Impact of Shale Gas on Seismic Activity

Impact of Shale Gas on Seismic Activity Is shale gas development responsible for increased seismic activity? 1. Introduction In recent years, shale gas has become the notorious poster child of the fossil fuel industry (Sovacool, 2014). Proponents tout it as being the answer to current energy needs given that it is available in abundance and has a lower carbon footprint than other fossil fuels e.g. coal and oil (Sovacool, 2014). Contrary to this, opponents have a firm stance against shale gas development, having concerns about its environmental impact. Shale gas has come under fire once again as a link between fracking and earthquakes has stirred up public emotions (Walsh, 2014). There has been a dramatic increase in the number of seismic events in the central and eastern regions of the United States. The US has seen over 300 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 on the Richter scale over a period of three years (2010 to 2012) in comparison to an average of 21 events per year over the last three decades (Ellsworth, 2013). In several states such as Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas, Arkansas and Ohio these increased seismic events have been linked to underground injection of waste water from shale gas developments (Ellsworth, 2013). In the United Kingdom hydraulic fracturing at Preese Hall near Blackpool has been linked to two earthquakes of magnitude 2.3 and 1.5 on the Richter scale (Green, Styles Baptie, 2012). There are a number of procedural steps required for shale gas development that include the following: road and well pad construction, well drilling, casing, perforating, hydraulic fracturing, completion, production, abandonment and reclamation. This essay focuses on the underlying potential of hydraulic fracturing and underground waste water disposal to trigger seismic activities. Despite seismic activities being recorded at only a handful of the numerous shale gas development sites, the evidence indicates that increased seismic activity can be linked to shale gas development (Ellsworth, 2013). Even though the magnitude of these earthquakes are on the scale of being nuisances rather than catastrophes (Sovacool, 2014), there is a growing interest into understanding the cause of these events and the mitigation strategies to avoid larger catastrophes in terms of earthquakes or surface damage. 2. Induced Seismicity Induced seismic events are earthquakes triggered by human activity such as injecting fluids into rock formations for waste water disposal and hydraulic fracturing (National Research Council, 2013). Induced events have a much smaller magnitude than naturally occurring events and are therefore not usually felt on the Earth’s surface (Davies et al, 2013). Induced earthquakes take place when changes occur in the pore pressure-the pressure of fluid in the pores and fractures of rock-due to injection or withdrawal of fluids from the Earth’s subsurface. This change in pressure alters the stress on nearby faults, causing them to slip creating a seismic event. There are many factors that contribute to the magnitude and likelihood of an induced earthquake which include the injection rate, fluid pressure, fluid volume and injection duration (Davies et al, 2013). Since there is no physical difference between naturally occurring earthquakes and induced earthquakes it is difficult to determine the origin of a seismic event (National Research Council, 2013). A study conducted by Davis and Frohlich (1993) proposed criteria that have to be met in order to consider an earthquake as induced. These are: 1. Are these events the first known earthquakes of this character in the region? 2. Is there a clear correlation between injection and seismicity? 3. Are epicentres near wells (within 5km)? 4. Do some earthquakes occur at or near injection depths? 5. If not, are there known geologic structures that may channel flow to sites of earthquakes? 6. Are changes in fluid pressures at well bottoms sufficient to encourage seismicity? Based on these criterion the seismic activity in Dallas Fort Worth, USA was attributed to disposal of waste water from fracking activities (Frohlich et al, 2010) and the earthquakes at Preese Hall, UK were linked to hydraulic fracturing (Green, Styles Baptie, 2012). Figure 1 shows the 198 recorded global induced seismic events (Davies et al, 2013:p.178). Out of the 198 examples of induced seismicity hydraulic fracturing accounts for only 3 instances of ‘felt seismicity’ (seismic activity above magnitude 2.0 on the Richter scale) and waste water disposal, specifically from shale gas activities, also accounts for only 3 ‘felt’ seismic events (Davies et al, 2013). Figure 1. Frequency vs. magnitude for 198 published examples of induced seismicity (Davies et al, 2013:p.178) 3. Seismic activity due to hydraulic fracturing Hydraulic fracturing is the technique used to extract gas from ‘shale rock’ formations. Shale rock has large quantities of methane which are trapped in it due to its low permeability (The Royal Society and The Royal Academy of Engineering, 2012). In order to release the gas, fracking fluid is injected at high pressures to create fractures, increasing permeability of the rock and allowing gas to flow out. Micro-seismic events (less than magnitude 2 on the Richter scale) are often associated with the creation of faults in hydraulic fracturing, however their magnitude is too small to be felt on the surface (Davies et al, 2013). In the event of the presence of a pre-stressed fault near the fracked well a larger seismic event can occur although its magnitude will have an upper limit of 3 on the Richter scale (Green, Styles Baptie, 2012). The magnitude of induced seismicity is directly proportional to the surface area of the fault and degree of stress on the fault (The Royal Society and The Royal Academy of Engineering, 2012). The magnitude also depends on the pressure in the well, which is determined by the following factors (The Royal Society and The Royal Academy of Engineering, 2012): Volume of injected fracking fluid Volume of flow back fluid Injection rate Flow back rate The importance of controlling the well pressure can help mitigate seismicity, as seismic events have occurred only at wells where large volumes of fluid have been injected with little or no flow back leading to pressure build up (de Pater Baisch, 2011). The seismic activity observed at Blackpool, UK was linked to the hydraulic fracturing operations underway at Preese Hall due to spatial and temporal correlation (Green, Styles Baptie, 2012). Eisner et al (2011) conducted a study to look into the reasons behind the earthquakes, which concluded that the earthquakes were caused by injection of fracking fluid directly into an adjacent fault. The fluid injection had changed the pore pressure, reduced stress on the fault and caused it to slip resulting in a series of earthquakes. The earthquakes were also measured against the criteria suggested by Davis and Frohlich (1993) to determine whether they were induced or natural events (Eisner et al, 2011): Table 1. Criteria proposed by Davis and Frohlich (1993) to help differentiate between induced and natural seismicity applied to events at Preese Hall (Eisner et al, 2011:p. 21) The table above shows that the criteria were met and hence the events at Blackpool were classified as having been induced by hydraulic fracturing activities at Preese Hall. Mitigation: In order to avoid such events the Department of Energy and Climate Change introduced the following controls and checks for well operators (Department of Energy and Climate Change, 2014): Utilise all geological information available to determine the location of faults before drilling wells to ensure wells are at a distance from existing fault lines. Inject minimum amounts of fracking fluid Constantly monitor seismic activity Introduce ‘traffic light monitoring system’, which determines whether to proceed with injection or not on the basis of seismic activity magnitude. The implementation of these mitigation strategies would help operators assess location of faults before fracking, monitor seismic activity and stop even if minor tremors occur. 4. Seismic activity due to waste water disposal Waste water is a by-product of fracking and is often disposed of by being injected, under pressure, into disposal wells. Waste water injection increases underground pore pressure and weakens nearby faults, lubricating them, and causing them to slip resulting in an earthquake. The magnitude of induced seismic activity from waste water disposal is larger than that of fracking because it involves injection of larger volumes of fluid over a timespan of months or years (as opposed to a few days for fracking) causing greater pressures to build up (The Royal Society and The Royal Academy of Engineering, 2012). The upper limit of magnitude of seismicity induced by disposal in 5 on the Richter scale (Majer et al, 2007). In the USA links between waste water disposal and seismicity were drawn when a cluster of earthquakes were noticed in the Guy-Greenbrier area of Arkansas. Since the first disposal wells became operational in April 2009 this area experienced an increase in the number of magnitude 2.5 (or greater) earthquakes, with one in 2007, two in 2008, ten in 2009 and fifty four in 2010 (Horton, 2012). Horton (2012) reports that 98% of the earthquakes occurred within 6 km of one of the disposal wells, began post-injection, increased when the rate of injection increased and tapered off when the well was shutdown. After an extensive study of the area it was noted that the waste water was being injected into an aquifer from where it increased pore pressure on an unknown fault triggering the earthquakes (Horton, 2012). Similar activity was observed in the Dallas Fort Worth area, where 11 ‘non-felt’ (magnitude less than 2 on the Richter scale) seismic events were recorded during the period between the 20th of November and 2nd of December 2008 (Frohlich et al, 2010). The epicentre of all 11 events was less than 0.5 km away from a disposal well thereby causing them to be classified as induced seismic events (Frohlich et al, 2010). Out of the thousands of disposal wells in the US only a handful have displayed seismic activity (Frohlich et al, 2010). The reason for this could be that most of the wells are drilled into porous, permeable rocks suitable for accommodating fluids and that injection induced triggering occurs only if the fluid reaches a favourably oriented fault (Frohlich et al, 2010). Mitigation: The Royal Society and The Royal Academy of Engineering (2012) have suggested steps that could be taken to mitigate the seismic activity due to waste water disposal: 1. Injection into active faults and brittle, non-porous rocks should be avoided 2. Pressure changes at depth should be minimised by reducing volume of fluid to be disposed. This could be done by building more wells to accommodate smaller volumes of fluid or injecting into highly permeable rocks. 3. A ‘traffic light monitoring system’ should be deployed to respond to seismicity. 5. Conclusion After analysis of data from shale gas plays in the US and UK it can be concluded that shale gas development is responsible for the increased seismic activity felt in these regions. It must be noted however that most cases of seismic activity had magnitudes well below what could be felt at the surface (Davies et al, 2013). According to the National Research Council (2013) hydraulic fracturing does not pose a high risk for inducing seismic activity while disposal of waste water into underground wells poses a greater risk due to the injection of larger volumes of waste water for longer durations of time. However, of the 30,000 wells in operation in the US, only 3 wells have displayed ‘felt’ seismic activity (Davies et al, 2013). A balanced approach should be taken while addressing this matter as other human activities (mining and oil recovery) are responsible for far greater incidences of induced seismicity (Davies et al, 2013). In order to allay public concerns and reduce risks associated with seismic activity the government should enforce certain regulations e.g. geological assessment of rock system at well site, deployment of ‘traffic monitoring system’, limitations on volume and rate of fluid injected and limitations on the proximity of wells to active seismic zones or critical facilities (hospitals, schools, nuclear power plants etc.). Coordinated efforts should be made between the government and industry to put in place a mechanism to respond to induced seismic events and gather comprehensive geological data from shale gas development sites to better understand why, how and where these events occur. References Davies, R., Foulger, G., Bindley, A. Styles, P. (2013) Induced seismicity and hydraulic fracturing for the recovery of hydrocarbons. Marine and Petroleum Geology. 45 (0), 171-185. Davis, S. D. Frohlich, C. (1993) Did (or will) fluid injection cause earthquakes? -criteria for a rational assessment. Seismological Research Letters. 64 (3-4), 207-224. de Pater, C.J,Baish,S. (2011) Geomechanical Study of Bowland Shale Seismicity. Eisner,L.,Janskà ¡,E., OprÃ… ¡al,I.,MatouÃ… ¡ek,P. (2011) Seismic analysis of the events in the vicinity of the Preese Hall well. Cuadrilla Resources Ltd. Ellsworth, W. L. (2013) Injection-Induced Earthquakes. Science. 341 (6142). Frohlich, C., Potter, E., Hayward, C. Stump, B. (2010) Dallas-Fort Worth earthquakes coincident with activity associated with natural gas production. The Leading Edge. 29 (3), 270-275. Green,C.A.,Styles,P.,Baptie, B.J. (2012) Preese Hall Shale Gas Fracturing Review and Recommendations for Induced Seismic Mitigation. Horton, S. (2012) Disposal of Hydrofracking Waste Fluid by Injection into Subsurface Aquifers Triggers Earthquake Swarm in Central Arkansas with Potential for Damaging Earthquake. Seismological Research Letters. 83 (2), 250-260. Majer, E. L., Baria, R., Stark, M., Oates, S., Bommer, J., Smith, B. Asanuma, H. (2007) Induced seismicity associated with Enhanced Geothermal Systems. Geothermics. 36 (3), 185-222. National Research Council. (2013) Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies. Washington, DC, The National Academies Press. Sovacool, B. K. (2014) Cornucopia or curse? Reviewing the costs and benefits of shale gas hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 37 (0), 249-264.

Psychology Essay example -- Health, Pregnancy

Pregnancy can be a time of elation and excitement in a woman’s life, but few individuals will experience a pregnancy completely devoid of side effects. Many women experience universal physical symptoms such as nausea, weight gain and increased fatigue during pregnancy (Flaxman & Sherman, 2008). The processes associated with pregnancy and birth involves complex physiological and psychological changes in a woman’s brain chemistry (Draganski & May, 2008). According to Kim et al. (2010), a woman may experience various physiological effects based on a combination of hormonal and mechanical transformations during pregnancy (Kim, Leckman, Mayes, Feldman, Wang & Swain, 2010). Many pregnant women are informed to be wary of short-term memory loss, also known as ‘baby brain’. But studies performed by Christensen et al. (2010) provide scientific results that common belief of ‘baby brain’ in pregnant women is a myth (Christensen, Leach & Mackinnon, 2010). I n fact, several women display cognitive modifications during pregnancy, such as an increase in ability to correctly perform reference memory tasks and complex spatial tasks (Kim, Leckman, Mayes, Feldman, Wang & Swain, 2010). Data presented by Kim et al. (2010) suggests that the brain of an expectant mother undergoes hormonal and structural neurological changes in order to prepare itself for the physiological and psychological demands and responsibilities of motherhood (Kim, Leckman, Mayes, Feldman, Wang & Swain, 2010). Reference Memory Reference memory refers to an individual’s ability to recall previously learned facts and information through interactions within their environment (Draganski & May, 2008). A study composed by Draganski et al. (2008) to test reference memory in pregnant ... ...ggests that pregnancy not only has a positive effect on aspects of cognition, but also provides influences on learning, decision making, motivation, and resource utilization (Pawluski & Galea, 2006). Due to various ethical restrictions, the data compiled on experiments performed on pregnant female, human-brain specimens is limited. Despite the restrictions on availability of human data, findings from experiments on animals are still beneficial in relation to humans. Although some pregnant females may suffer from some form of temporary loss in proper cognitive functioning, this loss does not have any permanent effects on brain functioning. Perceptions of cognitive impairment in pregnant women may reflect other factors such as stress, an increase in mental focus on the pregnancy, or even sleep-loss, none of which fall into the category of being a cognitive deficit.

Gifts of Rain :: English Literature

Gifts of Rain Seamus Heaney's poem Gifts of Rain is divided into 4 sections. These 4 sections could symbolise the stages of life which consists of birth, childhood, adulthood and death. It could also symbolise the stages of the river in which it suggests the development of the river from it's source to where it gets strong. Or of course, it could symbolise the stages of the water cycle. Water is the symbol of life, but i can also be seen as purity, freshness or youth. In this mysterious poem, Heaney takes a simple view of life and it seems almost documentary-like. The title of the poem 'Gifts of Rain' gives it a positive feeling, but although water has it's positive aspects such as lifegiving and growth, it also has it's negative aspects, such as being dangerous or even deadly. The first section of the poem has no direction and the rhythm is irregular. This suggests that the rain may come unexpectedly and starts off somewhat jaggedly. The rest of the poem flows and has rhythm and there is regularity in each section. This mimics the movement as the rain as it comes down from the clouds. The running on in the stanzas give the sense that the rain is overflowing. Although the title of the poem gives a positive feeling, the opening line "Cloudburst and steady downpour now for days" gives the effect of a monotonous image and a depressing persistance. "He begins to sense weather by his skin" portrays nature and the sense of a survivor. The animal-like image continues for the rest of the first section and the movement of that animal continues as the animal goes "uprooting" which gives the sense of nature being destructive. Heaney may have included this deliberately to show that nature is not as angelic as people may think. The end of the section highlights the poem as "Sounding. Soundings." is what Heaney's poems are all about and more precisely, what this poem is about. "A man wading lost fields breaks the pane of flood" which starts the second section gives the effect of pain and hurt. The man survives by going along with nature and resisiting it, but it also gives the effect of danger at the same time. "Like a cut swaying" carries on the effect of being deliberate, sharp and precise and "it's red spoors" and "his hands grub" continues with the theme of the animal sort of world. The "sunken drills" give the effect of digging deep and the atlantis "he depends on" gives a hint of an insecurity of life, as if

Howard Schultz Essay

Organization culture has been defined and studied in many and varied ways. Culture is defined as the set of key values, beliefs, understandings, and norms shared by members of an organization (Daft, 2012). The culture of an organization is going to play a big role in the success of the company. No matter how big or how small the company is, maintaining a culture that all employees can live by. Having all employees on board with the company’s mission will pay off a great deal in the long run. Starbucks is one of the premier coffee shops in the United States and their mission tell consumers what they do to maintain a huge customer base, to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time (www. starbucks. com). This paper will help consumers understand Starbucks’ organizational culture and the key leadership and management traits used to execute the business strategy. When people think coffee, they think Starbucks. Starbucks has become a hot commodity when it comes to consumers and their coffee. When people go to a Starbucks, they already know what they are getting, specialty coffee, great customer service and a nice cozy place to relax and just kick back. From the CEO on down to the baristas, Starbucks has developed a culture that sets them apart from other coffee shops around the world. Their success can be credited to the customer service. Anyone in a business knows that customer service is very important and can determine the success of a company. Starbucks thrives on ensuring that the baristas develop positive relationships with all customers. By doing this, customers will start to become loyal to the company. Loyal customers will keep Starbucks competitive in a market that a lot of people seem to be fond of because when people get up in the morning, nothing may be more refreshing then a cup of coffee. The Starbucks organization wants all its customers to feel like they are part of something special when they purchase a cup of Starbucks coffee. To help strengthen the culture, Starbucks focuses on being active in communities, in addition to their environmental responsibility, business ethics, open door policy, and their concern for the employees, customers, and stockholders, all these things make a strong positive organizational culture (Campbell, 2009). Within the organization, from the Starbucks executives down to the baristas, when it comes to maintaining the positive organizational culture that has been laid out for all employees, Starbucks separates themselves from many other coffee shops. The Starbucks management team has not based their success off of several things. Within the company the stores offer things that not many restaurants offer, such as Wi-Fi, exotic styles of coffee and a comfortable place to relax and enjoy a hot or cold coffee beverage. These things differ from other coffee spots in the world, so it makes Starbucks very unique. The innovative coffee styles that Starbucks uses attract the traditional coffee fanatic, as well as a new customer base. The styles of coffee will maintain customer loyalty and loyalty is one of Starbucks main focuses. The dedicated customers consist of business professionals and students. These are the individuals that Starbucks employees will see the most. The environment is made for them as well. For example, business men and women may go to Starbucks for lunch. It is comforting, quiet, and the store gives off a positive vibe. For students, it gives them a chance to indulge in a good beverage as well as take time out of their day to kick back and read a book or even catch up on a few homework assignments, whatever the case may be Starbucks offers an environment that others do not. To some consumers, having the coffee may just be a bonus; they really enjoy the environment Starbucks offers. According to brand expert Priya Raghubir, â€Å"Starbucks stands for coffee; it’s converted that into an experience, â€Å"People really have gotten to know Starbucks as the quintessential coffee shop, where they can sit and be welcome over a cup of coffee† (Shayon, 2013). As discussed previously, customer satisfaction is very important to the brand and company. Making customers feel at home by making Starbucks a cozy environment and providing free Wi-Fi keeps customers happy and keeps customers coming back. The management team coming up with these concepts really puts what they are trying to do as a company in prospective and also gives consumers an idea of what their company culture is. Throughout the company there are different management positions. It is the job of this team to attain organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner through planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational resources (Daft, 2012). Within the Starbucks culture one of the main focuses is the customers. With that being said a good management competency to have is communication. This is a very important skill to have because at Starbucks employees are constantly dealing with customers. Even at the executive level of management, communication is even more important because these are the individuals that are making the decisions that could affect the entire company as a whole. When those decisions are made they need to get communicated down to the baristas and everyone else in between. Communication fits perfectly within this company’s culture. Communicating things from the top to bottom tells all the employees what the main purpose of the company is. Communication helps maintain the culture throughout the whole company as well. For an organization like Starbucks were the focus is to keep customers coming back, the employees must communicate with them at a level that employees from other coffee shops just are not use to. With how Starbucks operates as a whole, they have made themselves the place to buy coffee, which they are not really known for. They are recognized for their great communication with the customers, with other employees, and the management team, and the goal is maintain this level of professionalism so the new and existing customers re-enter a Starbucks and always get the same exact experience no matter the location. â€Å"We’re not in the coffee business. It’s what we sell as a product but we’re in the people business hiring hundreds of employees a week, serving sixty million customers a week, it’s all human connection† (Gallo, 2012). Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz is the man behind how this culture was developed; he is the one that drives the bus today. Back in the 1980’s Schultz had a vision to enhance the way people drink their coffee and he did just that. Starbucks coffee speaks for itself; it is the culture Schultz put in place that makes Starbucks unique and a nice environment to be in. Starbucks opened its first store March 30, 1971 with more than 17, 000 locations around the world (Gallo, 2012). Without Schultz, this company would not be what it is today. Since the early 70s the company has managed to emerge as a premier coffee in the world, and in the 80s with Schultz at the helm. In 2000, with Schultz not in the mix, things did not go as well as expected when he resigned. Eight years after his resignation; he was appointed as CEO again to help the company from the downward spiral they were on. Schultz stressed that is was going to take a lot to get Starbucks back to where they needed to be. It is clear that Schultz made a big impact on Starbucks when he was CEO, and when he was not CEO, the company took a bit of a plunge. Without Schultz, over time it seems like Starbucks may have not lasted. Answering the question, would Starbucks achieve long-term sustainability as a global leader in the coffee industry without Howard Shultz, the answer would have to be no. Just in a short period of time, the company managed to get away from the culture Shultz brought to the company. As an organization, it is their job to live up to the culture that was put in front of them. There have been many times in business where new leaders are appointed and they just do not live up to the expectations. This is a problem that can be fixed if communication is sustained as well. All companies develop or have a culture set in place already. Management plays a key role in developing and ensures that the culture is maintained. Starbucks is an organization that thrives off their culture and this is the reason why they are successful in the business world. They have set themselves apart from other coffee shops by focusing on things other than just the coffee, like the customers, the environment, and for business professionals and students, the Wi-Fi. The organizational culture at Starbucks may not be the best, but they are making a strong case for the organization. References Campbell, A. (2009, November 09). Organizational culture. EZine Articles, Retrieved from http://ezinearticles. com/? Organizational-Culture&id=3203513 July 23, 2013 Daft. (2012). Management. (10th ed. ). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Gallo, C. (2012). Starbucks ceo: Lesson in communication skills. Forbes, Retrieved from http://www. success. com/articles/1272-rekindling-the-heart-soul-of-starbucks? page=2 July 23, 2013 Shayon, S. (2013, March 08). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www. brandchannel. com/home/post/Starbucks-Customer-Loyalty-030813. aspx July 23, 2013 .

Educational Tour Narrative Report Essay

Introduction: Educational Tour gives us ideas likewise opportunities to visit prestigious agencies that may help us visualize what we are learning at school. This activity helps us develop our personality since social graces and etiquette are learned too by experience. Moreover, important to every student since it is a part of our learning process to acquire more knowledge through actual exposure to the different agencies. Educational Tour: A Narrative. A great way to explore and gain experience, the Junior Bankers Association had its educational tour on February 6 to 9, 2012. Day 1: February 6, 2012 The day wherein I have to wake up early because it should be a big No for rush. Yes, we’re pretty much excited to invade Manila, so we departed Vigan City at around 6:30 in the morning. We prayed the rosary, praying for a safe trip. After the rosary, here it goes, we already started talking, laughing, picture taking and of course sleeping since it will consume a lot of time before reaching our destination. After 5 hours of travel, we had a stopover in Pangasinan, we ate our lunch. My friends and I shared on the different meals we brought. When we’re done, we assure that the place where we ate our lunch was clean, and then travel continued. We arrived at Garden Plaza Hotel, Paco Manila around 7:15 in the evening. When our baggages are out of the bus, we immediately headed at the conference room and there they have discussed to us the rules and regulations of their hotel. After telling the do’s and don’ts they have let us signed their visitors list and gave the room key to room leaders. I was given the responsibility to keep our room key, I was chosen by my roommates to be their leader. After a tiring long trip, my friends and I took pictures and watched television, then we take of our uniforms on our bags as well as our clothes we’ll be using the next day and put it on the cabinet. When everything was in order, we went down stairs for dinner, the hotel prepared for our meal. Then immediately we went back to our rooms after eating to take a bath. Before going to bed we’ve entertained our room visitors for the day: Sir Lawrence and Ma’am Angela. After their visit we already go to bed and sleep. Day 2: February 7, 2012 Since we’ve left all the things we used to do at home, one major adjustment I’ve made is to wake up early. This day I look forward to be well groomed because our destination is the Philippine Stock Exchange Tektite Building, Ortigas Center Pasig City. We took a bath, make ourselves presentable as what we always wanted, and went down at 6:00 am for our breakfast. We went back to our room after eating to have a toothbrush, make things up and be ready for our visit to the Philippine Stock Exchange. Around 7:30 when we travelled. At about 8:30 we’re already in front of the building. We waited for their signal to go inside, while waiting, we noticed the fountain in front of the building, it was awesome. When they have given us the signal to go, we entered. The first thing I noticed was the large board with 3 different colors of light on it, and numbers blinking. They lectured while we are sitting on their clean carpet. My curiosity about the large board disappeared when I’ve known that it is the E-Board (Electronic Board) and that their transactions have already started since it’s already 9:30 in the morning. Two young men and one woman shared their time to us to know more about Philippine Stock Exchange. The woman discussed to us the history of Philippine Stock Exchange, while the two young men shared their knowledge about stock market, stock exchange, the different types of stock, when to invest and how to invest. I can say that at about 2 Â ½ hours of listening to them, I’ve already learned. After the lecture, we took a lot of pictures. We even had the opportunity to take picture with the girl speaker. She’s kind and sweet. Then we leave Philippine Stock Exchange. It was already 12:00 noon when we leave Philippine Stock Exchange building, so right after entering the bus, when our lunch has already prepared, we then ate. Honestly, I didn’t enjoy th food, because it was a bit salty. Then after an hour, we departed Philippine Stock Exchange and went to our next destination, Securities and Exchange Commission. At Securities and Exchange Commision, we used the elevator since their lecture room was at the 10th floor of their building. Some of my classmates got dizzy using the elevator. Their lecture room couldn’t accommodate us all, so they have divided us into 2 groups, the FM 3A and 3C were the first to have the lecture. The lecture room was too cold which maybe one of the reason why I couldn’t give my full attention to the first speaker. But still I have learned something, the company registration, the CA 83 which created Securities and Exchange Commission and on November 11, 1936 their operations have already started, their core functions and the law of SEC. During the discussion of Atty. Marlon Facun, the boredom have risen maybe because his voice couldn’t encourage me that much to listen. But still I have learned from him, I’ve known what are the classes of corporation, kinds of partnership, the requirements of Incorporation and of Stock Corporation and the requirements for registration of partnership. After the discussion, they were kind enough and maybe they’ve felt we’ve got hungry after a long discussion they have made. They gave us bun and juice to eat. When we’re done eating, we went down immediately so that the next batch will already have their turn for the lecture. We waited for them as they have waited for us. While waiting, we took the chance to take pictures and have a sleep. Then at around 5:15 we departed Securities and Exchange Commision and go for a side trip at Greenhills. At the shopping center, I bought the long sleeves and necktie needed by my brother for his prom. We even bought our dinner at KFC considering that there is no KFC at Vigan. We arrived at the hotel at around 7:00 pm; we ate first then Jobelle and Erika washed their clothes for they have nothing to use tomorrow if they won’t then we took a bath. At around 9:00 a food raid and an inspection was made by Ma’am Angela, Ma’am Maan, Sir Lawrence and the JBA officers namely Kuya Dean, Kuya Jumar, Kuya Gyner, Ate April. Some of our classmates like Bernadane, Dianne and Cristal came. Friends from other class Jovelyn and Elaine also came for a visit. After their visits, we then go to bed and rest. Day 3: February 8, 2012 The day I’ve been waiting for. BSP here I come! We woke up early and really prepared ourselves for this day. We took a bath, ate our breakfast then make things up. We had a long time before departing the hotel so we used it taking pictures in our room. Around 7:30 in the morning we departed the hotel and say hello to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas at 8:30. We waited for a several minutes before entering to the Bangko Sentral Museum, so we took the chance to take pictures with friends and classmates for souvenir. Then finally when we are about to enter the museum they have instructed us put our cameras and cellphones on our bags because it is restricted to take pictures inside the museum. The place is so secured considering that the memorabilia of the Philippine money on the past were all there. After letting us go and find out what’s inside the museum, they gave a short briefing about the history of Philippine money, evolution of Philippine money, kinds of money in the past and the conquest of other country in the Philippines. They’ve let us watch again the process on how to make bank notes and how to mint coins, again because we already watched it when BSP members came to our school for a lecture. When we already watched it, and they are done on their short briefing, they gave us the chance to go and see what the museum has. I saw the money used on the past and it’s really amazing. This experience is one of the best I ever had; it’s something I could be proud of. After viewing all the money, we played the Bispos machine, which comprises of questions related to money in the past. Then time to go out of the museum. It was 10:45 am and so we are instructed to go to Harrison Plaza for lunch. We ate lunch at Jollibee, I am with Jobelle, Laure Jean, Lea, Erika, Leo, Ailon, Mark Jan, Lexter and Meddy. After eating, we decided to go around the place until such time that we could feel the ache on our feet so we bought slippers. After buying we went back to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and waited for the others to come back. When we’re all at the place we went back to our designated bus for a short rest. Then unfortunately when it’s about time to go to the Department of Finance, my skirt was torn. I was so ashamed; I was only the one who is on my organizational t-shirt. Despite of the thing that have done, I still listened to the lecturer of the Department of Finance.

Argumentative Essay on Tattoos

Many students especially college students do have a tendency of tattooing their bodies as they believe that tattoos are beautiful and acts as an identification mark or it may have a great meaning in their lives. Many youths especially the black American teenage boys and superstars have many tattoos all over their bodies. Some tattoo themselves just because their friends in the neighborhood or at school have tattoos thus I can argue that tattooing is an act of peer pressure.There are so many question asked on the importance of tattoos that’s why scholars have researched and wrote argumentative essay on tattoos that try to answer the many questions. There are variety of argumentative essay on tattoos that show the best methods that tattoos are drawn on peoples bodies outlining the methods which are less painful that the others and those whose tattoos are more visible and attractive than the others. Other argumentative essay on tattoos shows the pricing of various types of tattoo s and the people who are professionals in tattooing and why people should hire there services than others.This argumentative essay on tattoos are even published and sold in bookshops and social places that the youth frequently visit. Advertisements are everywhere in billboards to show the most well drawn tattoos the place where the tattooing is done and who does the tattooing as well as the pricing. This has become a booming business in some parts especially the urban centers were the tattooing services are easily accessible and were the influence is rampart. Some teenagers buy the argumentative essay on tattoos to show their friend and convince them how tattooing is fashionable.

Descriptive writing Essay

Descriptive writing is a way through which a writer shows his ideas by giving a clear and a vivid image of an object, a person, place or an event. In order to clearly explain a situation thereby creating a clear picture in the reader’s mind, descriptive essay must contain certain important elements. Pamela Arlov guides us to a good description in the book, Wordsmith a guide to college writing. A good descriptive essay uses fine vocabulary, original discussion about an event or an object which appeals to the five senses, uses clear dominant impressions and spatial order. Merely the description is to be used on the basis of the five senses. For instance, while dealing with an event or an object, the description is to be done on the basis of experience or imagination which will enable the reader visualize the discussion. Words which evoke sight, smell, hearing, touch or taste are to be used. The use of dominant impression is quite essential and can be taken as the central theme of the essay. It is the way in which the author conveys his strong feelings about a topic. This can be done by talking about all the possibilities while discussing a particular topic. Moreover, a good descriptive essay is organized in a systematic way. Here we talk about the spatial order. It is essential to maintain an order in an essay. As a result, the essay is more effective and easier to study. In spatial order, things are arranged according to their physical positions. Hence the idea is clearer with the reference of positions like left to right, high to low and so on. Thus, if the discussed techniques, further explained in the book, Wordsmith a guide to college writing, are considered while writing a description, the essay will be quite effective.