Congress approves winning bid this Thursday. Announcement comes Friday.
Tri-Valley Cares needs to be on this if they aren't already. We need to make sure that NNSA and LLNL does not make good on promises to pursue such stupid ideas as doing Plutonium experiments on NIF. The stupidity arises from the fact that a huge population is placed at risk in the short and long term. Why do this kind of experiment in a heavily populated area? Only a moron would push that kind of imbecile area. Do it somewhere else in the god forsaken hills of Los Alamos. Why should the communities in the Bay Area be subjected to such increased risk just because the lab's NIF has failed twice and is trying the Hail Mary pass of doing an SNM experiment just to justify their existence? Those Laser EoS techniques and the people analyzing the raw data are all just BAD anyways. You know what comes next after they do the experiment. They'll figure out that they need larger samples. More risk for the local population. Stop this imbecilic pursuit. They wan...
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Its Purdue-Bechtel.
More talk that it is in fact Bechtel-Purdue, some select high level managers have been giving some somewhat subtle hints to this in the past few days. If so we shall know very shortly.
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"The world's most powerful and secretive construction company (Bechtel) is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money."
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Looks like the Bechtelian vampire squid at LANL has only grown bigger with time. They will now own this town and the gloves will come off as they enlarge their empire and demand "tribute" from the local peons who they will oversee with even greater power.
Nothing is ever certain with so many different agendas
Did anything get announced?
When Bechtel comes in they must change things in order to turn Los Alamos around. The past did not work, the old way of thinking led to failure after failure. The past must be seen as a dark time that we must forget about so we do not repeat it, we must denounce what LANL was, we must never ever return to those times. First we must end the cult of science, science is not sacred, those the practice it must be humbled and learn that they have been essence of the problems. There is something like a "science" privilege that let these kind of "people" get away with things and this was pushed at the institutional level. The lone scientists caring only about the so called truth in a high priest like mode may have a place in the University but not so in the new Los Alamos. LANL should not be considered a science lab but a "service" lab, we serve at the will of the people of New Mexico and the United States, we do not do science for ourselves, we should not think that we know better about how to do things, we should not try and invent some new thing because we think it "might" be of value to the lab or the universe, we should not think that anyone is obliged to listen to what we have to say since we think we are just so clever. We serve the nation and we must be humble and very gratefull that we are even allowed to serve and that Bechtel is taking on this huge risk with LANL. There is no reason for the United States and New Mexico to simply give money to arrogant people who think they have something great to offer the world and that the world owes them. No we live off the generosity of the people of the United States and New Mexico and must strive to deliver the mission safely and securely, and we must be very grateful that we are even allowed to this. We are not a science lab, we are not an engineering lab, we not even a production facility. We must be a serivice lab that serves, listens, obeys, complies and be very very grateful for the opportunity. Those that think they are "essential" must be removed, that was LANS way of thinking. Those that complain must be removed, during LANS many people complained, no more. The workforce must change, the attitude must change, the approach must change. No one cares what you think, you have a job, do it safely and securely, that is all you have to do so keep you opinions to yourself.
Unfortunately during LANS UC was in control, a university has no place leading service lab. With Bechtel in charge they can finally bring in the business know how and can do attitude that only a private corporation can bring. Business is about service, it is not about science or engineering. Bechtel must and will make LANL be service lab if they have to do with by replacing 50% of the lab than so be it, things are going to change and change radically. A good first step would be to shut down this blog, at least force it to not post anything about LANL. And no complaints about the money that Bechtel will be making, it is so small it means nothing anyway, and it is not your conern. A good second step is to bring an end to the complainers, this has been a pass time of lab people for the last 15 years and look where it has gotten us. No one is essential, be grateful for what you have, shut-up, and let Bechtel do what Bechtel needs to do or get out. The LANL people are "clever" and figured they could wait out the industrial partners, but the industrial partners have waited you out. Admit you have lost...LOST, resistance is futile, so either comply and embrace the new lab or get out, you will not be missed and you will learn very rapidly that you where not essential...Bechtel Uberalis!
It's extremely ugly. Learn to live with it or leave, I guess. Little wonder so many managers at LANL are walking around in total shock.
I keep hearing Bechtel as well, it is going to be very ugly. I agree with 11:13 AM that Purdue will have little to know say. Bechtel knows how to leverage money and now that they have a free pass they will take everything.
LANS, LANL, Bechtel or even LLNL have zero, zip, nada control over this blog. It is free speech so get over it. This post is kinda like a post from the soon to be a Bechtel demigods that will milk LANL for money. News flash. If you think that replacing 50% of the lab is necessary, good luck. You will not meet mission or service. To state that no one is essential just shows your stupidity. If the start will be nothing but confrontation with “the LANL people”, don’t worry. We have seen how stupid the industrial partners are and fully understand they lack any business knowledge except how to make a buck.
June 5, 2018 at 2:59 AM
Unfortunately (I'm surprised I beat him), the Bechtel shill here will soon counter that "making a buck" is all that matters. Very sad. Luckily, there are still some in Congress who understand the importance of science. No "compliance engineer" is ever going to understand or model the performance of a nuclear weapon. Without that capability, the US will be beaten by NK, Pakistan, India, Russia, and even former allies like France. Bechtel will fail as the US fails. Or it will be seen as the traitorous unpatriotic multinational money-seeker it has always been.
Above all in the world,
When, for profit and power,
It always stands to gain another dollar.
From the Bolivia to Iraq
From the Philippines to Livermore,
Bechtel, Bechtel above all,
Above all in the world!
Bechtel hubris, Bechtel money,
Bechtel profits and Bechtel fees
Shall retain in the world
Their old beautiful crime
And inspire us to greater gains
During all of our life.
Bechtel brutality, Bechtel cash,
Bechtel power to the last!
Bechtel, Bechtel above all,
Above all in the world!