Free Republic

A Washington state scientist who specializes in steel and other metals who was once employed by a foundry that provides steel for U.S. Navy submarines admitted in federal court Monday that she spent decades faking strength test results, calling the criteria for the safety tests 'stupid.' Washington metallurgist Elaine Marie Thomas, 67, of Auburn, falsified results over the course of 32 years while the woman was employed at a steel foundry in Tacoma, according to prosecutors. The company that owns the foundry, Bradken Inc., is the U.S. Navy's leading supplier of steel for naval submarines. 'She regrets that she failed...

"Inquiry Suggests Pakistanis Sold Nuclear Secrets" By THE NEW YORK TIMES Published: December 22, 2003 "Western agencies have been investigating Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's bomb." This article is by William J. Broad, David Rohde and David E. Sanger. "WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 — A lengthy investigation of the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, by American and European intelligence agencies and international nuclear inspectors has forced Pakistani officials to question his aides and openly confront evidence that the country was the source of crucial technology to enrich uranium for Iran, North Korea and other nations. Until...

Nation Monday, July 22, 2002   Mystery of Delhi's Iron Pillar unraveled New Delhi, July 18: Experts at the Indian Instituteof Technology have resolved the mystery behind the 1,600-year-old iron pillar in Delhi, which has never corroded despite the capital's harsh weather. Metallurgists at Kanpur IIT have discovered that a thin layer of "misawite", a compound of iron, oxygen and hydrogen, has protected the cast iron pillar from rust. The protective film took form within three years after erection of the pillar and has been growing ever so slowly since then. After 1,600 years, the film has grown just...