The North Korean government announced that it had conducted an underground nuclear test. MSNBC continues to report - at the bottom of the screen - "North Korea says it launched a successful nuclear test."

One of my dictionaries defines "launch" as "to throw forward," or "to release, catapult, or send off." One "launches" a ship from the land into the sea, or an airplane from an aircraft carrier. To state that this nuclear test was "launched" is to suggest that it was conducted with the firing of a missile, an act presumably designed to create fear in the minds of MSNBC viewers. I am surprised the network didn't have Condolleeza Rice on to warn that what was "launched" is now headed for Los Angeles.