Los Alamos National Laboratory: You know The Real Story. You know The Corporate Story. Now you'll know The Rest of the Story.
Mar 19, 2009
It's Official
Frank, Doris Heim the Associate Director of Business Operations and Kevin Chalmers Division Leader of Acquisition & Services Management are leaving LANL within 30 days.
The only mooring line by which the rats can desert this sinking ship is the one back to Bechtel. Since it was never severed, the ship could not sail. Lame metaphor, but true.
Fuck 'em. They did NOTHING to help the business practices of LANL. Heim NEVER called me back or answered e-mail and Chalmers just played smoke an mirrors.
There's a lot of anger on this blog. Having nothing to do with LANL, I read it for entertainment. Is it like this at the office? Do people dis one another with such venom in person?
Directed Energy Weapons Comes Closer To The Battlefield, But Still Off The NWC.
From Wired, DangerRoom, What´s Next In National Security:
Military Laser Hits Battlefield Strength By Noah Shachtman, March 18, 2009, 11:12:00 AM, Categories: Lasers And Ray Guns
Huge news for real-life ray guns: Electric lasers have hit battlefield strength for the first time -- paving the way for energy weapons to go to war.
In recent test-blasts, Pentagon-researchers at Northrop Grumman managed to get its 105 kilowatts of power out of their laser -- past the "100kW threshold [that] has been viewed traditionally as a proof of principle for ´weapons grade´power levels for high-energy lasers," Northrop´s vice president of directed energy systems, Dan Wildt, said in a statement.
That much power won´t get you a Star Wars-style blaster. But it should be more than enough to zap the mortars and rockets that insurgents have used to pound American bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The battlefield-strength breakthrough is just one part in a larger military push to finally make laser weapons a reality, after decades of unfulfilled promises. The Army recently gave Boeing a $36 million contract to build a laser-equipped truck. Raytheon is set to start test-firing a mortar-zapper of its own. Darpa is funding a 150 kilowatt laser project that is meant to be fitted onto "tactical aircraft."
Does that mean energy weapons are a done deal? Hardly. There are still all sorts of technical issues -- thermal management and miniaturization, to name two -- that have to be handled first. Then, the ray gunners have to find the money. The National Academies figure it´ll take another $100 million to get battlefield lasers right.
Still, clearing the 100 kilowatt hurdle is a big deal. For the longest time, the military research community concentrated on developing chemical-powered lasers. The ray guns produced massively powerful laser blasts. But the noxious stuff needed to produce all that power makes the weapons all-but-impractical in a war zone. (One ray gun took as many as eight shipping containers´worth of chemicals and electronics to power a single blaster.) So the Defense Department shifted gears, and poured money into electric lasers. They´re much less hassle to operate. And, given a steady supply of power, they shoulld be able to fire away, almost indefinitely.
At first, these electric lasers were weak. When the military started its Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) program in 2003, these easy-to-maintain lasters could barely produce more than 10 kilowatts of coherent light. Now, Northrop believes, going way past 100 kilowatts should be pretty simple.
In its lab, south of Los Angeles, Northrop combines 32 garnet crystal "modules" into a laser amplifier chains." Shine light-emitting diodes into ´em, and they start the laser chain-reaction, shooting out as much as 15 kilowatts of focused light. Combine all those beams into one, and you´ve got yourself a battlefield-strength ray. Northrop´s JHPSSL lasers used seven chains to get to 105 kilowatts. But there´s room, at least, for an eight. Which means an even stronger blaster.
The next step is to start trying out the ray gun, outside of the lab. The army is planning to move the device to its High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility at White Sands Missile Range. Testing is supposed to begin by this time, next year.
PS: Some of the government agencies and defense contractors that analyse and engineer different forms of directed-energy weapons are:
-- U.S. Army Air and Missile Defense Battle Laboratory; -- U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, & Engineering Center; -- U.S. Army Research Laboratory; -- U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command; -- U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center; -- U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory; -- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; -- Missile Defense Agency; -- BAE Systems; -- Boeing Missile Defense Systems; -- DRS-TEM, Inc. -- Lockheed Martin Corporation; -- Northrop Grumman Corporation; -- Raytheon Corporation; and -- Textron Defense Corporation.
But, LANL, LLNL, and SNL is not on this list?!
PPS: Ms. Ellen Tauscher Chairwoman of the House Armed Forces Committee Strategic Forces Subcommittee will become Undersecretary of State Department For Arms Control and International Security, SF Chronicle reporting, March 19, 2009, she´s favoring CTBT, I´m not. (General Kevin P. Chilton Commander of USSTRATCOM testified before this Committee, March 17, 2009.)
All these Principal and Associate Directors came here "acting all bad and everythang" like they were gonna fix this place and us. Fact is, they didn't have the experience, knowledge, or skills to fix it. Take my word, a lot of these "bad ass" PADs/ADs will be leaving soon, their two meesley years is coming up.
As for ADs not answering phone calls and e-mails, I have had the same experience with other LANS managers. They don't have the professionalism, ethics, or respect for us, so I second the good riddance, may we see many more "pre-nups" exit soon, from top to bottom.
"All these Principal and Associate Directors came here "acting all bad and everythang" like they were gonna fix this place and us. Fact is, they didn't have the experience, knowledge, or skills to fix it. Take my word, a lot of these "bad ass" PADs/ADs will be leaving soon, their two meesley years is coming up."
This reminds me of when BWXT came in to PX. They brought in the "Bad Cops" for 2 yrs & then they brought in the "Good Cops". The Sheeple "feel better" now.
There's a lot of anger on this blog. Having nothing to do with LANL, I read it for entertainment. Is it like this at the office? Do people dis one another with such venom in person?
3/19/09 11:00 PM - you will never find out this way. Regular LANL employees no longer blog here.
"There's a lot of anger on this blog. Having nothing to do with LANL, I read it for entertainment. Is it like this at the office? Do people dis one another with such venom in person?"
Not quite true. Yes, there is anger. There should be as the Rechtal management is ruining the place.
We LANL employees respect each other but have little if any respect for most of the upper management.
Until they came, this was a place where nearly everybody (scienists, engineers, administrative staff, technicians, etc) from the Director down (actually only thru the time of John Browne) worked hard and was satisified just to see good work being done.
The Rechtal management just come here to max out their bonuses. Anything or anybody who obstructs that objective will be squashed!
An interesting follow-on to this announcement is the "suggestion" that all division directors and above in this directorate must now come from Bechtel. LANL employees need not apply.
Not true! The elitists working at LANL have never had any respect for the support staff. They have and continue to discriminate towards women and minorities. Their tone has softened towards these issues on the blog because of the new administration in Washington D.C. now! Bottom line is that their racists. Their upset because BECHTEL is feeding off the trough that used to belong to them. Welcome to Wall Street in northern New Mexico.
I enjoy the rosy picture painted by 6:23. LANL was, of course, a lovely place before Bechtel arrived. Perhaps LANL was not the place where every particle beam, fusion, laser program failed in ignominy. Perhaps the incident with Bussolini never occurred where a young sub-contractor could not find anyone to listen to his description of embezzlement. How about the cops who were hired to find corruption but fired when they actually found it?
"An interesting follow-on to this announcement is the "suggestion" that all division directors and above in this directorate must now come from Bechtel. LANL employees need not apply."
S/he doesn't have it right. There are no jobs at these levels to apply for. They are all filled by appointment of Rechtal personnel.
6:51 pm: "An interesting follow-on to this announcement is the "suggestion" that all division directors and above in this directorate must now come from Bechtel."
By comparison, DefenseTech has 37 comments of the Wired article (Military Laser Hits Battlefield Strength), Wired´s blog has 111 comments of the Wired article of directed-energy weapons, this blog (LANL: The Rest of the Story) has : zero comments.
(http://www.defensetech.org, and http://blog.wired.com/defense/)
Where have you been? LANL and UC were doing so great and were so perfect that NNSA decided to rebid the contract just to make you miserable? Prior to the contract change there were no class action lawsuits; no RIF so poorly done that most of those RIF'd had to be brought back; no scandals galore; no discrimination lawsuit (lost by the Lab), no lab shut down, etc., etc., etc. Yep, NNSA and Bechtel ruined everything for all of us! (Sarcasm intended.)
Anonymous 3/21/09 12:02 AM had a number of things to say. I will address the statement about the RIF:
"..no RIF so poorly done that most of those RIF'd had to be brought back;.."
I was a participant in selecting those who would have to be RIFfed. There was no discrimination except, perhaps, against older white males. The case went to court in Albuquerque. The jury decided against all of the plaintiffs except a ~55 year old white male. What happened after that was strictly adminstrative decisions made by political appointees.
Yes, it is true that some of those who were RIFfed were very good employees. They just got caught up in the finances. BUT, many others are individuals who should have been fired for incompetence long before the RIF.
There was a front page LANS announcement a few weeks ago, saying that two 'internal LANL' personnel were selected for high positions. (I forget the names.) Their hire dates were 6/01/2006...hmmmm.
As someone said earlier, only Bechtel-experienced need apply.
"There was a front page LANS announcement a few weeks ago, saying that two 'internal LANL' personnel were selected for high positions. (I forget the names.) Their hire dates were 6/01/2006...hmmmm."
"I also heard yesterday that Glover is being shown the door. Makes sense, HR is one of the most disfunctional divisions in the lab."
When I first came to LANL 25+ years ago, HR was called Personnel and the person in charge was Jim Jackson, the Deputy Director. I was somewhat appalled that the Personnel Department (Division) was not lead by an HR Professional. BUT, in time, after Jackson left and an HR Professional took over, I saw the wisdom of having scientist or engineer in charge.
During Jackson's reign, the Personnel Department supported LANL's mission. They helped in the hiring process and were responsive to requests from employees.
After Jackson retired, HR was managed by a succession of HR professionals and it took on a life of its own. We no longer got support in the hiring process ("we are too busy") and had all kinds of HR R&D going on.
"We LANL employees respect each other but have little if any respect for most of the upper management.
Until they came, this was a place where nearly everybody (scienists, engineers, administrative staff, technicians, etc) from the Director down (actually only thru the time of John Browne) worked hard and was satisified just to see good work being done."
- Sorry, but LANL was ruined before Bechtel and company came in. When my deputy division manager canned several CCS staff members' funding in 2004 and beyond - and he did this *at will* mind you because he was a petty vindictive loser who was looking to get rid of folks he didn't like - there was no one to call for help. Seestrom refused to hear complaints or give anyone whose job was in jeopardy the time of day, HR sided with the deputy division manager, and Ombuds did nothing. Yes, John Brown was a decent guy and there were still a few good and honest division managers around before Nanos took over, but that was about the last of them. Those of us who left or were forced out, all 2000 of us labwide, are glad we did. LANL was one of the most corrupt places I have ever worked. I hope someone cuts all those entrenched senior managers funding at random and they can see how it feels.
Chalmers was a true jerk. Anyone who locks up his "castle" to keep the Lab riffraff out of his office building should have his head examined. One had to stand outside the door to his building and use a phone to ask for assistance. Many times in my experience, nobody was available to consult even though I had an appointment.
As for HR, that division is a collection of useless overhead that has a reputation for regular extramarital one-on-ones, in-office and on work-time. You know who you are.
I feel Kukuck did a fine job. It's understood that he was a bench warmer until Bechtel sent LLNL managers to fix everything.
Never the less, he was professional, intelligent, diplomatic, respectful, patient, competent and personable. He could have been a really fine long-term director.
After Nanos, I nearly got whiplash in the management style change to Kukuck...but the damage had been done.
UC/LANL, although having had major missteps in the past, was already done for by the time Kukuck took the helm.
Lucky guy, got the conn when the ship was already firmly smashed up on the rocks.
Now it's all about Bechtel's profit. They sure do have tight connections with the DC power-elite (of the last administration, at least) to have been gifted both Labs in a sham competition.
Oh well. It's only national security, sold for Reilly Bechtel's personal gain.
I thought it might be interesting to present a summary of all the rumors that have been sent my way during the past few weeks regarding the contract announcement. In roughly chronological order, here they are:
1. LM had been awarded the contract. 2. UC had been awarded the contract. 3. Representative Hobson had been spotted storming out of a meeting, furious. 4. The contract announcement would be delayed. 5. The contract announcement would be made on December 9. 6. The contract announcement would be made by December 5. 7. The contract announcement would be made on December 8. 8. UC had won the contract, but Representative Hobson (re: the referenced meeting, above) had furiously sent the verdict back to the jury. 9. NNSA, er, wasn´t ready for the contract change over. 10. LM has won the contract, announcement to come "any day now".
PS: At the time, December 10, 2005, LANS was viewed as UC, and not Bechtel, and the competition for the M&O contract of LANL, was viewed as a competition between UC, and Lockheed Martin, and the more realistic competition, the competition between Bechtel, and Lockheed Martin, was not fully understood, and Lockheed Martin lost to Bechtel. Bad indeed.
PPS: Doug, you met with Dr. C. Paul Robinson in Los Alamos 2005 during the M&O contract competition of LANL, can you recap today from your meeting with Dr. Robinson, and if you have been in contact with Dr. Robinson after December 21, 2005, i.e. when Los Alamos Alliance LLC (Lockheed Martin/UT) lost the M&O contract competition of LANL to LANS, LLC?
"PS: At the time, December 10, 2005, LANS was viewed as UC, and not Bechtel, and the competition for the M&O contract of LANL, was viewed as a competition between UC, and Lockheed Martin, and the more realistic competition, the competition between Bechtel, and Lockheed Martin, was not fully understood, and Lockheed Martin lost to Bechtel. Bad indeed."
That's true, 11:31. Up until the day before the award announcement LANL staff could still be heard saying, "I want UC to win so that my benefits will be preserved." There was no excuse for to many supposedly intelligent people to be that ignorant about the realities of the contract change. As we all now realize, the benefits package would have changed regardless of who won the contract. The larger issue was who would provide higher quality management and leadership at LANL: the Bechtel-led LLC, or the Lockheed Martin-led LLC. That answer should be pretty clear to most LANL employees by now.
"PPS: Doug, you met with Dr. C. Paul Robinson in Los Alamos 2005 during the M&O contract competition of LANL, can you recap today from your meeting with Dr. Robinson, and if you have been in contact with Dr. Robinson after December 21, 2005, i.e. when Los Alamos Alliance LLC (Lockheed Martin/UT) lost the M&O contract competition of LANL to LANS, LLC?"
I met with Paul a couple of times before the contract award announcement. We discussed many of the important issues that related to LANL, the problems that had evolved at LANL under the 63 years of UC stewardship, and what Paul's management team would do to correct those problems. The list of items we talked about was long, but I'll list some of the highlights, in the order that I remember them.
* The Public Affairs office -- He would reinstate a policy of openness and honesty in that office, and in the entire upper management infrastructure.
* He would see that Todd Kauppila's widow received the death benefits that he felt she was due.
* He would promote WFO at LANL, as has been done at Sandia. Part of this effort, or course, would be to reduce the inefficiencies at LANL which had driven the FTE costs so high. (And look at them now.)
* The blog. We talked about the LANL, The Real Story blog and how it had provided an information channel to the outside world that had not previously existed. Paul noted that LANL management should have been using the blog to understand the problems at LANL, and to use that feedback to identify priority problem areas for corrective action. Paul said that his management team would run a blog where staff could anonymously post criticisms, complaints, and suggestions. We also talked about the risk of allowing anonymous contributions, and how anonymity often brought out the worst in people.
That's about all I can remember from my meetings with Robinson. He struck me as being extremely honest, and possessed of impeccable integrity. Two qualities that I strongly suspect were not on NNSA's short list for the position of LANL lab director.
I have not been in communication with him since the award announcement, aside from a few short email exchanges.
There's been much whining about LANS winning the M&O contract over Lockheed Martin. Isn't it obvious that DOE/NNSA wanted UC out? Originally LM was a no-bid, so NNSA reissued the RFP with increased contractor fees just to attract LM to bid.
Both LANS and LM bid astronomical costs, so NNSA went with LANS' low bid; a savings of $70M over the life of the contract. LM lost on cost, pure and simple.
"Isn't it obvious that DOE/NNSA wanted UC out?... Both LANS and LM bid astronomical costs, so NNSA went with LANS' low bid" - 10:21 AM
The decision as to who would get the LANL contract was made by a single man, Tom D'Agostino. That fact alone should have raised serious alarms in the government contract investigative community.
We'll never know exactly what was going on in D'Agostino's head when he decided on LANS (Bechtel), but I'm sure he'll be well rewarded for his choice once he leaves NNSA.
The minor differences in costs had very little to do with the final contract decision. Tom D'Agostino is on record as saying that the score between the two bidders was almost identical.
Even if the two scores differed by a large margin, it was not the scores that determined the contract decision. That outcome was clearly left up to a single man. Likewise, the LLNL contract decision was also left up to a single man, Tyler Przybylek, Mr. "Substantially Equivalent". The stench from both of these contract competitions is enormous.
"Both LANS and LM bid astronomical costs, so NNSA went with LANS' low bid; a savings of $70M over the life of the contract. LM lost on cost, pure and simple. - 3/22/09 10:21 AM"
Y'all seem to forget that LANS incorporated as a federally-favored "small business" in the State of Delaware. Lock-Mart had no chance to compete against this brilliant maneuver. Go get the facts people!!!!
Doug, thanks for your insightful comments, and Dr. C. Paul Robinson has once again proven to be the moral leader of LANL, I think we knew that.
And if Lockheed Martin had won the M&O contract of LANL, and Northrop Grumman had won the M&O contract of LLNL respectively, we by these bold decisions alone most likely had established a more advanced national security strategy, that probably would have benefited US national interest better than having LANS, LLC and LLNS, LLC, i.e. Bechtel as the M&O contractor of both LANL, and LLNL.
I've been following the comments from the group leaders and team leaders who have been to the three Leadership Summit training sessions over the past couple of months. At every session, someone asks what the LANS strategy is for the lab, and every session senior management admits they don't have one yet.
Almost three years in, and LANS still doesn't have a strategy! And they apparently aren't embarrassed to admit this.
You might want to talk to some of the employees at the Nevada Test Site about how great things have been under Northrop Grumman. You might not be so insistent that LLNL would have been better off.
"I also heard yesterday that Glover is being shown the door. Makes sense, HR is one of the most disfunctional divisions in the lab."
God I hope so! This is the 500 pound gorilla that brought us a yet another performance evaluation system also known as (aka) "psychological behavioral studies of scientists by primates", institutional job transfers aka "forcing scientists out of their jobs and forcing them into other jobs they have no qualifications for thereby creating an inept institution", revised salary management aka "freezing scientists salaries", job categories aka "hierarchical intimidation of scientists by primates" and time and effort floor checks aka "bed checking scientists with primates". Talk about Planet of the Apes!
12:34 AM must of stayed up too late. He/she is a perfect example of why scientists at LANL continue to be appropriately viewed as whiney elitists. Also, Doug and others still don't get that, regardless of what the LANS offer package may have said about "at will" employment, ultimate LANS policy and practice clearly support only "for cause" terminations except maybe at the highest levels of management. A quick review reveals that only two people have been terminated "for cause" since September 08 and I don't think anyone would argue with those actions if they knew the case specifics.
And we should believe you, 10:07, why, exactly? Because you are an anonymous somebody who claims to know for a fact that only two people have been let go "at will" since LANS took over?
Provide facts, then we'll begin to take your claims seriously. Until then, you're just another "anonymouse" proclaiming knowledge and wisdom.
Myself, I claim no knowledge regarding the number of staff who have been let go by LANS, nor under what terms. The only observation I have ever made on the subject was to note the "at will" provision of the terms of employment mandated by LANS. It is a change from the prior UC terms of employment.
"Almost three years in, and LANS still doesn't have a strategy! And they apparently aren't embarrassed to admit this." (7:39 PM)
LANS upper management have a plan, alright. You're seeing it play out right before your eyes. They just don't want to admit what that plan really is to the politicians, LANL employees and the public.
I work for Chalmers - do you know that the Director's nickname for his is Howdy Doody - not that I agree with Mikey on anything but in this regard Mikey had Chalmers pegged. This was the manager who insisted that we all work 8 to 5 on Fridays to provide "customer service" and he left his office by 2 pm on Friday. The bozos he brought with him - oh where do I begin - Joyce Matthews - a former school teacher intimidated by her knowledgeable employees and made sure she booted them out. Boy, the suck ups to Chalmers must be sweating now - hmm, Pam and Peanut, what will you do?
federal procurement rules call for a 2 step process in evaluating and selecting a contractor. A Source Evaluation Board evaluates the proposals, scores them, and then submits a report to a Source Selection Official - note - that would be one person - who then makes a selection and awards the contract. In 1993, Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) was in a similar dual for the Sandia contract, and was basically was tied with Battelle. The Source Selection Official, Bert Roth, head of procurement at DOE HQ, selected Martin Marietta.
Doug (10:19 am) said: "And we should believe you, 10:07, why, exactly?"
Ah, Doug. Such a raconteur you are. Unfortunately, no belief in anything except yourself. Perhaps the poster is just a simpleton (unlike yourself) who just believes in telling the truth, and doesn't want the wrath of his/her employer coming down? Your intrinsic distrust begs the question of your original hosting of an anonymous LANL blog, and your continued activity here. What's it getting you?
I hate to rain on your Planet of the Apes parade, but last time I checked humans were included in the biological order known as primates.
So, yes, I do get that you are inferring "lesser primates" but still, if you're going to establish yourself as the representative of the scientists being cruelly oppressed by the ignorant proletariat, you should put in a few more seconds to get your terminology right.
You might serve yourself, and the blog readership, a little better by detailing why you think the so-called "primate vs. scientist" initiatives actually don't work, in detail. Point out the flaws as you see them, instead of simply alluding to some general, unnamed failure of the concept.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to enjoy a nice banana and admire the obsidian obelisk that just sprang up in my living room.
I also get to enjoy the the anonymous antics of folks such as yourself. Many of the exaggerated posturings that you find on this blog remind me of the characters in The Guild: http://www.watchtheguild.com/
In the Comment of the Week section I have the opportunity to review all of the contributions to Frank's blog for the period. This gives interesting insights into the make-up of LANL society, as well as the culture being fostered by LANS.
But mostly, this blog shows the LANL community's response to the pressures of a changing work environment. The anonymity provided by Frank allows its contributors a freedom that they would not have were they posting under their real names.
It is at times amusing to observe how seriously some of the anonymous posters take themselves, given that you don't have to travel more than a hundred miles away from Los Alamos before discovering that most people don't care what goes on at the lab. The oh, so brave comments some of them make are made even more amusing by the knowledge that the anonymous posters would be mortified if their identities were exposed. I guess it's a good thing that they don't know exactly how much log activity data is available to the blog maintainer.
So, 10:49, what I get out of participating on this LANL blog is a great deal of amusement, and a genuine interest in following the interactions that occur here. I grew up in Los Alamos, I worked at the lab for 20 years, and I have a continued interest in what goes on in my home town.
All of the above, of course, is given under the assumption that you really did have a genuine interest in what I get out of participating on Frank's blog.
"The oh, so brave comments some of them make are made even more amusing by the knowledge that the anonymous posters would be mortified if their identities were exposed. I guess it's a good thing that they don't know exactly how much log activity data is available to the blog maintainer."
Interesting, since it contradicts what Frank has claimed many times about not knowing the identities of bloggers. You two need to get your stories straight.
I didn't say only two people had been terminated "at will" by LANS since they took over, I said that only two people have been involuntarily terminated since last September, and that was "for cause".
Why is it that suddenly anonymous posters, who are in the majority here, are suddenly suspect as a class.
I have no agenda other than to refute clearly erroneous claims that mislead uninformed readers. Your claim that LANS is now an "at will employer" is such an erroneous claim. LANS initially intended to be so, hence the language in the employment agreement, but ultimately, that decision was reversed as is clearly evident in all current relative policy and practice.
Doug, You only get my company. You never let me pay for the beers. Frank
3/24/09 9:23 AM, As for anonymity, yes I can usually see the name of the business, government department, or residential ISP the reader used. As I've said before, these stats have always been public. There is nothing I see that all the readers can't see. There two different stat counters that have been running since the blog started. They don't keep data older than 100 and 500 hits (other than totals). Don't take my word for it. Go look at the logs and see if you can figure out who left a particular comment.
If you are worried about your IP address somehow being translated into your name here are some suggestions:
-Use a free wifi hotspot -Use dialup -Use AOL -Use Tor -Use a library computer -Use your boss's computer
Yes, someone really smart with a lot of free time might identify some commenters. Someone with access to ISP and government databases could also have some luck. If you're worried about it then do something about it. My first suggestion is to visit the blog and find yourself in the logs. Is there any information displayed about you that you are really concerned about?
PS If you blog from a LANL computer then no information is displayed about your visit in the logs, though I don't recommend that!
"PS If you blog from a LANL computer then no information is displayed about your visit in the logs, though I don't recommend that!"
Oh, but I do! We have people going around spreading this rumor that LANS employees are not subject to "at will" terminations.
[Snicker]
So feel free to look at That Blog from work. It will be all right. Really! Trust me.
-Mikey
PS: Don't believe that anonymous guy from 9:36 this morning who was trying to suggest that non-LANL visits to That Blog can be traced back to an individual. You're safe if you only read That Blog from a non-LANL computer. Really! Trust me.
I don't see any problem with keeping a browser tab open to read the blog while at work. Some might even say it should be required. What I meant was don't comment while you're on the clock.
If someone sends me a copy of the current policy on visiting blogs from LANL computers I'll post it for discussion.
I couldn't help but remember that two years ago, many employees in the asm building, yes the one no one can get into unless escorted, left early, like at 4:00 or 4:30 on Good Friday. Chalmbers was literally frothing at the mouth, ranting and raving, how dare the employees leave early. He did a walk-around at 4:48 and mandated those of us who were still at work to assemble in his conference room. Well, there were about 12 of us and we got atta boys for still being at work on Good Friday. And then Joyce Mathews mandated that all employees who had left early explain their time card fraud. Unfukingbelievable - good riddance - hope Joyce, Gomer Pyle (the new purchasing supervisor) and the rest go back to other challenging, exciting Rechtel assignments.
Is it me, or is it every time a bunch of bad apples go away, their replacements are even worse? Seems that this cycle has been happening for 20+ years.
From Thursday's Lab Links, it looks like Doris is heading over to a position at Bechtel. The door apparently moves both ways at the executive levels within LANS...
"Doris Heim to Depart the Laboratory"
"Doris Heim, associate director of Business Services, has accepted an assignment within the business development area of Bechtel in Frederick, Maryland. She expects to be at the Laboratory through the end of May, as a replacement is selected and through a short transition period."
LANS likes to play musical chairs with all their executive positions. If Doris is headed out to Bechtel, then her replacement is also coming from Bechtel. Of that you can be sure.
LANL has become nothing more than just another Bechtel subsidiary. Doris is simply making a strategic career move within the Bechtel "family".
I would like an investigation or audit to be made by NNSA regarding the amount of money NNSA is paying for all of these Rechtel moves, into and out of the Lab. These relocation costs have to be worth $$$$$$$$. As someone said, the replacements are worse. OMG, who is worse than Kevin Chalmers. BTW, how many of you have seen Kevin's quarters? You ought to make a visit to his office - large windows, corner office, a staff of boot lickers, and oh, the best part, nothing to do all day but perform the duties of hall monitor. I heard the attrition rate in that building since he took over is over 50%. And the replacements are all Rechtel.
The only mooring line by which the rats can desert this sinking ship is the one back to Bechtel. Since it was never severed, the ship could not sail. Lame metaphor, but true.
ReplyDeleteFuck 'em. They did NOTHING to help the business practices of LANL. Heim NEVER called me back or answered e-mail and Chalmers just played smoke an mirrors.
ReplyDeleteDoris is heading back to her previous job of providing the voices for Homer's sister-in-laws on the Simpsons.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good thing for LANL. Doris especially, scum of the earth from day one.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of anger on this blog. Having nothing to do with LANL, I read it for entertainment. Is it like this at the office? Do people dis one another with such venom in person?
ReplyDeleteDirected Energy Weapons Comes Closer To The Battlefield, But Still Off The NWC.
ReplyDeleteFrom Wired, DangerRoom, What´s Next In National Security:
Military Laser Hits Battlefield Strength
By Noah Shachtman, March 18, 2009, 11:12:00 AM, Categories: Lasers And Ray Guns
Huge news for real-life ray guns: Electric lasers have hit battlefield strength for the first time -- paving the way for energy weapons to go to war.
In recent test-blasts, Pentagon-researchers at Northrop Grumman managed to get its 105 kilowatts of power out of their laser -- past the "100kW threshold [that] has been viewed traditionally as a proof of principle for ´weapons grade´power levels for high-energy lasers," Northrop´s vice president of directed energy systems, Dan Wildt, said in a statement.
That much power won´t get you a Star Wars-style blaster. But it should be more than enough to zap the mortars and rockets that insurgents have used to pound American bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The battlefield-strength breakthrough is just one part in a larger military push to finally make laser weapons a reality, after decades of unfulfilled promises. The Army recently gave Boeing a $36 million contract to build a laser-equipped truck. Raytheon is set to start test-firing a mortar-zapper of its own. Darpa is funding a 150 kilowatt laser project that is meant to be fitted onto "tactical aircraft."
Does that mean energy weapons are a done deal? Hardly. There are still all sorts of technical issues -- thermal management and miniaturization, to name two -- that have to be handled first. Then, the ray gunners have to find the money. The National Academies figure it´ll take another $100 million to get battlefield lasers right.
Still, clearing the 100 kilowatt hurdle is a big deal. For the longest time, the military research community concentrated on developing chemical-powered lasers. The ray guns produced massively powerful laser blasts. But the noxious stuff needed to produce all that power makes the weapons all-but-impractical in a war zone. (One ray gun took as many as eight shipping containers´worth of chemicals and electronics to power a single blaster.) So the Defense Department shifted gears, and poured money into electric lasers. They´re much less hassle to operate. And, given a steady supply of power, they shoulld be able to fire away, almost indefinitely.
At first, these electric lasers were weak. When the military started its Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) program in 2003, these easy-to-maintain lasters could barely produce more than 10 kilowatts of coherent light. Now, Northrop believes, going way past 100 kilowatts should be pretty simple.
In its lab, south of Los Angeles, Northrop combines 32 garnet crystal "modules" into a laser amplifier chains." Shine light-emitting diodes into ´em, and they start the laser chain-reaction, shooting out as much as 15 kilowatts of focused light. Combine all those beams into one, and you´ve got yourself a battlefield-strength ray. Northrop´s JHPSSL lasers used seven chains to get to 105 kilowatts. But there´s room, at least, for an eight. Which means an even stronger blaster.
The next step is to start trying out the ray gun, outside of the lab. The army is planning to move the device to its High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility at White Sands Missile Range. Testing is supposed to begin by this time, next year.
[Photo: Northrop Grumman]
(http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/03/military-laser.html)
PS: Some of the government agencies and defense contractors that analyse and engineer different forms of directed-energy weapons are:
-- U.S. Army Air and Missile Defense Battle Laboratory;
-- U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, & Engineering Center;
-- U.S. Army Research Laboratory;
-- U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command;
-- U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center;
-- U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory;
-- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency;
-- Missile Defense Agency;
-- BAE Systems;
-- Boeing Missile Defense Systems;
-- DRS-TEM, Inc.
-- Lockheed Martin Corporation;
-- Northrop Grumman Corporation;
-- Raytheon Corporation; and
-- Textron Defense Corporation.
But, LANL, LLNL, and SNL is not on this list?!
PPS: Ms. Ellen Tauscher Chairwoman of the House Armed Forces Committee Strategic Forces Subcommittee will become Undersecretary of State Department For Arms Control and International Security, SF Chronicle reporting, March 19, 2009, she´s favoring CTBT, I´m not. (General Kevin P. Chilton Commander of USSTRATCOM testified before this Committee, March 17, 2009.)
All these Principal and Associate Directors came here "acting all bad and everythang" like they were gonna fix this place and us. Fact is, they didn't have the experience, knowledge, or skills to fix it. Take my word, a lot of these "bad ass" PADs/ADs will be leaving soon, their two meesley years is coming up.
ReplyDeleteAs for ADs not answering phone calls and e-mails, I have had the same experience with other LANS managers. They don't have the professionalism, ethics, or respect for us, so I second the good riddance, may we see many more "pre-nups" exit soon, from top to bottom.
"All these Principal and Associate Directors came here "acting all bad and everythang" like they were gonna fix this place and us. Fact is, they didn't have the experience, knowledge, or skills to fix it. Take my word, a lot of these "bad ass" PADs/ADs will be leaving soon, their two meesley years is coming up."
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of when BWXT came in to PX. They brought in the "Bad Cops" for 2 yrs & then they brought in the "Good Cops". The Sheeple "feel better" now.
There's a lot of anger on this blog. Having nothing to do with LANL, I read it for entertainment. Is it like this at the office? Do people dis one another with such venom in person?
ReplyDelete3/19/09 11:00 PM - you will never find out this way. Regular LANL employees no longer blog here.
3/19/09 11:00 PM - you will never find out this way. Regular LANL employees no longer blog here.
ReplyDeleteNot true. I just got home from work at LANL.
Is it just me or did it always seem like Doris was picking Ewok hair out of her teeth?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at 3/19/09 9:33 PM said...
ReplyDelete"Goodbye and good riddance. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."
S/he beat me to the punch!
Anonymous at 3/19/09 11:00 PM wrote:
ReplyDelete"There's a lot of anger on this blog. Having nothing to do with LANL, I read it for entertainment. Is it like this at the office? Do people dis one another with such venom in person?"
Not quite true. Yes, there is anger. There should be as the Rechtal management is ruining the place.
We LANL employees respect each other but have little if any respect for most of the upper management.
Until they came, this was a place where nearly everybody (scienists, engineers, administrative staff, technicians, etc) from the Director down (actually only thru the time of John Browne) worked hard and was satisified just to see good work being done.
The Rechtal management just come here to max out their bonuses. Anything or anybody who obstructs that objective will be squashed!
An interesting follow-on to this announcement is the "suggestion" that all division directors and above in this directorate must now come from Bechtel. LANL employees need not apply.
ReplyDelete3/19/09 11:00 PM:
ReplyDeleteNot true! The elitists working at LANL have never had any respect for the support staff. They have and continue to discriminate towards women and minorities. Their tone has softened towards these issues on the blog because of the new administration in Washington D.C. now! Bottom line is that their racists. Their upset because BECHTEL is feeding off the trough that used to belong to them. Welcome to Wall Street in northern New Mexico.
I enjoy the rosy picture painted by 6:23. LANL was, of course, a lovely place before Bechtel arrived. Perhaps LANL was not the place where every particle beam, fusion, laser program failed in ignominy. Perhaps the incident with Bussolini never occurred where a young sub-contractor could not find anyone to listen to his description of embezzlement. How about the cops who were hired to find corruption but fired when they actually found it?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at 3/20/09 6:51 PM wrote:
ReplyDelete"An interesting follow-on to this announcement is the "suggestion" that all division directors and above in this directorate must now come from Bechtel. LANL employees need not apply."
S/he doesn't have it right. There are no jobs at these levels to apply for. They are all filled by appointment of Rechtal personnel.
6:51 pm: "An interesting follow-on to this announcement is the "suggestion" that all division directors and above in this directorate must now come from Bechtel."
ReplyDeleteCare to susstantiate that statement?
Heim was a total ZERO....
ReplyDeleteBy comparison, DefenseTech has 37 comments of the Wired article (Military Laser Hits Battlefield Strength), Wired´s blog has 111 comments of the Wired article of directed-energy weapons, this blog (LANL: The Rest of the Story) has : zero comments.
ReplyDelete(http://www.defensetech.org, and http://blog.wired.com/defense/)
To 6:29
ReplyDeleteWhere have you been? LANL and UC were doing so great and were so perfect that NNSA decided to rebid the contract just to make you miserable? Prior to the contract change there were no class action lawsuits; no RIF so poorly done that most of those RIF'd had to be brought back; no scandals galore; no discrimination lawsuit (lost by the Lab), no lab shut down, etc., etc., etc. Yep, NNSA and Bechtel ruined everything for all of us! (Sarcasm intended.)
Anonymous 3/21/09 12:02 AM had a number of things to say. I will address the statement about the RIF:
ReplyDelete"..no RIF so poorly done that most of those RIF'd had to be brought back;.."
I was a participant in selecting those who would have to be RIFfed. There was no discrimination except, perhaps, against older white males. The case went to court in Albuquerque. The jury decided against all of the plaintiffs except a ~55 year old white male. What happened after that was strictly adminstrative decisions made by political appointees.
Yes, it is true that some of those who were RIFfed were very good employees. They just got caught up in the finances. BUT, many others are individuals who should have been fired for incompetence long before the RIF.
Goodbye Dorris. You won't be missed.
ReplyDeleteThere was a front page LANS announcement a few weeks ago, saying that two 'internal LANL' personnel were selected for high positions. (I forget the names.) Their hire dates were 6/01/2006...hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteAs someone said earlier, only Bechtel-experienced need apply.
the hillbilly goes back to KY.... YAHOO AND GOOD RIDDANCE, DORIS
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 3/21/09 9:34 AM writes:
ReplyDelete"There was a front page LANS announcement a few weeks ago, saying that two 'internal LANL' personnel were selected for high positions. (I forget the names.) Their hire dates were 6/01/2006...hmmmm."
Sure sounds like Bechtel people.
I also heard yesterday that Glover is being shown the door. Makes sense, HR is one of the most disfunctional divisions in the lab.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 3/21/09 5:39 PM said...
ReplyDelete"I also heard yesterday that Glover is being shown the door. Makes sense, HR is one of the most disfunctional divisions in the lab."
When I first came to LANL 25+ years ago, HR was called Personnel and the person in charge was Jim Jackson, the Deputy Director. I was somewhat appalled that the Personnel Department (Division) was not lead by an HR Professional. BUT, in time, after Jackson left and an HR Professional took over, I saw the wisdom of having scientist or engineer in charge.
During Jackson's reign, the Personnel Department supported LANL's mission. They helped in the hiring process and were responsive to requests from employees.
After Jackson retired, HR was managed by a succession of HR professionals and it took on a life of its own. We no longer got support in the hiring process ("we are too busy") and had all kinds of HR R&D going on.
"We LANL employees respect each other but have little if any respect for most of the upper management.
ReplyDeleteUntil they came, this was a place where nearly everybody (scienists, engineers, administrative staff, technicians, etc) from the Director down (actually only thru the time of John Browne) worked hard and was satisified just to see good work being done."
- Sorry, but LANL was ruined before Bechtel and company came in. When my deputy division manager canned several CCS staff members' funding in 2004 and beyond - and he did this *at will* mind you because he was a petty vindictive loser who was looking to get rid of folks he didn't like - there was no one to call for help. Seestrom refused to hear complaints or give anyone whose job was in jeopardy the time of day, HR sided with the deputy division manager, and Ombuds did nothing. Yes, John Brown was a decent guy and there were still a few good and honest division managers around before Nanos took over, but that was about the last of them. Those of us who left or were forced out, all 2000 of us labwide, are glad we did. LANL was one of the most corrupt places I have ever worked. I hope someone cuts all those entrenched senior managers funding at random and they can see how it feels.
Re: 6:57's complaints.
ReplyDeleteLet's see: in 2004, the CCS Deputy Division leader would have been Stephen Lee. Stephen was one of the Good Guys. Most definitely not a loser.
Also, in 2004: LANL employees were not yet "at will" employees.
I peg 6:57 as one of those anonymous complainers and whiners that give the LANL blogs such a bad name.
That's not to say, however, that LANL wasn't ruined long before Bechtel took over. UC did a pretty amazing job of screwing the pooch before they finally lost the LANL contract in July, 2006 after 63 contiguous years. Their final pièce de résistance was hiring Nanos, and letting him run amuck, completely without adult supervision for his entire brief tenure at LANL. Add to that toxic brew Dynes, Foley, and Kuckuck and voila! The stage was set for Bechtel to take over
Doug Roberts
LANL, Retired 2005
Chalmers was a true jerk. Anyone who locks up his "castle" to keep the Lab riffraff out of his office building should have his head examined. One had to stand outside the door to his building and use a phone to ask for assistance. Many times in my experience, nobody was available to consult even though I had an appointment.
ReplyDeleteAs for HR, that division is a collection of useless overhead that has a reputation for regular extramarital one-on-ones, in-office and on work-time. You know who you are.
I feel Kukuck did a fine job. It's understood that he was a bench warmer until Bechtel sent LLNL managers to fix everything.
ReplyDeleteNever the less, he was professional, intelligent, diplomatic, respectful, patient, competent and personable. He could have been a really fine long-term director.
After Nanos, I nearly got whiplash in the management style change to Kukuck...but the damage had been done.
UC/LANL, although having had major missteps in the past, was already done for by the time Kukuck took the helm.
Lucky guy, got the conn when the ship was already firmly smashed up on the rocks.
Now it's all about Bechtel's profit. They sure do have tight connections with the DC power-elite (of the last administration, at least) to have been gifted both Labs in a sham competition.
Oh well. It's only national security, sold for Reilly Bechtel's personal gain.
From LANL: The Real Story
ReplyDeleteSaturday , December 10, 2005
Rumor Fusion
I thought it might be interesting to present a summary of all the rumors that have been sent my way during the past few weeks regarding the contract announcement. In roughly chronological order, here they are:
1. LM had been awarded the contract.
2. UC had been awarded the contract.
3. Representative Hobson had been spotted storming out of a meeting, furious.
4. The contract announcement would be delayed.
5. The contract announcement would be made on December 9.
6. The contract announcement would be made by December 5.
7. The contract announcement would be made on December 8.
8. UC had won the contract, but Representative Hobson (re: the referenced meeting, above) had furiously sent the verdict back to the jury.
9. NNSA, er, wasn´t ready for the contract change over.
10. LM has won the contract, announcement to come "any day now".
Stay tuned.
-Doug
# posted by Doug Roberts: 12/10/2005 10:29:00 AM
(http://www.parrot-farm.net/lanl-the-real-story/2005/12/rumor-fusion.html)
PS: At the time, December 10, 2005, LANS was viewed as UC, and not Bechtel, and the competition for the M&O contract of LANL, was viewed as a competition between UC, and Lockheed Martin, and the more realistic competition, the competition between Bechtel, and Lockheed Martin, was not fully understood, and Lockheed Martin lost to Bechtel. Bad indeed.
PPS: Doug, you met with Dr. C. Paul Robinson in Los Alamos 2005 during the M&O contract competition of LANL, can you recap today from your meeting with Dr. Robinson, and if you have been in contact with Dr. Robinson after December 21, 2005, i.e. when Los Alamos Alliance LLC (Lockheed Martin/UT) lost the M&O contract competition of LANL to LANS, LLC?
"PS: At the time, December 10, 2005, LANS was viewed as UC, and not Bechtel, and the competition for the M&O contract of LANL, was viewed as a competition between UC, and Lockheed Martin, and the more realistic competition, the competition between Bechtel, and Lockheed Martin, was not fully understood, and Lockheed Martin lost to Bechtel. Bad indeed."
ReplyDeleteThat's true, 11:31. Up until the day before the award announcement LANL staff could still be heard saying, "I want UC to win so that my benefits will be preserved." There was no excuse for to many supposedly intelligent people to be that ignorant about the realities of the contract change. As we all now realize, the benefits package would have changed regardless of who won the contract. The larger issue was who would provide higher quality management and leadership at LANL: the Bechtel-led LLC, or the Lockheed Martin-led LLC. That answer should be pretty clear to most LANL employees by now.
"PPS: Doug, you met with Dr. C. Paul Robinson in Los Alamos 2005 during the M&O contract competition of LANL, can you recap today from your meeting with Dr. Robinson, and if you have been in contact with Dr. Robinson after December 21, 2005, i.e. when Los Alamos Alliance LLC (Lockheed Martin/UT) lost the M&O contract competition of LANL to LANS, LLC?"
I met with Paul a couple of times before the contract award announcement. We discussed many of the important issues that related to LANL, the problems that had evolved at LANL under the 63 years of UC stewardship, and what Paul's management team would do to correct those problems. The list of items we talked about was long, but I'll list some of the highlights, in the order that I remember them.
* The Public Affairs office -- He would reinstate a policy of openness and honesty in that office, and in the entire upper management infrastructure.
* He would see that Todd Kauppila's widow received the death benefits that he felt she was due.
* He would promote WFO at LANL, as has been done at Sandia. Part of this effort, or course, would be to reduce the inefficiencies at LANL which had driven the FTE costs so high. (And look at them now.)
* The blog. We talked about the LANL, The Real Story blog and how it had provided an information channel to the outside world that had not previously existed. Paul noted that LANL management should have been using the blog to understand the problems at LANL, and to use that feedback to identify priority problem areas for corrective action. Paul said that his management team would run a blog where staff could anonymously post criticisms, complaints, and suggestions. We also talked about the risk of allowing anonymous contributions, and how anonymity often brought out the worst in people.
That's about all I can remember from my meetings with Robinson. He struck me as being extremely honest, and possessed of impeccable integrity. Two qualities that I strongly suspect were not on NNSA's short list for the position of LANL lab director.
I have not been in communication with him since the award announcement, aside from a few short email exchanges.
--Doug Roberts
LANL, Retired 2005
There's been much whining about LANS winning the M&O contract over Lockheed Martin. Isn't it obvious that DOE/NNSA wanted UC out? Originally LM was a no-bid, so NNSA reissued the RFP with increased contractor fees just to attract LM to bid.
ReplyDeleteBoth LANS and LM bid astronomical costs, so NNSA went with LANS' low bid; a savings of $70M over the life of the contract. LM lost on cost, pure and simple.
"Isn't it obvious that DOE/NNSA wanted UC out?... Both LANS and LM bid astronomical costs, so NNSA went with LANS' low bid" - 10:21 AM
ReplyDeleteThe decision as to who would get the LANL contract was made by a single man, Tom D'Agostino. That fact alone should have raised serious alarms in the government contract investigative community.
We'll never know exactly what was going on in D'Agostino's head when he decided on LANS (Bechtel), but I'm sure he'll be well rewarded for his choice once he leaves NNSA.
The minor differences in costs had very little to do with the final contract decision. Tom D'Agostino is on record as saying that the score between the two bidders was almost identical.
Even if the two scores differed by a large margin, it was not the scores that determined the contract decision. That outcome was clearly left up to a single man. Likewise, the LLNL contract decision was also left up to a single man, Tyler Przybylek, Mr. "Substantially Equivalent". The stench from both of these contract competitions is enormous.
"Both LANS and LM bid astronomical costs, so NNSA went with LANS' low bid; a savings of $70M over the life of the contract. LM lost on cost, pure and simple. - 3/22/09 10:21 AM"
ReplyDeleteY'all seem to forget that LANS incorporated as a federally-favored "small business" in the State of Delaware. Lock-Mart had no chance to compete against this brilliant maneuver. Go get the facts people!!!!
Doug, thanks for your insightful comments, and Dr. C. Paul Robinson has once again proven to be the moral leader of LANL, I think we knew that.
ReplyDeleteAnd if Lockheed Martin had won the M&O contract of LANL, and Northrop Grumman had won the M&O contract of LLNL respectively, we by these bold decisions alone most likely had established a more advanced national security strategy, that probably would have benefited US national interest better than having LANS, LLC and LLNS, LLC, i.e. Bechtel as the M&O contractor of both LANL, and LLNL.
I've been following the comments from the group leaders and team leaders who have been to the three Leadership Summit training sessions over the past couple of months. At every session, someone asks what the LANS strategy is for the lab, and every session senior management admits they don't have one yet.
ReplyDeleteAlmost three years in, and LANS still doesn't have a strategy! And they apparently aren't embarrassed to admit this.
3/22/09 7:15 PM
ReplyDeleteYou might want to talk to some of the employees at the Nevada Test Site about how great things have been under Northrop Grumman. You might not be so insistent that LLNL would have been better off.
Anonymous 3/21/09 5:39 PM said...
ReplyDelete"I also heard yesterday that Glover is being shown the door. Makes sense, HR is one of the most disfunctional divisions in the lab."
God I hope so! This is the 500 pound gorilla that brought us a yet another performance evaluation system also known as (aka) "psychological behavioral studies of scientists by primates", institutional job transfers aka "forcing scientists out of their jobs and forcing them into other jobs they have no qualifications for thereby creating an inept institution", revised salary management aka "freezing scientists salaries", job categories aka "hierarchical intimidation of scientists by primates" and time and effort floor checks aka "bed checking scientists with primates". Talk about Planet of the Apes!
12:34 AM must of stayed up too late. He/she is a perfect example of why scientists at LANL continue to be appropriately viewed as whiney elitists. Also, Doug and others still don't get that, regardless of what the LANS offer package may have said about "at will" employment, ultimate LANS policy and practice clearly support only "for cause" terminations except maybe at the highest levels of management. A quick review reveals that only two people have been terminated "for cause" since September 08 and I don't think anyone would argue with those actions if they knew the case specifics.
ReplyDeleteAnd we should believe you, 10:07, why, exactly? Because you are an anonymous somebody who claims to know for a fact that only two people have been let go "at will" since LANS took over?
ReplyDeleteProvide facts, then we'll begin to take your claims seriously. Until then, you're just another "anonymouse" proclaiming knowledge and wisdom.
Myself, I claim no knowledge regarding the number of staff who have been let go by LANS, nor under what terms. The only observation I have ever made on the subject was to note the "at will" provision of the terms of employment mandated by LANS. It is a change from the prior UC terms of employment.
--Doug Roberts
LANL, Retired 2005
"Almost three years in, and LANS still doesn't have a strategy! And they apparently aren't embarrassed to admit this." (7:39 PM)
ReplyDeleteLANS upper management have a plan, alright. You're seeing it play out right before your eyes. They just don't want to admit what that plan really is to the politicians, LANL employees and the public.
I work for Chalmers - do you know that the Director's nickname for his is Howdy Doody - not that I agree with Mikey on anything but in this regard Mikey had Chalmers pegged. This was the manager who insisted that we all work 8 to 5 on Fridays to provide "customer service" and he left his office by 2 pm on Friday. The bozos he brought with him - oh where do I begin - Joyce Matthews - a former school teacher intimidated by her knowledgeable employees and made sure she booted them out. Boy, the suck ups to Chalmers must be sweating now - hmm, Pam and Peanut, what will you do?
ReplyDeletefederal procurement rules call for a 2 step process in evaluating and selecting a contractor. A Source Evaluation Board evaluates the proposals, scores them, and then submits a report to a Source Selection Official - note - that would be one person - who then makes a selection and awards the contract. In 1993, Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) was in a similar dual for the Sandia contract, and was basically was tied with Battelle. The Source Selection Official, Bert Roth, head of procurement at DOE HQ, selected Martin Marietta.
ReplyDeleteWhat goes around comes around.
Doug (10:19 am) said: "And we should believe you, 10:07, why, exactly?"
ReplyDeleteAh, Doug. Such a raconteur you are. Unfortunately, no belief in anything except yourself. Perhaps the poster is just a simpleton (unlike yourself) who just believes in telling the truth, and doesn't want the wrath of his/her employer coming down? Your intrinsic distrust begs the question of your original hosting of an anonymous LANL blog, and your continued activity here. What's it getting you?
To 3/23/09 12:34 AM...
ReplyDeleteI hate to rain on your Planet of the Apes parade, but last time I checked humans were included in the biological order known as primates.
So, yes, I do get that you are inferring "lesser primates" but still, if you're going to establish yourself as the representative of the scientists being cruelly oppressed by the ignorant proletariat, you should put in a few more seconds to get your terminology right.
You might serve yourself, and the blog readership, a little better by detailing why you think the so-called "primate vs. scientist" initiatives actually don't work, in detail. Point out the flaws as you see them, instead of simply alluding to some general, unnamed failure of the concept.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to enjoy a nice banana and admire the obsidian obelisk that just sprang up in my living room.
10:49,
ReplyDeleteSo far he has earned my company for a few beers and a cheapo laser pointer.
10:49,
ReplyDeleteI get beer and laser pointers, for starters.
I also get to enjoy the the anonymous antics of folks such as yourself. Many of the exaggerated posturings that you find on this blog remind me of the characters in The Guild: http://www.watchtheguild.com/
In the Comment of the Week section I have the opportunity to review all of the contributions to Frank's blog for the period. This gives interesting insights into the make-up of LANL society, as well as the culture being fostered by LANS.
But mostly, this blog shows the LANL community's response to the pressures of a changing work environment. The anonymity provided by Frank allows its contributors a freedom that they would not have were they posting under their real names.
It is at times amusing to observe how seriously some of the anonymous posters take themselves, given that you don't have to travel more than a hundred miles away from Los Alamos before discovering that most people don't care what goes on at the lab. The oh, so brave comments some of them make are made even more amusing by the knowledge that the anonymous posters would be mortified if their identities were exposed. I guess it's a good thing that they don't know exactly how much log activity data is available to the blog maintainer.
So, 10:49, what I get out of participating on this LANL blog is a great deal of amusement, and a genuine interest in following the interactions that occur here. I grew up in Los Alamos, I worked at the lab for 20 years, and I have a continued interest in what goes on in my home town.
All of the above, of course, is given under the assumption that you really did have a genuine interest in what I get out of participating on Frank's blog.
--Doug Roberts
LANL, Retired 2005
"The oh, so brave comments some of them make are made even more amusing by the knowledge that the anonymous posters would be mortified if their identities were exposed. I guess it's a good thing that they don't know exactly how much log activity data is available to the blog maintainer."
ReplyDeleteInteresting, since it contradicts what Frank has claimed many times about not knowing the identities of bloggers. You two need to get your stories straight.
What do you think, Frank? The anonymous person says we need to get our stories straight.
ReplyDelete--Doug
9:23 was probably one of these guys:
ReplyDelete128.115.27.10, or
65.199.214.194, or
208.93.176.8, or
65.19.19.83, or
71.33.36.81
More info upon request, Frank & Doug.
I'm guessing it was 71.33.36.81. His ISP is Qwest, and he's using MSIE 6.0 on an old Windows 98 box. We can track it down further for you if you like.
Doug, 019
ReplyDeleteI didn't say only two people had been terminated "at will" by LANS since they took over, I said that only two people have been involuntarily terminated since last September, and that was "for cause".
Why is it that suddenly anonymous posters, who are in the majority here, are suddenly suspect as a class.
I have no agenda other than to refute clearly erroneous claims that mislead uninformed readers. Your claim that LANS is now an "at will employer" is such an erroneous claim. LANS initially intended to be so, hence the language in the employment agreement, but ultimately, that decision was reversed as is clearly evident in all current relative policy and practice.
You don't have to believe me. Just read them.
Doug,
ReplyDeleteYou only get my company. You never let me pay for the beers.
Frank
3/24/09 9:23 AM,
As for anonymity, yes I can usually see the name of the business, government department, or residential ISP the reader used. As I've said before, these stats have always been public. There is nothing I see that all the readers can't see. There two different stat counters that have been running since the blog started. They don't keep data older than 100 and 500 hits (other than totals). Don't take my word for it. Go look at the logs and see if you can figure out who left a particular comment.
If you are worried about your IP address somehow being translated into your name here are some suggestions:
-Use a free wifi hotspot
-Use dialup
-Use AOL
-Use Tor
-Use a library computer
-Use your boss's computer
Yes, someone really smart with a lot of free time might identify some commenters. Someone with access to ISP and government databases could also have some luck. If you're worried about it then do something about it. My first suggestion is to visit the blog and find yourself in the logs. Is there any information displayed about you that you are really concerned about?
PS If you blog from a LANL computer then no information is displayed about your visit in the logs, though I don't recommend that!
"PS If you blog from a LANL computer then no information is displayed about your visit in the logs, though I don't recommend that!"
ReplyDeleteOh, but I do! We have people going around spreading this rumor that LANS employees are not subject to "at will" terminations.
[Snicker]
So feel free to look at That Blog from work. It will be all right. Really! Trust me.
-Mikey
PS: Don't believe that anonymous guy from 9:36 this morning who was trying to suggest that non-LANL visits to That Blog can be traced back to an individual. You're safe if you only read That Blog from a non-LANL computer. Really! Trust me.
I don't see any problem with keeping a browser tab open to read the blog while at work. Some might even say it should be required. What I meant was don't comment while you're on the clock.
ReplyDeleteIf someone sends me a copy of the current policy on visiting blogs from LANL computers I'll post it for discussion.
"I don't see any problem with keeping a browser tab open to read the blog while at work. Some might even say it should be required."
ReplyDeleteYes! Yes!
In fact, email links of your favorite posts from That Blog to all your co-workers.
With ASC going away we need to reduce, er,
forget that last bit...
-Mikey
I couldn't help but remember that two years ago, many employees in the asm building, yes the one no one can get into unless escorted, left early, like at 4:00 or 4:30 on Good Friday. Chalmbers was literally frothing at the mouth, ranting and raving, how dare the employees leave early. He did a walk-around at 4:48 and mandated those of us who were still at work to assemble in his conference room. Well, there were about 12 of us and we got atta boys for still being at work on Good Friday. And then Joyce Mathews mandated that all employees who had left early explain their time card fraud. Unfukingbelievable - good riddance - hope Joyce, Gomer Pyle (the new purchasing supervisor) and the rest go back to other challenging, exciting Rechtel assignments.
ReplyDeleteIs it me, or is it every time a bunch of bad apples go away, their replacements are even worse? Seems that this cycle has been happening for 20+ years.
ReplyDeleteFrom Thursday's Lab Links, it looks like Doris is heading over to a position at Bechtel. The door apparently moves both ways at the executive levels within LANS...
ReplyDelete"Doris Heim to Depart the Laboratory"
"Doris Heim, associate director of Business Services, has accepted an assignment within the business development area of Bechtel in Frederick, Maryland. She expects to be at the Laboratory through the end of May, as a replacement is selected and through a short transition period."
LANS likes to play musical chairs with all their executive positions. If Doris is headed out to Bechtel, then her replacement is also coming from Bechtel. Of that you can be sure.
ReplyDeleteLANL has become nothing more than just another Bechtel subsidiary. Doris is simply making a strategic career move within the Bechtel "family".
And don't forget that 5% uplift that the Bechtel people get.
ReplyDeleteI would like an investigation or audit to be made by NNSA regarding the amount of money NNSA is paying for all of these Rechtel moves, into and out of the Lab. These relocation costs have to be worth $$$$$$$$. As someone said, the replacements are worse. OMG, who is worse than Kevin Chalmers. BTW, how many of you have seen Kevin's quarters? You ought to make a visit to his office - large windows, corner office, a staff of boot lickers, and oh, the best part, nothing to do all day but perform the duties of hall monitor. I heard the attrition rate in that building since he took over is over 50%. And the replacements are all Rechtel.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that "Rechtel" and "sheeple" are the product of the same fourth-grade mind on this blog.
ReplyDelete