Is anyone comprehending this new reality?

Clearly we’re not going see 20% yearly increases in the NNSA budget. I suspect the pit facility plans are going to be put on hold. Maybe we’ll have to reduce the nuclear Triad to only one system, like submarine-launched missiles. There are some big choices that are going to have to made because of our drastic reduction in GDP and tax base. Is anyone comprehending this new reality?

Is LA County's Inaction CRIMINAL?

Anonymous said...

Is LA County's Inaction CRIMINAL?
For more than a week the Los Alamos county leaders were informed about high risk for COVID-19 exposure of public servants in Shops (Smith, Pharmacy, Post-Office ..etc), and they will transmit the virus to the public and produce an avalanche of sick people.
The county were made aware that covering the mouth and nose with some paper towel, mask may reduce the probability of spreading the disease by more than 100 times.
This is necessary to be done by the entire community only when entering public spaces, not on street or inside own cars. Customers' and employees fever will be good to measure before being admitted in the shop.
By imposing these measures only, it might reduce transmission factor by 100 to 1000 times, and with "social distancing" the numbers may be much lower, most of the threat coming from outsiders in Santa Fe and Espanola.
A leaked LANL estimation predicted that about 5000 cases and >200 dead will be until September and I think taking these measures we may reduce the number well under 500 cases, with few or no death.
The difference is the cost of inaction or the reward for preemptive action.
I hope they will take the right decision, and not wait for instructions from a bunch of incompetent, inexperienced people.

Pension Status

Ironically, every year in April since 2009, LANS/TRIAD has published a perfunctory status of the Defined Benefit Pension. Given the hit on the market I do no expect good news. As a reminder, last April 2018 TRIAD published a 104% funding attainment. Prior to 2018, there has a been a 5% per year decline in value from 134%, in spite of bull markets. When the attainment is 80% or below TRIAD will "punt" the pension to the federal government (Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation) and pay a portion or all benefits would we have received from the plan. It should be noted that this is huge difference between the UC pension and the private LANS/TRIAD pension. My understanding is that UC pension will stay with UC through "thick and thin". I will never forget Tyler conveying "substantially equivalent in the aggregate", we will soon see what "aggregate" means. Buckle up everyone; we've been living on borrowed time.

I should also mention that LANS/TRIAD is very secretive about how (and who) they manage this private pension. I've tried without success to determine the qualifications and credentials of the personnel that manage the pension, let alone specifically where the investments.

Racist Acts Surge Against Asian Americans

The FBI warned Friday it has seen a surge in alleged hate crimes and racist incidents targeting Asian Americans as the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to grow.

https://www.ibtimes.com/racist-acts-surge-against-asian-americans-during-coronavirus-pandemic-2948149

SNL employee tests positive

SNL employee tests positive for COVID-19 - https://share-ng.sandia.gov/alerts/2020/03/26/sandia-national-laboratories-evacuates-two-buildings-following-confirmed-case-of-covid-19/

National lab supercomputers to help fight COVID-19

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/US-National-Laboratories-supercomputers-to-help-CO

Bonuses first

I think this guy is dead-on about the bonuses:

https://losalamosreporter.com/2020/03/20/time-to-pause-operations-at-los-alamos-national-laboratory/

Any cases of Covid-19 at the labs?

I know some of the DOE Labs are under minimum operations but no one had reported any covid  cases?
Are there any?

Livermore Lab Moving to Minimum Safe Operations

Livermore Moving to Minimum Safe Operations as Surrounding County Locks Down to Combat COVID-19

https://www.exchangemonitor.com/livermore-moving-minimum-safe-operations-monday-surrounding-county-locks-combat-covid-19/

6 Bay Area counties ordered to shelter in place

"As coronavirus spreads, 6 Bay Area counties will be ordered to ‘shelter in place’"

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-16/nine-san-francisco-bay-area-counties-ordered-to-shelter-in-place

Not everyone has moved on

We may have pushed the "treat people like people" needle, but it is naive and misleading to say "we have moved on".

"Coronavirus impact: Asian community fighting racism, xenophobia, bigotry as world fights COVID-19"

https://abc7news.com/6010825/

A Lessons Learned Organization?

A Lessons Learned Organization?
Thom Mason presented an-all hands meeting on Tuesday. No coronavirus known in New Mexico, he announced. By Wed, rumors were circulating through the local schools that some kids were being pulled from school because a parent or parents, who are Lab employees, had tested positive for coronavirus. By Thursday, multiple sources of information, including teenagers and adults, confirmed the assertion that ten presumptive COVID-19 cases at LANL were known. Thursday evening the Governor announced that all public schools would be closed for three weeks. By Friday, Thom Mason issued a message that no known confirmed cases of coronavirus at Los Alamos had been identified. Business as usual. Meanwhile, more independent corroboration poured in through the town grapevine about the ten presumptive LANL cases. People were actually observed fighting over bottled water and toilet paper at the local grocery store! Information from people close to the New Mexico Health Dept. revealed that presumptive COVID-19 cases should go to CDC for confirmation through them. No contact to date with LANL!
Apparently the lowest first year variable fee award percentage in NNSA contractor history and being called out as not being a “lessons learned” organization has not deterred TRIAD’s behavior. Why should it, when you can call a 66% variable fee award “Good” and pay all the managers a bonus? How can it be that common knowledge of multiple presumptive COVID-19 cases was known two days after an all-hands meeting where nothing was revealed? It stretches credulity to believe that TRIAD is acting in good faith.
Caring about employee well-being is just an empty platitude without actions to back it up. Transparency, even when it means revealing inconvenient facts, and promptly disclosing to State Health officials is something we all have a right to demand from Triad. From their mishandling of Harborview, many gaffes regarding proper contract management and improperly vetting proposed actions with NNSA to now this latest obfuscation, Triad is amply demonstrating they are not up to the task for the management and operation of Los Alamos National Laboratory!

Kids of infected LANL personnel pulled out of school

A person within the LA school system just told me that there are some folks at LANL who have tested positive for COVID and their kids have been pulled from school.

Lab Employee Test Came Back Negative

https://patch.com/california/livermore/coronavirus-livermore-labs-employee-test-came-back-negative

Management has no communication with employees, headless chickens...

-------

E-LINE: PRESUMPTIVE BUT UNCONFIRMED CASE OF COVID-19 AT LLNL

The Laboratory is taking several precautions following the report of an employee with a presumptive but unconfirmed case of coronavirus – COVID-19.

Out of an abundance of caution the decision was made to close building 551W for cleaning. All employees in that building have been sent home with instructions to return to work on Monday. Disinfection of the building has been completed.

The Laboratory was made aware of the employee’s presumptive case late Wednesday. Health Services has been in contact with the affected employee and has identified 23 people who had close business contact. Per CDC guidelines, those employees have been sent home for self-monitoring over the next 14 days.

Any employee showing signs of respiratory illness, including fever, should stay home until they are symptom free. People who identify as part of a high-risk group should contact Health Services for further guidance, 2-7462. High risk groups include people 60 and older, those with underlying health conditions including heart disease, lung disease or diabetes and people who have weakened immune systems.

The Laboratory is suspending all business travel and visitors to the site through March 13. In addition, managers are encouraged to allow liberal use of telecommuting. Employees should discuss details with their supervisors. Large, in-person meetings are discouraged. Further guidance on the Laboratory’s response to this issue will be provided in upcoming communications.

All employees are encouraged to slow down and be deliberate in all actions; we realize this may be a distraction. For more information, including frequently asked questions and guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19, see the Health Services website.

We are all to blame!

Is there some point to this all? We are suppose to ensure the stockpile which was relevant in the 60s and 70s. The cold war is over and we are all about to "die" ok maybe not but be shut down by Covid19. Has everything we have done been for nothing? I can understand some boomers saying " I protected freedom" but can anyone from that past 25 years say that...I think not. Maybe our talents should have been used elsewhere where it could have made a difference. We spent all this money on bombs to kill an enemy that no longer existed now in the end when we could have used that money to fight viruses we wasted it. We are all to blame.