Ohio earthquakes triggered by brine injection

"Hydro-Fracking, sometimes called hydrofracturing, is a well development process that increases the flow of water from a bedrock well by increasing the size and extent of the bedrock fractures that bring water into the well."--Schrader Well drilling website

Trying to find a non-politicized definition of hydro-fracking is difficult. The industry calls it a proven technological advancement. Environmentalists blame Haliburton for creating the processes that potentially increases toxicity of the surrounding environment.

From a purely geological and physics viewpoint, introducing liquid (especially in large quantities) means an increased potential for stuff to move that had been frozen in place by friction.

"Investigators from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources have confirmed that injection well fluid along a weakened geologic fault triggered the 12 earthquakes that occurred in the Youngstown area between March 2011 and January 2012. After investigating all available geological formation and well activity data, ODNR regulators and geologists found fluid from the Northstar 1 Class II disposal well intersected an unmapped fault in a near-failure state of stress, causing movement along that fault."

It seems to me that Haliburton may have given terrorists a new weapon to try out. Fracking near a fault line could result in devastating earthquakes. In my part of the country, we are always a little worried about the New Madrid fault. As it covers a multi-state area, fracking in say Arkansas could result in earthquakes effecting Memphis, Louisville and Cincinnati. It may not be as glamourous or easy as a bomb or hijacking an airliner but it could be even more effective. Hell even without terrorist intentions, it appears good old fashioned greed is causing us some major problems.

Farm and Dairy

Panetta: 'International Permission’ Trumps Congressional Permission For Military Actions

Sessions: “Do you think you can act without Congress to initiate a no-fly zone in Syria?”

Panetta: “Our goal would be to seek international permission. We would come to the Congress to inform you and determine how best to approach this.”

George W. Bush was accused of an illegal war but it seems Barack Obama is heading down the same road.

Breitbart

F-35

Obama shifts location of G-8 summit from hometown of Chicago to his Camp David retreat

This from the same administration that has been questioning the ability of the UK to protect US Olympic athletes this summer?

The NATO summit is stills scheduled to be held in Chicago. The first World Choir Games to be held in the US will be hosted in Cincinnati. The former presents many anti-war protestors screen time while the latter affords the opportunity to create chaos. The G-8 apparently attracts an even more threatening cast of characters. What is most unusual is how quickly the location was changed. Surely the FBI and Secret Service were aware of the potential security risks hosting a major summit like the G-8 in Chicago. Big city, lots of buildings to hide shooters and bombs, the challenge of keeping tabs of multiple attends meandering around the city. Why now?

It would appear to be the situation in the Middle East with an increasingly belligerent Israel looking to smite Iran. The potential interruption to oil production has to be causing concerns amongst the European nations. A possible point of discussion may be giving a green light to begin hostilities. Gas prices here in the Buckeye state a creeping rapidly towards $4. We could easily $5 by the summer or higher if there is a conflict. Moving the G-8 to Camp David will allow attendees to be essentially sequestered from the media.

Washington Post

Is an India-China arms race brewing?

Just when it looked we were all set to watch a major flare-up in the Middle East, our friends in the Far East decided that they couldn't leave well enough alone. China's military build-up is well know but not as many people under the might of India.

India tends to be associated with more metephysicla things such as Hinduism and yoga. In reality, India is a warrior nation with a very proud and ancienty legacy. Shaolin monks learned martial arts from India.

Here we have two ancient cultures still locked over Arunachal Pradesh (north of Tibet) and could end-up having a modern war over the territory. According to Al-Jazeera, here's what we are looking at:

HOW DO THEY MEASURE UP?

China:

•China says it is to increase its military spending by 11.2 per cent in 2012 - to almost $110bn
•It wants to double that amount by 2015
•China's official defence budget is the second-largest in the world, after the US
•But its actual spending, according to some experts, may be as much as 50 per cent higher because China does not account for its expenditure on nuclear development and other programmes such as space
India:


•India's military power pales in comparison with China. Yet, it too is significantly increasing spending on defence
•The 2012 Indian defence budget was set at $36bn - an 11.6 per cent rise on that of the previous year, but still less than half of that of China
•India has the tenth-largest military budget on the planet
•Fifty-one per cent of India's military budget is spent on maintaining its considerable land army of more than one million people

The one item left off? Nuclear weapons. India developed a nuclear capability and while China most likely has more, it still is a factor in this situation. While all eyes turn to Iran and Israel, one must wonder what will develop here in the next few years.

Al Jazeera English

Putin claims victory in Russian election

"It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed"-Vladimir Lenin

Putin claims victory and the specter of the Soviet Union just got a little more real. Putin ran and basically seems posed to be president for life. He was able to convince George W. that he was a good guy. Hillary and Obama may be harder to convince but may have no other choice. Cuts to our nuclear forces, military and a potential war with Iran means the US is in no position to be too antagonistic towards Russia. Time will tell if Putin will become more aggressive or turn into an elder statesmen of sorts. I'm betting on the former.


Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/v/vladimir_lenin.html#ixzz1oChCiTEH

Al Jazeera

Cautious welcome for N Korea deal

"North Korea's pledge to suspend uranium enrichment, as well as nuclear and long-range missile tests, has received a cautious international welcome."

It has been three years since the last shipment of US food to North Korea. It is impossible for us in the West to imagine how desolate and desperate the situation must be in North Korea. Food shortages seem to be a way of life, yet North Korea has no shortage of long range weapons.

If Kim Jong-eun continues this line of negotiation, it could be a good sign for both the US and South Korea as well as Japan. He is a young, unknown leader that may not follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps. However, all of the senior military officers were selected by Kim Il-Jong and share the elder Kim's view of the world. North Korea has been poised to attack the South and US forces for nearly 60 years. It remains to be seen if the latest in the Kim dynasty will be able to change his country's worldview.

BBC News