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Wednesday, August 31, 2005 |
| Wednesday, August 31 3:30 p.m. Director's Coffee Break - 2nd Flr X-Over 4:00 p.m. Fermilab Colloquium - 1 West Speaker: S. Long, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Title: The Direct Effects of Atmospheric Change on Vegetation - From Gene Expression to Crop Production in the Field Note: The 11:00 a.m. Fermilab ILC R&D meeting has been cancelled Thursday, September 1 |
 Mostly Sunny 81º/61º Extended Forecast |
Secon Level 3 |
| Wednesday, August 31 - Italian Wedding with Meatballs - Diner-Style Patty Melt - Chicken A la Mer - Beef & Broccoli - Greek Chicken Panini with Feta Cheese - Sicilian Style Pizza - Grilled Chicken Bowtie pasta in a Tomato Cream Sauce The Wilson Hall Cafe now accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover and American Express at Cash Register #1. |
| Wednesday, August
31 Lunch - Grilled Duck Salad with Green Beans - Pear Almond Strudel Thursday, September 1 Chez Leon
Menu |
| Fermilab Arts
Series: Natalie MacMaster | ||
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| Natalie MacMaster first picked up a
fiddle at the age of nine and has never looked back. After winning
numerous East Coast Music Awards for her early traditional
recordings, she began taking Celtic music to new heights with albums
like In My Hands, which featured elements of jazz and Latin
music, and guest vocals by Alison Krauss. Natalie received both a
Grammy nomination and Juno Award for Best Instrumental Album for
My Roots Are Showing. She has shared the stage with Carlos
Santana, The Chieftains, Paul Simon, Luciano Pavarotti, Alison
Krauss, Mark O'Conner and dozens of distinguished symphony
orchestras.
Natalie's live performances are a testament to her incandescent musicianship and boundless energy, featuring foot-tapping rave-ups, heart-stopping ballads, and world-class step dancing. Her national and international tours have proven that she is as equally adept at setting the house on fire with her exceptional band as she is at hypnotizing a crowd while alone in the spotlights. Her band members are Brad Davidge, guitars, vocals; John Chiasson, bass, vocals; Allan Dewar, piano, keyboards; Matt MacIsaac, bagpipes, whistles; and Miche Pouliot, drums, percussion. Order your tickets early - Natalie's last performance at Fermilab in 1998 sold out in record time! Tickets for the Natalie MacMaster show on Septermber 17 are just
$28 ($14 for ages 18 and under). For further information or
telephone reservations, call 630/840-ARTS (2787) weekdays between 9
a.m. and 4 p.m. |
| From The San
Francisco Chronicle, August 29, 2005 Military examines 'beaming up' data, people - Critics say its extreme computing, energy needs keep teleportation unlikely for now Frustrated that terrorist kingpin Osama bin Laden is still on the loose nearly four years after the Sept. 11 attacks, a few military types and their scientific advisers are pondering a "what if" solution straight out of TV's "Star Trek." Wouldn't it be neat, they ask, if we could nab bin Laden via teleportation? In "Star Trek," the characters traveled between spaceship and planet by having their bodies dematerialized, then "beamed" to another locale — hence, the characters' familiar request to the ship's engineer: "Beam me up, Scotty." That's teleportation. Although many physicists think such ideas are claptrap, it would be ideal if the United States could teleport U.S. soldiers into "a cave, tap bin Laden on the shoulder, and say: 'Hey, let's go,'" said Ranney Adams, spokesperson for the Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base in the Southern California desert. "But we're not there (yet)." Not for want of trying, though. Last year, the Air Force spent $25,000 on a report, titled "Teleportation Physics Study," to examine possible ways to teleport humans and objects through space. The military has a long history of funding research into topics that seem straight out of science fiction, even occultism. These range from "psychic" spying to "antimatter"-propelled aircraft and rockets to strange new types of superbombs. Military-watchers have long argued over whether such studies are wastes of taxpayers' money or necessary to identify future super-weapons, weapons that a foe might develop if we don't. In recent years, many physicists have become excited about a phenomenon called "quantum teleportation," which works only with infinitesimally tiny particles. It might lead to new ways of transmitting cryptographically secure messages, some speculate, but not human beings for a long time to come, if ever. |
| On the Job with
Payroll: Working Hard for the Money | ||
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| Ask any Fermilab employee what their
favorite department is, and chances are you will hear, "Payroll!"
Part of Business Services Section's Accounting Department, Payroll
is responsible for processing employee time sheets and ensuring
employees are paid in a timely manner. Not an easy task considering
the lab employs more than 2,000 employees and the Payroll Group is a
staff of seven.
With only six full time and one summer employee, Payroll is a tight-knit group. "Teamwork is our top priority," said group leader Ron Pahl. "If someone is out of the office or tied up with something else, another person has to be able to jump in." That will become easier next year, when the laboratory plans to upgrade to an electronic Time and Labor system. "With the more sophisticated system, we will be able to cut down on the manual labor needed in the time collection process as well as provide management with more detail," Pahl explained. Electronic direct deposit has eliminated many headaches for both Payroll and employees. There are still a handful of employees who haven't signed up for direct deposit. "It is quicker, easier and safer than issuing checks that must be cashed. We encourage everyone to use direct deposit," Pahl said. "We also have a number of non-resident aliens paid by the lab, and each has a specific tax situation" depending on their visa, Pahl explained. Payroll reviews each case and, if there is a need for additional information, contacts the employee and schedules a time to meet. "I really enjoy having the non-resident aliens come in and talk about where they came from," he said. "People come to Fermilab from all over the world, and there's so much you can learn from them." Pahl has been working in the payroll department of various
businesses for almost 35 years, and has spent 12 of those years at
Fermilab. "I love the atmosphere here," he said. "It's very relaxed,
employees are so courteous and the Payroll staff is the best. We
have over 45 years of Fermilab experience in Payroll and have a very
good understanding of the pay policies. Plus, I can look out my
window and see deer and other wildlife running around."
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| Ultimate Frisbee Interested in playing ultimate frisbee? It's a great way to get exercise while having fun at the same time! If you've never played before, don't worry about it, we'll teach you. Join us today at the soccer field in the village. We usually play every Wed. from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. Please bring a bottle of water. See you there! Unix Users Meeting Power Outage Building Manager Notice Fermilab Health Fair Upcoming Classes |
