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Thursday, Aug. 5, 1999

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National group plans Aug. 9 demonstration at Laboratory

A national anti-nuclear group is planning a demonstration at the Laboratory on Monday.

Peace Action (formerly SANE/FREEZE) plans a march of up to 500 people from town to the Laboratory at about noon Monday. The Washington, D.C.-based organization plans to bring up to 500 people to Los Alamos by bus from a conference held over the weekend at Albuquerque's Crowne Plaza Hotel.

In news releases and media interviews, Peace Action has stated that the purpose of their demonstration is to protest the planned manufacture of plutonium pits for the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile at Los Alamos. The Lab's limited manufacturing role is scheduled to begin with an initial stockpile unit by late 2002 and up to 20 pits a year by 2007.

Peace Action has proposed the following schedule:

 10:30-11 a.m. Buses arrive at Ashley Pond
 11 a.m. Rally with speeches begins at pond
 12:15 p.m. Participants walk west on Trinity, then south on Diamond across the Omega Bridge, and west on West Jemez Road to Casa Grande Drive.
 1 p.m. Marchers assemble in the large parking lot northeast of the Otowi Building, northwest of the Study Center.
 2 p.m. Participants begin departing Laboratory, crossing bridge north to buses.

Because the large parking lot off Casa Grande Drive will be reserved for use by the demonstrators, employees who normally park in the lot will need to find alternate parking on Monday. Begining Sunday afternoon, the main parking lot will be closed. Parking will be available across West Jemez Road, behind and east of the fire station in the overflow lot. No construction or construction equipment will be in these parking areas.

"We believe this will be similar to other protest activities that have taken place at the Laboratory, only larger," said Gene Tucker, deputy director of Security and Safeguards Division (S). "Their coordinator has told us the activity will be nonviolent and peaceful."

Tucker also reminded Laboratory employees that they must wear their badges at all times on Laboratory property.

In addition, since the Peace Action demonstrators plan to cross the Omega Bridge from town at lunchtime, employees should consider bringing their lunches or eating at the cafeteria Monday. Travel to town at noon might be very difficult.

Laboratory management would like employees to remember if they are confronted by demonstrators that the demonstrators are to be treated with courtesy and have the right to express their opinion within the bounds of the law.

Any questions about these activities should be directed to the Special Projects Office at 665-3505.

--Todd Hanson and Jim Danneskiold

Drivers reminded to observe traffic signs near construction on West Jemez Road

Safety improvements to West Jemez Road near the Wellness Center have begun, and a traffic detour will affect travelers using the road as well as motorists using West Road and Bikini Atoll Road.

The detour will be in place for about 45 days while Laboratory subcontractor S.G. Western lowers the road for about 500 yards to improve the line of sight for drivers.

The speed limit of 15 miles per hour within the detour and construction zone will be strictly enforced. The Laboratory has asked the Los Alamos Police Department to check drivers' speed with radar through the detour. In addition, the road work could damage vehicles that exceed the speed limit.

Drivers should observe carefully all traffic signs leading to and going through the detour. Within the detour, drivers can turn onto and off West Road, but other turns are prohibited. U-turns or weaving through barricades also are prohibited. Ignoring the road signs and speeding not only are traffic violations, they are Laboratory safety violations and will be dealt with by Laboratory management.

"The temporary road signs that accompany this detour need to be adhered to for everyone's safety," said project director John Bretzke of the associate Laboratory directorate for nuclear weapons.

During the project, the Wellness Center will remain open, but access to the upper parking lot will be limited and sometimes not available. Parking is available in the lower and side lots at the Wellness Center. Updates of information about Wellness Center access will be posted on the Wellness Center website at http://drambuie.lanl.gov/~wellness.

Besides improving visibility for drivers, the project will improve the intersection of West Jemez and Bikini Atoll roads and change the "Y" intersection to the north of West Jemez and West roads to a simple "T" intersection. A traffic light also will be added to the West Jemez and Bikini Atoll intersection. A turning lane will be provided for the Wellness Center.

The road project is part of a series of road and parking improvements that over the next two months will help traffic and parking shortages that will be created by the planned construction of the new Strategic Computing Complex in Technical Area 3. More information about the project is available in the July 22 Newsbulletin.

Library to host open house today

Today from 1 to 3 p.m., the Laboratory's Research Library will co-host a Library Open House with Deputy Laboratory Director William Press. An invitation has gone out to new staff members and students for an afternoon of discussion with Press and one-on-one training on library databases and desktop information products with library staff. Press will speak at 2 p.m. in the Research Library on the importance of scientific information. Light refreshments will be available and door prizes will be awarded. New hires and students are encouraged to attend to learn more about the research resources at the Laboratory's library and have a chance to hear Press speak on "The Importance of Scientific Publishing."

Words and images focus of talk at Physics Auditorium

PHOTO

Norm Kurnit, left, of Plasma Physics (P-24) presents a T-shirt to Dr. Leonard Shlain, right, who delivered a Director's Colloquium Tuesday in the Physics Building Auditorium at Technical Area 3. Shlain, chief of endoscopic surgery at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, spoke about how the conflict between words and images has affected the human mind. Shlain also spoke Monday evening at Bradbury Science Museum. The next Director's Colloquium is at 1:10 p.m. Aug. 12 in the Administration Building Auditorium, where Sherwood Rowland of the University of California, Irvine, will talk about "Atmospheric Changes in the 21st Century." Photo by Ed Vigil

Walking month coordinators needed

The Wellness Center (ESH-2) is planning a six-week Walking Incentive beginning Sept. 1. To help encourage participation, ESH-2 would like to have coordinators from every division in the Laboratory. All UC and contract employees are eligible to participate for prizes and awards. If you are interested in participating as a coordinator for your group or division and your group doesn't already have a coordinator, contact the Wellness Center at 7-7166 to have your name added to the list. Coordinators should plan to attend a one-hour meeting at the Physics Buidling Auditorium at either 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Free T-shirts to those people who volunteer for the coordinator's job. Plan to get involved in September's Walkabout.

Lab students invited to meet 1995 Chemistry Nobel Laureate

PHOTO The Laboratory Student Association is hosting 1995 Chemistry Nobel Laureate Sherwood Rowland on Aug. 12. Rowland will meet with students as part of the First Annual Student Association Summer Speaker Series.

The series gives students the opportunity to interact with top scientific researchers in the United States. Martin Perl, 1995 physics Nobel Prize winner, opened the series June 29. Rowland will be the second and last speaker in the series with his Director's Colloquium presentation, "Atmospheric Changes in the 21st Century." The talk will be held at 1 p.m. in the Administration Building Auditorium and is open to the public.

All students will have the opportunity to meet Rowland during his roundtable discussions and reception. Some students will present their work either with tours through their workspaces or discuss/present their work at a "Student Work Showcase." The SA is organizing tours and presentations to show the work students perform at the Lab. Students may contact the Rowland Visit Team by e-mail to schedule tours through their labs or to give presentations. Rowland's time is limited, so hosts and speakers will be carefully selected.

Portable fire extinguisher incompatibility with water treatment chemicals

The Facility and Waste Operations (FWO) Division has issued a notice on portable fire extinguisher incompatibility with water treatment chemicals. Additional information is in the online notice at http://labreq.lanl.gov/pdfs/ops/alerts/Notice0032.pdf (Adobe Acrobat required).

On today's bulletin board
  • Coro de Camara singing auditions
  • Help available on performance appraisals
  • Standard Automation seminar Aug. 24
  • Los Alamos Sportsman's Club special two-day course
  • Found: earring
  • Property Awareness Month
  • Holman's Los Alamos office open house Aug. 5
  • Requirements for maintaining ACIS data
  • German Study Group begins classes Sept. 8
  • YMCA hosting coed volleyball tournament Aug. 21
  • Hard Copy Purchase Request Forms Still Available
  • Administration Building Auditorium closed Aug. 2-6
  • The Northern New Mexico Citizens' Advisory Board to meet July 28
  • Network Associates and McBride & Associates vendor show July 28
  • Los Alamos Women in Science lunch-time talks slated for Aug. 5
  • Golf Course pool (a Lab-sanctioned organization) memberships available
  • National Environmental Training Office satellite workshop
  • Sidewalk along Diamond Drive temporarily closed
  • LANL Enhanced Surveillance Program Review FY99 Aug. 5
  • Los Alamos Little Theatre work party

Lab Counsel offers guidance on dealings with investigators

The Laboratory Counsel Office has issued a memorandum that provides guidance to employees who might be asked for documents or interviews by investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation or U.S. Attorney's Office. Click here for the memo.

NEW Security issues at the Laboratory

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