LLNL - The True Story -

Anonymously contributed: http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20100331_3885.php

Anonymously contributed: With NNSA merging the contracts to run Pantex and Y-12 into one contractor, I really wonder why this is not done for LANL ($79 million max fee a yr) and LLNL ($53 million max a yr). The front company LLCs - LANS and LLNS - are basically the same people, but as separate contracts are getting over a combined $100 million to run both labs. The same thing UC did for $10 million a year. Where is the taxpayer outrage at this bilking of the US Treasury. I bet you could merge the two Lab contracts and set the combined fee at $60 million a year, and LANS/LLNS would still bid to run LANL and LLNL, saving $720 million over ten years. ----- Saturday, March 27, 2010 Contract will cut Pantex costs $875M savings would be spread among plants By Jim McBride Top National Nuclear Security Administration officials announced their contract acquisition strategy for Pantex and other facilities Friday and said the contract reforms would save an estimated $875 million over a decade. Pa...

Anonymously contributed: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/us/27nuke.html In a challenge to the White House, the nation’s nuclear weapons laboratories have warned Congress that federal programs to extend the life of the nation’s aging nuclear arsenal are insufficient to guarantee the viability of the weapons for decades to come. I can't see that this warning from the Labs will have any influence on Obama since he's already cut any funding for RRW/WR1 & is pushing hard for ratification of CTBT. The JASONS have stated their opinion & so have the Labs. POGO accuses the Labs of "defending their turf" - Isn't that exactly what POGO is doing? Why is it the "experts" on NEs are always from someplace other than our Labs? Maintaining older NE's that do not provide the best safety & security technology makes no sense to me.

Contributed by the Pooper Scooper: I recently posted about the changeover from discipline based job classification to the MTS classification at LLNL. See http://dogchurch.blogspot.com/2010/02/mts.html Feel free to link to it from your LLNL the True Story blog.

Anonymously contributed: I see someone complained that the term "fanboi" was insulting and you removed a post involving that term. I was quite surprised to see that. Especially given snide comments from others about "best and brightest indeed" and another thread mentioning the term "hayseed". Last time I checked, fanboi was merely a term for ardent enthusiast and not an insult. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fanboi I'm not about to demand that someone using the term "hayseed" be purged either. I'm over 21 and not going to get my little feelings hurt. In fact, it made for a good tongue-in-cheek reply to that comment. Naturally it is your blog and your rules. I've done my bit to help keep it alive, but have no interest in staying around if some people are allowed to make personal attacks and then go running to you for "moderation". Is the playing field even or not?

Anonymously contributed: So, any predictions on what Mikey is going to say about tcp1 Tues at LANL? 1 or 2 or 3% contributions?

Anonymously contributed: A long but worthwhile read... Debate Heats Up Over Conventional, Nuclear Deterrence Trade offs Friday, March 19, 2010 By Elaine M. Grossman Global Security Newswire http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20100319_6793.php

Anonymously contributed: http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_14681243

Is LLNS managing LLNL well? 68 responded. Thank you. 62 or 91% said no.

Anonymously contributed: LLNS asking for documents they already have on file in your personnel records to prove who your dependents are because they're to lazy to do the search themselves. Along with this they threaten you with cancellation of your medical insurance unless you comply by April 16th as of they were the IRS. What a waste of $80M a year, plus perks and raise for ULM. What did these !!! ask you for.

Anonymously contributed: Cost to Test U.S. Global-Strike Missile Could Reach $500 Million Monday, March 15, 2010 By Elaine M. Grossman Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Defense Department could spend as much as a half-billion dollars to flight-test a new conventionally armed ballistic missile with a sophisticated capability to destroy targets virtually anywhere around the world, Global Security Newswire has learned (see GSN, July 1, 2009). Obama administration officials are touting the emerging technology as a partial alternative to nuclear weapons. Conventional "prompt global strike" arms could be used against targets thousands of miles away that must be dealt with quickly, from al-Qaeda safe havens along the Pakistani-Afghan border or an impending North Korean nuclear-armed missile being readied for launch. The only hitch is that the premier weapon system for the Pentagon's conventional prompt global strike mission -- the Air Force's Conventional Strik...

Anonymously contributed: What do you think? http://trivalleycares.presstools.org/node/34886

Did anyone know that? No mention of it in newsline. http://www.nnsa.energy.gov/2861.htm

http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20100309_8124.php

Anonymously contributed: From LLNL News On Line: NNSA 10th Anniversary celebration: Share your story March 8, 2009 This month marks NNSA’s 10th Anniversary and NNSA is looking to employees to celebrate in style. NNSA is working to highlight the agency’s accomplishments and success stories from the past decade, and is collecting stories from the people who work every day in support of the mission. In 500 words or less, share some of your favorite memories, stories and accomplishments that you have experienced at NNSA over the last decade. The best essays will be featured during the upcoming 10-year Anniversary celebration. Send your short essay and contact information to Jennifer Wagner [jennifer.wagner@nnsa.doe.gov] by Friday, March 12.

Anonymously contributed: What do managers really think? For managers only, tell this blog how you really feel about LLNS. Scooby's note: Mention your PAD.

Anonymously contributed: Democratic senator challenges energy chief on Yucca Mountain decision Washington senator vents to DOE chief Is Dr. Chu just another politician? At a Senate hearing, Chu got his latest earful from Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. She demanded to know "who was consulted in making the decision that Yucca Mountain was not viable. You say that Yucca Mountain is not a workable option, but what seems to be missing is why," she told Chu, asking him repeatedly what science was used to back up the Obama administration's decision to end plans for the underground waste repository. Murray said billions of dollars have been spent at the Hanford nuclear reservation in her state to clean up and begin packaging liquid nuclear waste for eventual disposal at the proposed Yucca site, but no consideration was given to residents there and other places where highly radioactive waste awaits removal. "This is really disturbing to me," Murray said. "This leaves ev...

From Global Security Newswire: http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20100304_9802.php

Anonymously contributed: In the past couple of years, one of LLNL's achievements was the build out of an enterprise-class data center in B112 under the O& B PAD. Fully redundant power, industry standard everything! Only one side of it has been fully populated. When the time came to to populate the other side, ULM decided to do it on the cheap by ordering the undoing of the power redundancy from the populated side to accommodate the unpopulated side. This is to allow more tenants to move in with little cost. The result is that we will have a grade C data center. Imagine telling doing an A+ job and being told that C+ would have been OK! That is what happens when bureaucrats (instead of Managers) make decisions.