I just received my annual TCP-1 letter from LLNS and a summary of the LLNS Pension Plan. Looked in pretty good shape in 2013. About 35% overfunded (funding target attainment percentage = 134.92%). This was a decrease from 2012 where it was 51% overfunded (funding target attainment percentage = 151.59%). They did note that the 2012 change in the law on how liabilities are calculated using interest rates improved the plan's position. Without the change the funding target attainment percentages would have been 118% (2012) and 105% (2013). 2013 assets = $2,057,866,902 2013 liabilities = $1,525,162,784 vs 2012 assets = $1,844,924,947 2012 liabilities = $1,217,043,150 It was also noted that a slightly different calculation method ("fair market value") designed to show a clearer picture of the plan' status as December 31, 2013 had; Assets = $2,403,098,433 Liabilities = $2,068,984,256 Funding ratio = 116.15% Its a closed plan with 3,781 participants. Of that number, 3,151 wer...
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“When we have a tragic mistake like this and people’s lives (are) destroyed really, and massive amounts of taxpayer money being paid out,” said Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., “this is a pretty sorry performance in terms of a government agency.”
And that poor record has cost the lab dearly. After calling employee safety standards “inexcusable,” the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration recently withheld more than $6 million in incentive fees from Sandia as punishment.
It is absurd that one of these articles claims that there is a lab tradition of a day-long alcohol-soaked celebration.
This may have happened in this one particular case, but there is no lab tradition to do this. Having been at a successful launch, you go back to the hotel and get to sleep. There were no celebrations. When you get into the endzone, act like you have been there before. Labs have almost no funds allocated to any sort of celebration, and especially not for purchasing alcohol.
A bad apple can spoil the bunch, but this is an isolated incident of people with severely poor judgement who have caused great damages to themselves and coworkers and the reputation of the lab. Maybe start reposting information about the Rosenbergs and Klaus Fuchs
You are absolutely correct, but keep in mind that "someone" does not post those things here - the blog administrator does. And apparently he exercises no judgement or control. His only filter is whether the post offends him in some obscure way. To filter a 6 year old non-news inflammatory story posted for the sole reason of arousing strong feelings among the ignorant, is apparently beyond him. Too bad. This blog long ago lost all real credibility because of the ineptness of the administrator, so not much has changed.
(1) The link is indeed recent news. This news story was posted on May 2013.
(2) There's another news story by KRQE about parties involving alcohol with Sandia employees:
http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/larry_barker/vandenberg-afb-post-launch-celebration
Think again. BLOG admin is doing the LLNL/LANL community a favor by maintaining it on a voluntary basis.
You can say admin is inept only if you are paying him for his service.
If you dont like the BLOG, dont let the door hit you in the b....
If only everyone had the ability to incorrectly discern what sort of job a person has or company that they work for from a short fragment on the internet like your intrepid sluthing. Oh wait, somehow that wasn't actually relevant to a conversation about the breaking news that you posted from 2002.
Yes Dr Brothers!
Again, if you dont like the BLOG, go away!
July 24, 2013 at 3:18 PM
"...that politician"?? If you really cared, you'd know the name. Just trolling to stir up trouble, huh?
July 24, 2013 at 3:07 PM
Yes, and blog commenters are always allowed to complain if a blog is potentially of great interest and import, but is run poorly.