Avatar photoDropping the F-Bomb on the NORKS

Well, the French are the first to drop the F-bomb on North Korea—failure. Speaking to reporters, French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie (right) said “it was an explosion with a force of about half a kiloton, which is not an extremely powerful explosion, or it shows that there could have been a failure.” AP’s Katherine Schrader …

Avatar photoNORK DATA: It was a DUD

HA HA HA HA. I love the US Geological Survey. They’ve published lat/long (41.294°N, 129.134°E) and Mb estimates (4.2) for the North Korean test. There is lots of data floating around: The CTBTO called it 4.0; The South Koreans report 3.58-3.7. You’re thinking, 3.6, 4.2, in that neighborhood. Seismic scales, like the Richter, are logarithmic, …

Avatar photoMore Norky Goodness

For those of you taking a break from your glue binge, some additional items: 1. Here’s the text of North Korea’s statement on the nuclear tests: The field of scientific research in the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] successfully conducted an underground nuclear test under secure conditions on October 9, Juche 95 [2006] at …

Avatar photoAlmost New Illicit Trafficking Database

I like the tone of the first few paragraphs of this Times online article, Seizures of radioactive materials fuel ‘dirty bomb’ fears It’s the terrorists are coming to kill us all with a dirty bomb so buy our paper while you still have eyes! tone. SEIZURES of smuggled radioactive material capable of making a terrorist …