Because of the large cuts in the national fusion energy research budget, The Princeton Plasma Physics Lab had to lay off 269 employees (33% of the staff) on Sept. 27, 1995. On average, those laid off have served 17 years at the lab. (I still have my job, but it has been pretty depressing around here the past few days.) Prof. William Happer, chair of the University Research Board said it well: "The lab members who will suffer as a result of the lab's severely constrained budget deserve the support and gratitude of the Princeton community. Many have worked heart and soul for years in the quest for fusion energy. I hope all of us, their neighbors, will rally to help our fellow Princetonians in this time of need." I'm sure the whole fusion community feels similarly about those who are being laid off from fusion research around the country.