Beware of what you smell, and what you type…
So, what news? The war on terrorism has taken a backseat lately, with the World Cup going on and all. Maybe Osama and his gang are observing a period of ceasefire eh? So they can carry out their ‘prostration’ to football before carrying out their suicidal missions? Judging from news streaming out from Iraq, fat chance. Luckily we’re not in Iraq (unless you’re a diplomat there, I doubt it very much that you’ll get electricity when the matches are on).
But then, we never really know wouldn’t we? Anyhow, for those of you living in ‘infidel land’ you might just want to keep your gas masks a little bit closer to you. Apparently, the terrorists have been busy hatching new stuff to add into their weapons handbook. Not really sure if it can qualify for the C in the NBC for WMDs (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Weapons of Mass Destructions) but its good enough for them. Best (or worst) of all, it’s easy to make, portable, and it’s dispersed by air.
Probably half inspired by the 1995 Tokyo subway attack, some bunch of guys found a way to release cyanide gas into enclosed spaces (and kill whoever’s inside, to their delight). While the plan is seemingly unoriginal, the method of delivery is. In fact, we can probably create the ‘weapon’ ourselves.
Let’s see how it works.
"Mubtakkar means "invention" in Arabic, "the initiative" in Farsi. The device is a bit of both. It’s a canister with two interior containers: sodium cyanide is in one; a hydrogen product, like hydrochloric acid, in the other; and a fuse breaks the seal between them. The fuse can be activated remotely—as bombs are triggered by cell phones—breaking the seal, creating the gas, which is then released. Hydrogen cyanide gas is a blood agent, which means it poisons cells by preventing them from being able to utilize oxygen carried in the blood. Exposure leads to dizziness, nausea, weakness, loss of consciousness and convulsions. Breathing stops and death follows. (Since blood agents are carried through the respiratory system, a gas mask is the only protection needed. If one is exposed to blood agents, amyl nitrite provides an antidote, if administered quickly enough.)"
That’s easy enough. How effective is it?
"In a confined environment, such as an office building’s ventilation system or a subway car, hydrogen cyanide would cause many deaths. The most chilling illustration of what happens in a closed space comes from a 20th century monstrosity. The Nazis used a form of hydrogen cyanide called Zyklon B in the gas chambers of their concentration camps."
How bad is it in their hands?
"In the world of terrorist weaponry, this was the equivalent of splitting the atom. Obtain a few widely available chemicals, and you could construct it with a trip to Home Depot and then kill everyone in the store."
Yup, that’s ‘honey pots’ for terrorists. In their lingo, honey is what they call destructive items (what do they call themselves, bees or flowers?). The good news is, the plan was never executed. The bad news is it’s not probably due to a feeling of goodwill on the terrorists. Perhaps they’re just biding their time, and waiting to catch people off guard (which is what they’re very good at). The whole article’s here if you want to read it.
What is the good guys up to? Drooling over MySpace and Friendster. You read that right. In ‘Pentagon sets its sights on social networking websites’, NewScientist is reporting that the Pentagon is currently funding projects to tap into all that information we willingly post online. Big Brother keeps a copy of your emails, and now he probably wants to read your Friendster profiles. First the FBI comes up with a data miner (I can’t remember exactly what they called it, but it’s related to dinosaurs), and then the Department of Defense? Perhaps it’s time to remove some information off my profile, don’t you think? I don’t think that limiting public access to my profile’s going to work. That is incidentally why I make it a point to never post specific personal and work-related information on my blogs. Oh yes, political and work-related opinions too. You never want your future employer to see that don’t you? Just to be on the safe side, you see.
At this rate, you’ll probably be better off writing letters if you want to be discreet. Sure, you can write love letters and send them by email, but you’ll never really know how many people can get to read them. Best to send them by mail right? It’s safer that way (in theory, that is).
Oh, and 20 years since Newsweek came up with the infamous line that a 40-year-old single woman was "more likely to be killed by a terrorist" than to ever marry, states of union weren’t what they predicted would be. ‘Wonderful’ news, isn’t it? 
