stretches around the auditorium in the Collingwood Arts Center. Over 100 man hours were spent cleaning and painting to get the space back in shape.

From the "What is really going on?" department

Our local paper, The Blade, picked up on the Toledo Public Schools story and did a little digging. As you'd expect, the school system totally denied the allegation from Francine Lawrence, that they planned on using lowered standards for new black teachers.

As I see it, there are two possibilities. Either the plan was actually in the works and this sudden illumination has killed it or Mrs. Lawrence jumped to a hasty and public conculsion.

Because the burden of proof is on the accuser, lets see what the Blade reports she said in support of her statement.

"...she sent the letter to 3,100 members after learning someone in the district’s administration had asked that a teacher be renewed who was not going to be recommended for hiring."

"The teacher is African-American, she said, and her 'interpretation' was that the district wanted to have different hiring criteria for minorities."

"'Once you make an exception, you either have to lower the standards for everyone or have no standards,' Mrs. Lawrence said."

"Mrs. Lawrence said the [Urban] coalition’s public complaints and the board members’ statements that they want to review the program contributed to her writing the statement in her letter."

"'There have been comments in various settings over the last year by board members - some board members - and management people that are interpreted to mean a review of the program and specifically in regard to nonrenewals. That’s the way it’s interpreted,' Mrs. Lawrence said."

You have to realize that this is taken from a single news story and should not be taken as a full explanation from Mrs. Lawrence on how she came to her conclusion but the information given is somewhat less than convincing at this point. The story revealed mainly supposition and interpretation and no direct evidence.

From what the Blade reported, it looks more like Fran Lawrence jumped to that conclusion in haste and worse, she did it rather publically. I hope they also make asbestos underwear in her size.

From the "What were they thinking?" department

"Finally, I reluctantly inform you that the Intern Program [responsibe for training, evaluating and sometimes dismissing prospective new teachers] faces a serious challenge. Management is about to establish one set of performance standards for Hispanics and whites, and a lesser standard for African-Americans as a concession to the Urban Coalition. There is no evidence that our standards result in a higher percentage of African-American teacher dismissals than others. It is insulting and disappointing that to satisfy the Coalition, the Board and the Superintendent view support from teacher bashers more important than maintaining the integrity of our performance standards." - Francine Lawrence, President Toledo Federation of Teachers

In short, this means the Toledo Public Schools will lower the standards necessary for *only* black teachers to be hired. Not only is it reverse discrimination but it's got to be damn insulting and belittling to black people in general. How do they expect lower teacher standards to raise the level of education in the system? If the Board and the Superintendent implement this plan, they will be in for a well-deserved firestorm. I hope they wear their asbestos underwear.

Query and Response

I get a fair bit of spam but this one was different enough for me to respond to.

From: gregoryjmasley@xxxxxxx.com Subject: An updated resume for computer support specialist Colorado Springs Date: February 3, 2004 12:06:00 AM EST To: dan@macobserver dot com

I am a Microsoft and Novell certified computer support network engineer with 12 years experience who just moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado to be closer to my 6 and 5 year old daughters. I am interested in full-time, part-time, contract and consulting work in computer support in Southern Colorado. If you have work for me in the Southern Colorado area, please feel encouraged to contact me, if you do not have work for me in the Southern Colorado area, please pass my information here along to anybody you know who I might be of assistance to. Thank you in advance for your much appreciated help in these challenging times. With 12 years experience at $50 per hour I guarantee to take care of all your computer needs faster, cheaper and better than anyone else on the market. If I can be of assistance to you or anyone you know please feel encouraged to call on me or pass my information to your friends and associates. 
GREGORY J. MASLEY CNE, CNA, MCSE

Dear Mr. Masley,

I've seen some people who are pretty desperate for employment lately, but none who would stoop to the level of spamming like this. Someone in the computer industry like yourself should be familiar with the scourge of spam and the resources it wastes. What I'm saying is that you should know better than to send blind email to random people in the hopes that they are 1) an employer looking for help, 2) an employer suffering from a lack of Microsoft/Novell certified technician applicants (schools are still churning them out at breakneck pace), 3) in the southern Colorado area and 4) willing to hire someone who is marketing himself in the most hated form on the internet.

Just for your information, none of the four points I mentioned above describe me. As a matter of fact, sending a Microsoft/Novell support application to someone with a macobserver.com email address makes even less sense.
I ask you to please not send another unsolicited email to me and also if and where you purchased the list that included it.

Oh, by the way... if you are a newspaper editor, need to hire an experienced photojournalist and are in the northwest Ohio area... nevermind.

-Dan