Trump's idea of nuc testing is stupid

Nuclear testing is very, vary bad:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2020/05/29/donald-trumps-nuke-testing-idea-is-catastrophically-stupid/#680c1fa05c11

Note how the “experts” have perfect knowledge of other nations stockpiles. None of them have ever worked in the US nuclear weapons complex let alone the complexes of the highly secretive countries on which they speculate about.

Profit and diversity

Have the LANL and LLNL for-profit contractors, improved or undermined diversity efforts compared to UC/LANL or UC/LLNL?

Live nuclear testing could start soon

Live nuclear testing could resume in ‘months’ if needed, official says

https://www.defensenews.com/smr/nuclear-arsenal/2020/05/26/live-nuclear-testing-could-resume-in-months-if-needed-official-says/

Nuclear ban in question

In April, while most of the world was focused on defeating a devastating viral pandemic, the US State Department quietly released its annual compliance report, describing whether and how the United States and other countries have been abiding by various arms control agreements. The report is sober reading for those hoping that the coronavirus would usher in a new era of international collaboration.

The report made waves for raising “concerns” about China’s adherence to a “zero-yield” nuclear testing standard, as called for by the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

https://thebulletin.org/2020/05/will-the-trump-administrations-accusations-doom-the-nuclear-test-ban-treaty/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=MondayNewsletter05182020&utm_content=NuclearRisk_BlameGame_05182020#

Nuclear testing and trump

Is this real? Trump may want to do a NW test? What could possibly go wrong?


https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Trump-administration-discussed-conducting-first-15290244.php

This is tragic!

Why haven't we helped Native Americans, in some cases relatives of our Lab coworkers, as clearly detailed in this article? This is tragic and unsympathetic.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/national/coronavirus-navajo-nation-crisis/2020/05/11/b2a35c4e-91fe-11ea-a0bc-4e9ad4866d21_story.html%3foutputType=amp

Sandia Mandatory COVID-19 Testing

Sandia National Laboratories announced today that at some point in the near future they will be rolling out mandatory random/sequential COVID-19 PCR testing. There was no information on what will happen upon a positive test result. Failure to comply will result in punitive action, up to and including termination.
Apparently the ADA and EEOC have suspended all rules protecting employees from invasive medical testing, in the name of workplace safety. Any thoughts how to handle a forced test with unknown personal and career impact, when you feel fine and know that the test has a nonzero false-positive rate?

Changes in Employee Benefits Do Not Constitute Gross Mismanagement

DOE says, "Changes in Employee Benefits Do Not Constitute Gross Mismanagement"

A former UT-Battelle employee was demoted and eventually fired allegedly for "willful misconduct, failure to follow proper procedure, and loss of confidence", after she complained about a UT-Battelle announcement to discontinue all health insurance offerings except for its high deductible health plan (HDHP). Her appeal to the DOE OHA was denied. The DOE OHA noted the UT-Battelle move to a HDHP only health coverage was a "day-to-day" contractor matter and outside of Part 708 protections.

https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2020/05/f74/WBU-20-0005.pdf

Ignition?

Without major hardware additions, will NIF ever reach ignition, or did they believe early on, it would take at least ~400 lasers to reach the ignition goal?

LANL and UK Reseachers warn of COVID-19 mutation

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/is-coronavirus-mutating-more-contagious_l_5eb557efc5b61fe0f57b7cde

Funding awards

The Ed Moses’ cancelled LIFE idea has been resurrected at LLE Omega:

https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/two-lle-scientists-awarded-doe-funding-for-fusion-research-426092/

Seems Ed deserves an apology and recognition for pioneering laser-driven fusion reactors for electricity generation.

Nuclear arsenal expansion

https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1187775.shtml

China urged to expand nuclear arsenal to deter US warmongers

Directors “All Hands”

Directors “All Hands”.....more bureaucratic bilge or something of substances?

LLNS minorities

Has LLNS self-proclaimed Native American Senior Superintendent Randy Pico, consistently supported minorities or other LLNS employees that didn't help him move up the LLNS ranks? Can LLNS minorities trust this guy, or is he just a savvy opportunist?

Fear of budget cuts

Fear of nuclear weapons budget cuts due to Coronavirus:

https://www.heritage.org/missile-defense/commentary/nuclear-modernization-essential-business-dont-let-coronavirus-shut-it

What ever happened with the LANL Culture Survey?

Last Summer and Fall, Thom Mason really pushed the LANL culture survey into the organizations for all three deputy Lab Director's (Webster, Sarrao & Beierschmitt). All three surveys revealed serious morale problems. Has anyone heard of any positive changes resulting from any of these culture surveys? How convenient for the COVID crisis to hit. It seems like the COVID crisis has provided the cover to bury these surveys. Interestingly LANL has promoted several bad managers to higher positions during the "pause". Once promoted, this implies that nobody can held accountable for people mistreatment in their former (lower) positions?

Science at the labs

How is science currently being done at the labs. Below is a list of how science is often done in many places but is it how it is done in the labs?


It is unscientific to disagree with the consensus
It is unscientific to agree with a majority of scientists
It is unscientific to say that something is likely or unlikely
A theory is unscientific if it says that a quantity is meaningless if or when it is not observed by a well-defined procedure
It is unscientific to use aesthetic criteria while picking a theory
A theory is unscientific if it agrees with an older theory and they cannot be distinguished in currently doable experiments
It is unscientific to reduce a scientific question to an elaborate calculation or a complex mathematical argument
It is unscientific to dismiss an experiment (and evidence building on it) as a fraud or bad science
It is unscientific to consider people's subjective preferences and/or money in the scientific selection of the best policy
It is unscientific to dismiss an observed pattern as a coincidence or a fluke
It is unscientific to conclude that an observed pattern is probably not a coincidence and there must be a more detailed explanation
It is unscientific to claim that there is positive evidence in favor of a theory