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Positive Comment Challenge

Anonymously contributed:

Positive Comment Challenge
*** Post brought back to the top so it wont be forgotten ***

This blog is overwhelmed by negative comments. While any of us could certainly join in on everything from our indefensible overhead rates to stifling computer security craziness, it gets old after months and months and months! So if you need to rant, go do it in some other post. Here I challenge actual LLNL employees to say something positive about the place we all work.

I'll start: I actually enjoy my work at LLNL. Yes, you heard correctly, I get to work a great group of scientists, recognized in our field, perform cutting-edge research, publish papers, attend professional society meetings, and have access to some great equipment.

Especially compared with what some of my colleagues are going through at the Universities (cuts and furloughs) the lab remains a great place to do science.

what is wrong with Hewitt?

Anonymously contributed:

I'm a retiree- took the buyout, such as it was, because I figured that even tho LANS people got twice as much, that was the best we could expect, and I didn't want to "go down with the ship" that used to be called LLNL.

I received a letter dated 11/6/09 from LLNS signed by Art Wong that states the letter sent by Hewitt "incorrectly stated that .. enrollment ends on Nov 6, 2009." He states it is open until 11/20/09.

Q. The letter does not give costs, does anyone know how to get those?

There was an article in the local paper that said the same thing, and the reporter asked Hewitt about the error.
Hewitt's response sounded like: Well, it was correct for other programs we handle, and NO they were not going to correct their error.

Maybe LLNS should contract with someone to manage our health care who cares about doing a good job? Or restore the good in-house HR dept. that once did this?

Is LLNL positioned for success?

This post is a comment under the post "How long will he last?". I am moving it here in the hopes that ULM (or their intelligence) see it and are reminded of the problem.

I thought it sums up the fundamental problem of LLNL

--- scooby --


You have raised a very significant question regarding the success of outside managers.

In my 30 years at the Lab, many of which were spent in WFO programs, I am not sure that I have seen any. On the other hand, I have seen numerous failures.

The underlying problem is that LLNL is not structured for WFO success. Part of the problem is internal, part is due to the DOE bureaucracy. The Lab is basically a weapons design lab. It is the best in the world in that mission, but that mission is dying.

If the Lab is ever to be successful in the WFO arena, we need to overhaul DOE or move the Lab out of that management. We cannot devote hundreds of millions of dollars to nonsense bureaucracy--IWSs, AB, etc. When we had a real enemy, political pressures keep the DOE bureaucrats at bay. Barring a true national emergency, we will never again be able to gain our previous status.

Where is the money going?

Anonymously contributed:

Here is what Miller and Liedle make

Liedle: $867356.00

Miller $441891.00

go to the RECOVERY.gov to see for your self.

Where is the satellite?

Anonymously contributed:

The lab is showing no favoritism at all.

The broadcast of Michelle Obama's visit to the Department of Energy headquarters today (Nov. 5) will not be aired on Lab TV. DOE could not locate an accessible satellite to carry the broadcast.

WFC?

How long will he last?

Anonymously contributed:

I wonder how long he will last....


Penrose Albright, former Homeland Security Secretary, named Global Security leader at Lawrence Livermore
By Physics Today on November 5, 2009

LIVERMORE, Ca — Penrose. C. "Parney" Albright, former Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, has been named the Principal Associate Director of Global Security at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Albright will join the Lab on Nov. 30, Director George Miller announced.

The Global Security Principal Directorate applies multi-disciplinary science and technology to anticipate, innovate and deliver responsive solutions to complex global security needs, from energy and environmental security to domestic security and nonproliferation.

"Parney is extremely well qualified to assume responsibility for Global Security, an area of critical importance to our Laboratory as well as the country," Miller said. "He is internationally recognized for his homeland and national security acumen."

Albright has more than 20 years of experience in national security, holding positions in the federal government, federally funded research and development centers and the private sector. His responsibilities have ranged from research and development to conducting studies and analyses and senior leadership. He has worked in programs to counter terrorism, protect against weapons of mass destruction, protect U.S. borders, and perform systems analysis of space systems and ballistic and cruise missile defense systems.

Prior to joining the Lab Albright was at Civitas Group, a homeland security consulting group in Washington, DC. He served as an Assistant Secretary in the Department of Homeland Security; Assistant Director in the Office of Science and Technology Policy; Senior Director in the Office of Homeland Security in the White House, and Program Manager with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Throughout his career he has served in a number of capacities, from a scientist designing and executing an experiment carried out by the crew of the space shuttle to developer and manager of programs associated with special operations, intelligence collection, molecular biology, and maritime operations; and as the leader of the team that created the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, developing its enabling legislation, organizational construct, multi-year strategic planning guidance, and ultimately overseeing budget execution.

Albright has extensive experience with interagency and congressional interactions, and was a frequent spokesperson for both the White House and DHS to the press on issues associated with science, technology, and weapons of mass destruction.

Albright has a bachelor's degree in physics and applied mathematics from George Washington University, and a master's and PhD in physics from the University of Maryland.

"With his educational background and broad experience, Parney has demonstrated wide-ranging managerial and scientific capabilities and knowledge that will be essential in effectively managing the wide range of functional areas in Global Security," Miller said. "I have confidence that he will enable the Global Security organization to continue to apply multi-disciplinary science and technology to anticipate, innovate and deliver responsive solutions to complex global security needs."

Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a national security laboratory that develops science and engineering technology and provides innovative solutions to our nation's most important challenges. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

The facts about swine flu vaccine.

Anonymously contributed:
Check the facts about the flu vaccine at:

factcheck.org

Stay informed!

Anonymously contributed:

A while back, I posted about the swine flu, and asked people to do some research on the subject. Blogmaster, thanks for posting it. I hope someone paid attention. Most didn't.
For those of you who saw the movie 'V', it is now time for us to sit down and have a little chat. Since I last posted, your bill of rights has been taken away, the Emergency declaration and level 6 has trumped it. Meanwhile, 500,000 are under mandatory vaccine attack in NY, and many people are leaving the state as the court battles go on. In Mass, impeachment for the governor is underway, for treason.

The story is much bigger than just s seasonal shot.

Just stay informed, don't go quietly into the night!

links:
youtube:
"Finland's Health Minister Blasts Swine Flu BS"

-Ukraine under bio attack.

-swine vaccine hidden in seasonal flu shot.

tons more, just get away from the mainstream media and poke around!

Have You Had a Chance to Look at the LLNL Sponsered Employee Blog?

I took a look. Too bad my post never got posted.

Another open letter to Dr Chu

Another anonymous letter to Dr Chu:

Dear DR.Chu,

Ask George about the glove box explosion at 695.

Ask him about th 60 lbs of explosive that where dropped at site 300

Aske him about the gas leak at 241 wich would have resulted of the building blowing up

Ask him about the Be contamination at 298 and 321:which resulted in personell who are now dying of chronic Be disease

Ask him how LLNS spent 10 million on trees and grass after Bechtel ran the place into the ground.

But most of all ask George what bechtel is doing to keep the lab safe and secure for the 70million a year they are getting in pay.

An open letter to Dr. Chu

Anonymously contributed:

Dear Dr. Chu,

Welcome to LLNL. Look closely. Too bad it isn't what you expected.

Ask George why he thinks costs are going up only 4%,when his pricing tools show 10%.

Ask him if Russo and Liedle serve him as well as Kuckuck and Mara served Anastasio.

Ask his why he degraded engineering from two strong independent departments to a single weak job-shop.

Ask him why his people are so demoralized.

Ask him why he put a 150% tax on travel costs.

Ask him what DoE get from Bechtel for $40M per year? Where is the new accounting system, where is the promised project management system?

Ask him why he lies to his employees so regularly.

Ask him why the Bechtel business operations folks make declarations without bothering to leave their offices to see how things work.

Ask him how he can retroactively bill sponsors for rate increases for work that was contracted for at a lower rate?

Ask him why he hasn't aplogized publically for the "substantially equivalent in the aggregate" lie.

Ask him why employees who know him think that he is a self-absorbed blow hard.

Ask him to resign.

Thank you,

Technical staff

Dr Chu's Visit

I expected B123 to be overflowing! I expected dozens of questions!
I expected the contributors of the "open letter to Dr Chu"s to be there to ask the
questions, didn't you?

What happened to callbacks?

I was laid off due to the ISP. Unable to find work I have taken another job at LLNL at half my old pay. To my shock my old departments org chart is as big as it was before the ISP. LLNS has filled all the laid off workers positions with matrixed engineering people. I have the proof! How can they do that? What happened to callbacks? Is anyone looking into this? Does DOE provide any oversight for LLNS and if so who can be contacted?

Eroding benefits!

Anonymously contributed:

Hey, how about those new medical plan premiums? I'm a UC retiree forced to have my medical benefits provided by LLNS, and my premium is going up almost 50% next year (and benefits are being reduced). Add to this the fact that UC retirees from "other campuses" continue to enjoy the same benefits that they always received from UC (way, way better than ours), while we Lab types bite the big one again. I know some retirees are organizing and perhaps planning to sue, but I'm afraid that won't pan out, or at least it won't be resolved any time soon. It's a travesty, I tell you. We, who put in all those years in support of the Lab, the University, and the COUNTRY, we who were instrumental in the country's defense and helped win the Cold War, are being sold down the river by DOE, NNSA, UC, and the Bechtelians. Legal or not, it just isn't right, and it smacks of discrimination to me. George (and the rest of you ULM Bechtelian suck-ups who used to be our colleagues), you ought to be ashamed of yourself (I would expect this kind of treatment from the Bechtelians carpet-baggers, but not from you). Don't you have any shred of self respect anymore? Or do you just continue to rationalize that you are "doing the best you can," or that you "are just making the best of a bad situation", or "well, somebody has to do it and I'm going to make sure that I make out OK." As a long-time Lab employee who gave the best years of my life to the place, I'm embarrassed for you and for the institution of which I was once proud to be a part.