Nov 27, 2007

Sent in by a reader

I can't find much in this to argue with.

-Gus

___________________________________


Clearly, Sandia -- compared to LANL -- is a well-run Lab, with
problems, but problems that are surmountable. They've diversified,
with plenty of new WFO, and have a total budget equal to LANL's, with
roughly 2/3rds the number of workers. Too bad LockMart didn't win the
LANL bid, but then, too bad that there was any bid whatsoever. Also,
too bad that absentee landlord UC did nothing about the mismanagement
brought down on LANL by the incompetent DOE; too bad that, since the
end of the Cold War, Sen. "Pit" Dementia (R-NM) larded LANL up with
so many bureaucrats (doubling its size), and too bad he forced the
creation of that cretinous outfit NNSA, which merely compounded DOE
incompetence. Too bad.

All in all, LANL's present difficulty, namely, getting stuck with
being St. Pit's pit factory, is a monumental tour de force
(translation from the French: a turd he forced).

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pete created NNSA? Wasn't this the brillant idea of Sec. Boob Richardson after LANL was going to be removed from DOE after his massive screw-ups?

Anonymous said...

"Boob" Richardson never had any brilliant ideas, except to polygraph 10,000 DOE employees. And even then, he kept downsizing the number as he (and the number) was slapped down by some of us hated scientists, until he started approaching the correct number: ZERO.

That's why we now know him as "Boob" (Zero) Richardson.

-Reader.

Anonymous said...

Ironically, the Pit Factory residents seem to be the only LANL employees who have been informed by their management that the self-selection letters went into the lab mail this morning.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Plutonium Pete did create NNSA. This was his last minute pitch for severing the Lab from meaningful oversight. The Lab didn't like the oversight DOE was providing at the time (presumably too burdensome for the best and brightest), so St. Pete did what he always did with his spoiled-brat-of-a-child Lab--gave it what it wanted. This ended up being NNSA. How convenient to forget now, just how all this transpired. Bumbling Bill wasn't at fault on this one. It was Plutonium Pete’s doing.

Anonymous said...

Bumbling Bill was an unidicted co-conspirator

Anonymous said...

...."Clearly" , Sandia -- compared to LANL -- is a well-run Lab, blah, blah, blah...."

The nice thing about a lack of transparency is that "self-evident" assertions can not be independently verified.

It's kinda like saying "I'm rich", or "my wife is beautiful' or "my poop don't stink"

Anonymous said...

And you, 2:01 apparently don't mind displaying your ignorance to all who read this blog.

I've worked with staff from SNL and have some long-lasting professional collaborations with people there. LANL is a shambles compared to SNL by just about any measure you want to pick.

*Anybody* who has interacted with both labs can confirm that, while not perfect, SNL is a much better run national laboratory than LANL.

But please don't let me interrupt your braying.

Anonymous said...

11/27/07 2:08 PM

I am not 2:01pm. I really do not buy this "Sandia is so much better than LANL crap". I know both places very well. I just do not see it.

Anonymous said...

Well, 2:33, I guess you'd just better stay at LANL (assuming you avoid the RIF) and enjoy the superior management the place has to offer.

Anonymous said...

" Well, 2:33, I guess you'd just better stay at LANL (assuming you avoid the RIF) and enjoy the superior management the place has to offer.

11/27/07 2:50 PM"

What is your point? I know alot of people who would rather be at LANL than Sandia right now. Speak for yourself and not us.

Anonymous said...

From 3:37:

"What is your point? I know alot of people who would rather be at LANL than Sandia right now."

I'm sorry my response was to subtle for you. Please allow me to clarify: you are an idiot.

Unfortunately, the selection process that LANL has undergone during the past three years has resulted in an increasing number of idiots (like yourself) residing at LANL.

Please don't take offense, I'm sure you can't help being an idiot. But hey, look at the bright side! There are a lot more like you at LANL then there ever used to be. Enjoy the company of your own kind.

Anonymous said...

11/27/07 3:44 PM

Yaaaaaaaa ...

You really have no idea what you are talking about. I would suggest that you try thinking before you post again.

Anonymous said...

"Bumbling Bill was an unidicted co-conspirator"

not really. Bill fought the whole NNSA disaster from the start, and got in trouble for doing so. I never liked the guy, but go back and read the news reports. Once NNSA was created, he appointed NNSA administrators who were in essence fulfilling two roles ("dual hat")-- i.e. he tried to keep NNSA from becoming what it became.

See this for example:
"Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson opposed this new organization
from the beginning and has sought to undermine the implementation of
NNSA at every step. Contrary to congressional direction, he declared
himself as the administrator for nuclear security and he dual hatted
his own chiefs of security and counterintelligence to serve in these
positions for both the DOE and NNSA."

From: http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2000/hr534.html

Hey, is an actual primary sourece a first for the blog? I doubt it will change any minds however.

Anonymous said...

It's official.
Start Self-Selecting!





To/MS: All Employees
From/MS: Jan A. Van Prooyen, A100
Phone/Fax: 7-5101/5-2679
Symbol: DIR-07-339
Date: November 27, 2007



SUBJECT: Phase I of Workforce Restructuring to begin November 28

This note updates the November 19 All-Employee memo from Mike
Anastasio and his All-Employee Meeting about workforce
restructuring.

The Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration
(NNSA) has formally approved our specific plan for workforce
restructuring. Accordingly, we will open the self-selection
window Wednesday, November 28. Below is a table of key dates
associated with the Phase I Self-Selection Program (SSP):

Table of Key Dates for Phase I

Event Dates
SSP application open November 28 through December 6
Employee rescission period December 7 through December 13
Employees receive
notice of acceptance December 20
Employee Departure
meetings January 2 through January 8, 2008
Accepted employees
separate from Laboratory January 10, 2008

When the window opens, each LANS employee will receive by
interoffice mail a notice of his or her eligibility to apply for
this program. Likewise, each employee in an excluded category
will receive a notice by interoffice mail that he or she will not
be allowed to participate in the Self-Selection Program. If you
are a LANS employee and have not received one of these notices by
close of business on November 28, please contact your line
management. Additionally, tomorrow (Wednesday), the Human
Resources Web site associated with Phase I will be activated.
The web site will have resources and information regarding Phase I.

Also as noted last week, we will hold manager briefings and
employee pre-application information sessions. The schedule for
those meetings is as follows:

Manager Briefings for SSP

Date Time Location
Wed., 11/28/07 9:00 am - 11:00 am NSSB Auditorium
Wed., 11/28/07 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Physics Auditorium
Thurs., 11/29/07 3:15 pm - 5:00 pm NSSB Auditorium

Employee Pre-application Information Sessions for SSP

Date Time Location
Wed., 11/28/07 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Physics Auditorium
Thurs., 11/29/07 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm NSSB Auditorium (live) with
Physics Auditorium simulcast
Fri., 11/30/07 9:00 am – 11:00 am Physics Auditorium
Mon., 12/3/07 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm LANSCE Auditorium
Tues., 12/4/07 9:00 am – 11:00 am NSSB Auditorium

The main difference between the plan that we submitted (as
discussed by Mike Anastasio on November 19) and the plan that
DOE-NNSA just approved is the timing of our assessment of our
flexible workforce populations. Concurrent with the Phase 1
Self- Selection Program, we will be designing and implementing a
process for assessing our flexible workforce.

Further, we have amended Policy 114 (Reduction-in-Force) of the
Laboratory’s Administrative Manual to remove a provision
prohibiting a Self-Selection Program.

As noted in the Director’s All-Employee memo and his All-Employee
Meeting, the decision to reduce our workforce is a very difficult
one. It directly impacts people’s lives—not only those of our
employees, but also their families and the communities of
Northern New Mexico. Given the impact on these communities, we
also will hold two community information sessions on our specific
workforce restructuring plan next week. On Monday evening,
December 3, we will hold an information session in Pojoaque from
7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Cities of Gold Conference Center. On
Tuesday evening, December 4, we will hold an information session
in Los Alamos from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Duane Smith Auditorium.

We will continue to post questions and answers and other relevant
information on our Workforce Restructuring Web site. If you have
questions, I encourage you to attend one of the pre-application
information sessions regarding the Self-Selection Program and/or
the community information sessions mentioned above. I also ask
that you use our Workforce Restructuring Web site. Finally, I
urge you to engage your leadership chain with your issues and
questions. Laboratory managers realize that this is an extremely
important decision for our employees and will help you get the
answers you need. Managers will be receiving information that
will prepare them to best support you as you make your final
decision.


***************************
Lorraine M. Montoya
IRM-RMMSO
Phone: 7-1440
FAX: 5-4480
MS A150
Schedule B
**************************

Anonymous said...

11/27/07 10:47 AM

How about "I like boobs, and when I think of boobs, Richardson is not a positive mental picture."

I think you should be more creative, hell you are among "The best and the brightest" - How about showing it?

Anonymous said...

11/27/07 4:36 PM

Kudos - exactly what needs to enter into these posts - substantiated facts!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I don't know about the good points of SNL management, but at least people working for SNL who hold a mortgage on a home in ABQ don't have to sit around worrying about financial bankruptcy if they lose their job. That, by itself, greatly reduces the stress of working for SNL.

People come to Los Alamos and are taken in by the setting and the idea of working in a small town up in the mountains. Then the bad times roll in and the financial dangers of their decision suddenly become painfully clear.

Working in a one company town is not a wise choice, especially when the company is known to be headed for serious downsizing.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous at 11/28/07 12:16 AM has it right:

"but at least people working for SNL who hold a mortgage on a home in ABQ don't have to sit around worrying about financial bankruptcy if they lose their job."

I cannot imagine anybody dumb enough to accept employment at LANL right now. Unless of course you are a Bechtel transfer with a platinum parachute.

Anonymous said...

6:22 AM, there are lots of postdocs just itching to be converted and live the "sweet life" ...

Anonymous said...

7:30AM: Just goes to show, it only takes skills in one very specific area to get a PhD. Those skills don't necessarily translate to equivalent levels of brain function in other aspects of life.