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           By 1963, various nuclear powers had conducted multiple tests of nuclear bombs  in the atmosphere, on the ground and under water. The United States was conducting powerful thermonuclear devices during the 1950s and the Soviet Union exploded its first thermonuclear bomb in 1961. International concern over the effects of radioactive fallout out from these tests had been growing during the 1950s.

           The United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union had been negotiating on nuclear weapons under the auspices of the United Nations Disarmament Commission during the 1950s. Various offers were made by both sides on nuclear disarmament, nuclear testing restriction and conventional weapons. Around 1960, the U.S., the U.K. and the U.S.S.R. finally decided to detach the issue of nuclear testing from the general disarmament discussion.

            A major topic of debate was how to verify compliance. Underground testing was a special problem. The blast created a shock wave which could be confused with the shockwave generated by an earthquake. The U.S. and the U.K. wanted to have inspectors at nuclear facilities in all three countries. The U.S.S.R. felt that seismographs outside each country should be able to detect underground tests without the need for onsite inspectors. Finally, in 1963, Premier Khrushchev agreed to a test ban that would not include underground tests. After a decade of debate the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed by the U.S., the U.K., and the U.S.S.R in August of 1963.

          In 1965, the U.S.S.R was working on developing nuclear bombs for peaceful use such as creating artificial lakes, rerouting rivers and other big earthmoving projects. A shallow underground test was carried out with a one hundred and forty kiloton bomb. Most of the radioactive fallout that escaped above ground fell inside the U.S.S.R. but a small amount drifted east and was detected over Japan. The U.S. and other signatories complained because the Treaty stipulated that any radioactivity escaping from an underground test could not leave the territory of the country which conducted the test.  The matter was ultimate dropped.

         In 1970, the U.S. conducted a test of a ten kiloton atomic bomb at a depth of 900 feet at the Yucca Flat test range in Nevada. The explosion ruptured the soil in a way that had not been anticipated and a plume of radioactive dust and smoke escaped into the air. Radioactive fallout was carried over California, Idaho, Washington and Oregon and, ultimately, to Canada, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

         Following the drafting of the Treaty by the U.S., U.K. and the U.S.S.R., other countries signed the Treaty as time went by. One hundred and twenty three nations have signed the Treaty. Another ten nations have ratified the Treaty but have not official signed it. Three nations, France, China and North Korea, have exploded nuclear bombs but have not ratified or signed the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

 Signing of the Treaty from www.cbto.org:         

Partial Test Ban Treaty.PNG

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Raider free safety / hit man Jack Tatum, who wrote a book, and John Madden, who wrote about fourteen, revealed that the key to Oakland's talent acquisition was that the Raiders always avoided "turf players."  They wanted players who were "grass players."  They didn't want twinkle-toes athletes who used finesse to step around the action.  They literally sneered at finesse players, and believed that such players would always chicken out at some point or other.

You can make an argument that they were right.  In the 1970's, and into the 1980's, the Super Bowl was almost always won by Cellblock D teams.  Bill Walsh's 49'ers carried on the tradition after the Raiders, Steelers, and Cowboys were done:  he built the 49'er dynasty on a vicious secondary led by Ronnie Lott, and some truly objectionable line-blocking techniques.

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=== Quarterback ===

In his book They Call Me Assassin, Tatum lamented the fact that the pre-Stabler Raiders were always doomed to lose in the playoffs, because Daryle Lamonica was a wussy.  "The Raiders would never have won anything with Lamonica," he stated flatly.

That should give us a feel for it.  NFL teams need to look at their quarterbacks as tough, tough players.  Jay Cutler is a real problem for his team.  So is Mark Sanchez.

In that light, we can rejoice in the noises that the Seahawks are making about Russell Wilson.  "He's a tough kid" is a cliche, a vague one.  But down on the field, he's one of those guys who carries his own 12-inch chain into the junkyard rumble.  Which also explains why Carroll put him in there so quickly this preseason.

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=== Tailback ===

I didn't quite understand why so much money for Marshawn Lynch.  At that time I didn't quite get it, just how rough Pete Carroll is willing to play it.

The other team's opportunity for payback comes when your ballcarrier is being held up by one or two guys, and now here comes the rest of the defense in to inflict pain.  But Marshawn Lynch, UNIQUELY, is the attacker when two powerlifters are hanging on to him.  Lynch creates a situation in which the Seahawks are never on the receiving end of the give-and-take; he makes it impossible to intimidate the Seahawks when the other team's turn arrives to deal out pain.

Under what circumstances, exactly, would Marshawn Lynch back down?  He wouldn't in any circumstances, up to and including death.  Literally.

This is part of what makes Carroll's vision possible.  Hence the huge contract.

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=== Receivers ===

Rice, Tate, and Baldwin are poor receivers compared to the weapons featured by our rivals.  Wilson is achieving these miracles despite receivers who cannot get separation.  Imagine if Russell Wilson had a true feature receiver.

But Rice, Tate, and Baldwin hang on to the ball, and they stick their noses into the slant patterns, and they extend their arms for the ball even when they know they'll be hit.  What was that TD slant last game, where a WR stuck his arms wayyyyyyy out to just snag a Wilson bullet as he crossed the goal line?  Many receivers are electro-shocked against extending that way.

The wideouts are the most fragile links in the chain, the people who can be strung up like pirates in the bay and displayed as a warning not to ignore the aspect of professional respect.  Carroll has the toughest wideouts in the NFL. It costs the Seahawks yards in the short-term, but wins them the war in the long term.

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=== Defense ===

Game after game, my family yells at the TV in the first quarter as the opponent drives from its 20 to the Seahawks' 40. They're throwing underneath, and the Seahawks are allowing it, and then they are exploding to the football and delivering retribution.  The bruises are piling up.

Do the Seahawks have any player on defense, starter or backup, who has an, um, suburban background?  Is there even one?

Carroll's idea is supa-fast, lethal hitters, and the second half of the game is his.  The second half of the season is his.  As Jack Tatum revealed, when you can inflict ENOUGH punishment, eventually, the offense's will to win will be warped.

To Dr. D's amazement, he has watched this occur, again and again.  Teams lose interest in the game against Carroll's teams.  The 4th quarter is starting, and they want to go home.  It sounds like a cliche, but this year you can watch it occur.

And then, after the other guys say No Mas, You Can Have It, that's when he runs his fake punt.

See you next time, right?

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=== Playoffs ===

A major reason that Duran quit, in Leonard-Duran II, was that after about five, six rounds Sugar Ray was taunting and Duran could do zero about it.

Fans hear, "Nobody wants any part of the Seahawks."  True, that does refer to the fact that the Seahawks are getting better every week.  But there's another dimension to that.  Win or lose, it's never any fun, this kind of game.

There's a larger, on-going war, one that spans several years.  When Harbaugh protested wanly after the game, "We'll wake up and we've still got a half game on the division," that was pathetic.  It was something you'd say after you surrendered.  Hey, we still get cable TV under the terms of agreement.

What he should have been talking about was, we'll see them in the playoffs at our place.  And guess why he didn't issue that challenge?

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Just like Black Friday, the day after Christmas is becoming an important shopping day for retail businesses, but not only because of holiday returns. More and more retailers recognize that there will be returns from customers with holidays gift items that didn't fit or weren't their style. Instead of simply accepting a return, businesses are offering delicious discounts to turn a return into a profitable sale. Seattle in Style presents a few of their favorite après-Christmas discounts.

RENT THE RUNWAY

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Receive 25 percent off your next rental

CODE: NYE12

FRANCESCA'S COLLECTIONS

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Winter Sale

Save up to 60 percent off select merchandise

MOD CLOTH

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Receive extra 30 percent off sale merchandise

CODE: SALEX2

ALDO

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Extra 50 percent off all clearance footwear and handbags

Extra 30 percent off all sale footwear and handbags

In celebration of the Whopper's 55th birthday, Burger King is offering a buy one, get one FREE deal on Whopper sandwiches here. Offer valid through March 3, 2013.