A few additional words on the "Shut Down"

 INMO the terms "Shut Down" is a misnomer that seems to be
 widely misused and/or misunderstood.  The terms "Shut Down"
 mean or imply that NO, NONE, ZERO, NADA government actions
 are taking place.  In a true Shut Down, for example, federal
 law enforcement, national defense, mail, taxes, entitlement
 payments all stop, federal prisons and national borders are
 opened, federal parks and lands go unprotected, and so on.
 All federal employees, military folks, politicians, and so
 forth stop doing whatever they were doing and are no longer
 being paid to do.  We are a LONG way from a true Shut Down.

 What is happening is more of a selected, half-hearted slow
 down.  Currently, less politically useful functions are
 slowed or stopped.  Really important core functions along
 with others that are important politically (and a few other
 rather random functions depending on a multitude of
 circumstances) are being maintained at either full capacity,
 or at significant levels.

 For example, the Department of Energy continues to operate
 on its usual schedule.  The continued operation is possible
 (DOE employees have been told) because of DOE's capacities
 to draw on large amounts of unspent multiyear funds which
 remain available to the department.  These are funds that
 have been allocated to the department generally for use on
 large or complex research projects that could not be
 completed without multiyear funding.  The funds are
 sufficient to sustain DOE operations a few weeks.  We were
 therefore told that until further notice DOE will remain
 open conducting business as usual.  If you have a question
 about DOE funding, call your usual grant manager.  He or she
 should be available to answer your questions, even as the
 government remains shut down.

 This is not an official DOE notice.  It is offered as a
 view by one old timer who has lived through "shut downs"
 before.  It is given with all the appropriate disclaimers
 needed to satisfy anyone with another opinion.  It is a
 small response to the phone calls of surprise that I have
 received the last two days from folks who called, but did
 not expect to have the call answered.

 xxxxxx@oer.doe.gov

          Ph. 301 903-4507