Vampire Academy Chapter 13

THIRTEEN THE AFTERMATH OF JESSE AND Ralf's lies was about as horrible as I'd expected. The only way I survived was by putting blinders on, by ignoring everyone and everything. It kept me sane – barely – but I hated it. I felt like crying all the time. I lost my appetite and didn't sleep well. Yet, no matter how bad it got for me, I didn't worry about myself as much as I did Lissa. She stood by her promise to change things. It was slow at first, but gradually, I would see a royal or two come up to her at lunch or in class and say hello. She'd turn on a brilliant smile, laughing and talking to them like they were all best friends. At first, I didn't understand how she was pulling it off. She'd told me she would use compulsion to win the other royals over and turn them against Mia. But I didn't see it happening. It was possible, of course, that she was winning people over without compulsion. After all, she was funny, smart, and nice. Anyone would like her. Something told me she wasn't winning friends the old-fashioned way, and I finally figured it out. She was using compulsion when I wasn't around. I only saw her for a small part of the day, and since she knew I didn't approve, she only worked her power when I was away. After a few days of this secret compulsion, I knew what I needed to do: I had to get back in her head again. By choice. I'd done it before; I could do it again. At least, that's what I told myself, sitting and spacing out in Stan's class one day. But it wasn't as easy as I'd thought it would be, partly because I felt too keyed up to relax and open myself to her thoughts. I also had trouble because I picked a time when she felt relatively calm. She came through the â€Å"loudest† when her emotions were running strong. Still, I tried to do what I'd done before, back when I'd spied on her and Christian. The meditation thing. Slow breathing. Eyes closed. Mental focus like that still wasn't easy for me, but at long last I managed the transition, slipping into her head and experiencing the world as hers. She stood in her American lit class, during project-work time, but, like most of the students, she wasn't working. She and Camille Conta leaned against a wall on the far side of the room, talking in hushed voices. â€Å"It's gross,† said Camille firmly, a frown crossing her pretty face. She had on a blue skirt made of velvet-like fabric, short enough to show off her long legs and possibly raise eyes about the dress code. â€Å"If you guys were doing it, I'm not surprised she got addicted and did it with Jesse.† â€Å"She didn't do it with Jesse,† insisted Lissa. â€Å"And it's not like we had sex. We just didn't have any feeders, that's all.† Lissa focused her full attention on Camille and smiled. â€Å"It's no big deal. Everyone's overreacting.† Camille looked like she seriously doubted this, and then, the more she stared at Lissa, the more unfocused her eyes became. A blank look fell over her. â€Å"Right?† asked Lissa, voice like silk. â€Å"It's not a big deal.† The frown returned. Camille tried to shake the compulsion. That fact that it'd even gotten this far was incredible. As Christian had observed, using it on Moroi was unheard of. Camille, although strong-willed, lost the battle. â€Å"Yeah,† she said slowly. â€Å"It's really not that big a deal.† â€Å"And Jesse's lying.† She nodded. â€Å"Definitely lying.† A mental strain burned inside of Lissa as she held onto the compulsion. It took a lot of effort, and she wasn't finished. â€Å"What are you guys doing tonight?† â€Å"Carly and I are going to study for Mattheson's test in her room.† â€Å"Invite me.† Camille thought about it. â€Å"Hey, you want to study with us?† â€Å"Sure,† said Lissa, smiling at her. Camille smiled back. Lissa dropped the compulsion, and a wave of dizziness swept over her. She felt weak. Camille glanced around, momentarily surprised, then shook off the weirdness. â€Å"See you after dinner then.† â€Å"See you,† murmured Lissa, watching her walk away. When Camille was gone, Lissa reached up to tie her hair up in a ponytail. Her fingers couldn't quite get all the hair through, and suddenly, another pair of hands caught hold and helped her. She spun around and found herself staring into Christian's ice-blue eyes. She jerked away from him. â€Å"Don't do that!† she exclaimed, shivering at the realization that it had been his fingers touching her. He gave her his lazy, slightly twisted smile and brushed a few pieces of unruly black hair out of his face. â€Å"Are you asking me or ordering me?† â€Å"Shut up.† She glanced around, both to avoid his eyes and make sure no one saw them together. â€Å"What's the matter? Worried about what your slaves'll think if they see you talking to me?† â€Å"They're my friends,† she retorted. â€Å"Oh. Right. Of course they are. I mean, from what I saw, Camille would probably do anything for you, right? Friends till the end.† He crossed his arms over his chest, and in spite of her anger, she couldn't help but notice how the silvery gray of his shirt set off his black hair and blue eyes. â€Å"At least she isn't like you. She doesn't pretend to be my friend one day and then ignore me for no reason.† An uncertain look flickered across his features. Tension and anger had built up between them in the last week, ever since I'd yelled at Christian after the royal reception. Believing what I'd told him, Christian had stopped talking to her and had treated her rudely every time she'd tried to start a conversation. Now, hurt and confused, she'd given up attempts at being nice. The situation just kept getting worse and worse. Looking out through Lissa's eyes, I could see that he still cared about her and still wanted her. His pride had been hurt, however, and he wasn't about to show weakness. â€Å"Yeah?† he said in a low, cruel voice. â€Å"I thought that was the way all royals were supposed to act. You certainly seem to be doing a good job with it. Or maybe you're just using compulsion on me to make me think you're a two-faced bitch. Maybe you really aren't. But I doubt it.† Lissa flushed at the word compulsion – and cast another worried look around – but decided not to give him the satisfaction of arguing anymore. She simply gave him one last glare before storming off to join a group of royals huddled over an assignment Returning to myself, I stared blankly around the classroom, processing what I'd seen. Some tiny, tiny part of me was starting to feel sorry for Christian. It was only a tiny part, though, and very easy to ignore. At the beginning of the next day, I headed out to meet Dimitri. These practices were my favorite part of the day now, partly because of my stupid crush on him and partly because I didn't have to be around the others. He and I started with running as usual, and he ran with me, quiet and almost gentle in his instructions, probably worried about causing some sort of breakdown. He knew about the rumors somehow, but he never mentioned them. When we finished, he led me through an offensive exercise where I could use any makeshift weapons I could find to attack him. To my surprise, I managed to land a few blows on him, although they seemed to do me more damage than him. The impacts always made me stagger back, but he never budged. It still didn't stop me from attacking and attacking, fighting with an almost blind rage. I didn't know who I really fought in those moments: Mia or Jesse or Ralf. Maybe all of them. Dimitri finally called a break. We carried the equipment we'd used on the field and returned everything to the supply room. While putting it away, he glanced at me and did a double take. â€Å"Your hands.† He swore in Russian. I could recognize it by now, but he refused to teach me what any of it meant. â€Å"Where are your gloves?† I looked down at my hands. They'd suffered for weeks, and today had only made them worse. The cold had turned the skin raw and chapped, and some parts were actually bleeding a little. My blisters swelled. â€Å"Don't have any. Never needed them in Portland.† He swore again and beckoned me to a chair while he retrieved a first-aid kit. Wiping away the blood with a wet cloth, he told me gruffly, â€Å"We'll get you some.† I looked down at my destroyed hands as he worked. â€Å"This is only the start, isn't it?† â€Å"Of what?† â€Å"Me. Turning into Alberta. Her†¦and all the other female guardians. They're all leathery and stuff. Fighting and training and always being outdoors – they aren't pretty anymore.† I paused. â€Å"This†¦this life. It destroys them. Their looks, I mean.† He hesitated for a moment and looked up from my hands. Those warm brown eyes surveyed me, and something tightened in my chest. Damn it. I had to stop feeling this way around him. â€Å"It won't happen to you. You're too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He groped for the right word, and I mentally substituted all sorts of possibilities. Goddess-like. Scorchingly sexy. Giving up, he simply said, â€Å"It won't happen to you.† He turned his attention back to my hands. Did he†¦did he think I was pretty? I never doubted the reaction I caused among guys my own age, but with him, I didn't know. The tightening in my chest increased. â€Å"It happened to my mom. She used to be beautiful. I guess she still is, sort of. But not the way she used to be.† Bitterly, I added, â€Å"Haven't seen her in a while. She could look completely different for all I know.† â€Å"You don't like your mother,† he observed. â€Å"You noticed that, huh?† â€Å"You barely know her.† â€Å"That's the point. She abandoned me. She left me to be raised by the Academy.† When he finished cleaning my open wounds, he found a jar of salve and began rubbing it into the rough parts of my skin. I sort of got lost in the feel of his hands massaging mine. â€Å"You say that†¦but what else should she have done? I know you want to be a guardian. I know how much it means to you. Do you think she feels any differently? Do you think she should have quit to raise you when you'd spend most of your life here anyway?† I didn't like having reasonable arguments thrown at me. â€Å"Are you saying I'm a hypocrite?† â€Å"I'm just saying maybe you shouldn't be so hard on her. She's a very respected dhampir woman. She's set you on the path to be the same.† â€Å"It wouldn't kill her to visit more,† I muttered. â€Å"But I guess you're right. A little. It could have been worse, I suppose. I could have been raised with blood whores.† Dimitri looked up. â€Å"I was raised in a dhampir commune. They aren't as bad as you think.† â€Å"Oh.† I suddenly felt stupid. â€Å"I didn't mean – â€Å" â€Å"It's all right.† He focused his attention back on my hands. â€Å"So, did you, like, have family there? Grow up with them?† He nodded. â€Å"My mother and two sisters. I didn't see them much after I went to school, but we still keep in touch. Mostly, the communities are about family. There's a lot of love there, no matter what stories you've heard.† My bitterness returned, and I glanced down to hide my glare. Dimitri had had a happier family life with his disgraced mother and relatives than I'd had with my â€Å"respected† guardian mother. He most certainly knew his mother better than I knew mine. â€Å"Yeah, but†¦isn't it weird? Aren't there a lot of Moroi men visiting to, you know?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His hands rubbed circles into mine. â€Å"Sometimes.† There was something dangerous in his tone, something that told me this was an unwelcome topic. â€Å"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something bad†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Actually†¦you probably wouldn't think it's bad,† he said after almost a minute had passed. A tight smile formed on his lips. â€Å"You don't know your father, do you?† I shook my head. â€Å"No. All I know is he must have had wicked cool hair.† Dimitri glanced up, and his eyes swept me. â€Å"Yes. He must have.† Returning to my hands, he said carefully, â€Å"I knew mine.† I froze. â€Å"Really? Most Moroi guys don't stay – I mean, some do, but you know, usually they just – â€Å" â€Å"Well, he liked my mother.† He didn't say â€Å"liked† in a nice way. â€Å"And he visited her a lot. He's my sisters' father too. But when he came†¦well, he didn't treat my mother very well. He did some horrible things.† â€Å"Like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. This was Dimitri's mother we were talking about. I didn't know how far I could go. â€Å"Blood-whore things?† â€Å"Like beating-her-up kinds of things,† he replied flatly. He'd finished the bandages but was still holding my hands. I don't even know if he noticed. I certainly did. His were warm and large, with long and graceful fingers. Fingers that might have played the piano in another life. â€Å"Oh God,† I said. How horrible. I tightened my hands in his. He squeezed back. â€Å"That's horrible. And she†¦she just let it happen?† â€Å"She did.† The corner of his mouth turned up into a sly, sad smile. â€Å"But I didn't.† Excitement surged through me. â€Å"Tell me, tell me you beat the crap out of him.† His smile grew. â€Å"I did.† â€Å"Wow.† I hadn't thought Dimitri could be any cooler, but I was wrong. â€Å"You beat up your dad. I mean, that's really horrible†¦what happened. But, wow. You really are a god.† He blinked. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Uh, nothing.† Hastily, I tried to change the subject. â€Å"How old were you?† He still seemed to be puzzling out the god comment. â€Å"Thirteen.† Whoa. Definitely a god. â€Å"You beat up your dad when you were thirteen?† â€Å"It wasn't that hard. I was stronger than he was, almost as tall. I couldn't let him keep doing that. He had to learn that being royal and Moroi doesn't mean you can do anything you want to other people – even blood whores.† I stared. I couldn't believe he'd just said that about his mother. â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"It's all right.† Pieces clicked into place for me. â€Å"That's why you got so upset about Jesse, isn't it? He was another royal, trying to take advantage of a dhampir girl.† Dimitri averted his eyes. â€Å"I got upset over that for a lot of reasons. After all, you were breaking the rules, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't finish, but he looked back into my eyes in a way that made warmth build between us. Thinking about Jesse soon darkened my mood, unfortunately. I looked down. â€Å"I know you heard what people are saying, that I – â€Å" â€Å"I know it's not true,† he interrupted. His immediate, certain answer surprised me, and I stupidly found myself questioning it. â€Å"Yeah, but how do you – â€Å" â€Å"Because I know you,† he replied firmly. â€Å"I know your character. I know you're going to be a great guardian.† His confidence made that warm feeling return. â€Å"I'm glad someone does. Everyone else thinks I'm totally irresponsible.† â€Å"With the way you worry more about Lissa than yourself†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shook his head. â€Å"No. You understand your responsibilities better than guardians twice your age. You'll do what you have to do to succeed.† I thought about that. â€Å"I don't know if I can do everything I have to do.† He did that cool one-eyebrow thing. â€Å"I don't want to cut my hair,† I explained. He looked puzzled. â€Å"You don't have to cut your hair. It's not required.† â€Å"All the other guardian women do. They show off their tattoos.† Unexpectedly, he released my hands and leaned forward. Slowly, he reached out and held a lock of my hair, twisting it around one finger thoughtfully. I froze, and for a moment, there was nothing going on in the world except him touching my hair. He let my hair go, looking a little surprised – and embarrassed – at what he'd done. â€Å"Don't cut it,† he said gruffly. Somehow, I remembered how to talk again. â€Å"But no one'll see my tattoos if I don't.† He moved toward the doorway, a small smile playing over his lips. â€Å"Wear it up.†

Deception Point Page 88

Tolland considered it. The Mariana Trench was seven miles down, one of the last truly unexplored regions on the planet. Only a handful of robotic probes had ever ventured that deep, and most had collapsed well before they reached the bottom. The water pressure in the trench was enormous-an astounding eighteen thousand pounds per square inch, as opposed to a mere twenty-four pounds on the ocean's surface. Oceanographers still had very little understanding of the geologic forces at the deepest ocean floor. â€Å"So, this guy Pollock thinks the Mariana Trench can make rocks with chondrulelike features?† â€Å"It's an extremely obscure theory,† Xavia said. â€Å"In fact, it's never even been formally published. I only happened to stumble across Pollock's personal notes on the Web by chance last month when I was doing research on fluid-rock interactions for our upcoming megaplume show. Otherwise, I never would have heard of it.† â€Å"The theory has never been published,† Corky said, â€Å"because it's ridiculous. You need heat to form chondrules. There's no way water pressure could rearrange the crystalline structure of a rock.† â€Å"Pressure,† Xavia fired back, â€Å"happens to be the single biggest contributor to geologic change on our planet. A little something called a metamorphic rock? Geology 101?† Corky scowled. Tolland realized Xavia had a point. Although heat did play a role in some of earth's metamorphic geology, most metamorphic rocks were formed by extreme pressure. Incredibly, rocks deep in the earth's crust were under so much pressure that they acted more like thick molasses than solid rock, becoming elastic and undergoing chemical changes as they did. Nonetheless, Dr. Pollock's theory still seemed like a stretch. â€Å"Xavia,† Tolland said. â€Å"I've never heard of water pressure alone chemically altering a rock. You're the geologist, what's your take?† â€Å"Well,† she said, flipping through her notes, â€Å"it sounds like water pressure isn't the only factor.† Xavia found a passage and read Pollock's notes verbatim. â€Å"‘Oceanic crust in the Mariana Trench, already under enormous hydrostatic pressurization, can find itself further compressed by tectonic forces from the region's subduction zones.'† Of course, Tolland thought. The Mariana Trench, in addition to being crushed under seven miles of water, was a subduction zone-the compression line where the Pacific and Indian plates moved toward one another and collided. Combined pressures in the trench could be enormous, and because the area was so remote and dangerous to study, if there were chondrules down there, chances of anyone knowing about it were very slim. Xavia kept reading. â€Å"‘Combined hydrostatic and tectonic pressures could potentially force crust into an elastic or semiliquid state, allowing lighter elements to fuse into chondrulelike structures thought to occur only in space.'† Corky rolled his eyes. â€Å"Impossible.† Tolland glanced at Corky. â€Å"Is there any alternative explanation for the chondrules in the rock Dr. Pollock found?† â€Å"Easy,† Corky said. â€Å"Pollock found an actual meteorite. Meteorites fall into the ocean all the time. Pollock would not have suspected it was a meteorite because the fusion crust would have eroded away from years under the water, making it look like a normal rock.† Corky turned to Xavia. â€Å"I don't suppose Pollock had the brains to measure the nickel content, did he?† â€Å"Actually, yes,† Xavia fired back, flipping through the notes again. â€Å"Pollock writes: ‘I was surprised to find the nickel content of the specimen falling within a midrange value not usually associated with terrestrial rocks.'† Tolland and Rachel exchanged startled looks. Xavia continued reading. â€Å"‘Although the quantity of nickel does not fall within the normally acceptable midrange window for meteoritic origin, it is surprisingly close.'† Rachel looked troubled. â€Å"How close? Is there any way this ocean rock could be mistaken for a meteorite?† Xavia shook her head. â€Å"I'm not a chemical petrologist, but as I understand it, there are numerous chemical differences between the rock Pollock found and actual meteorites.† â€Å"What are those differences?† Tolland pressed. Xavia turned her attention to a graph in her notes. â€Å"According to this, one difference is in the chemical structure of the chondrules themselves. It looks like the titanium/zirconium ratios differ. The titanium/ zirconium ratio in the chondrules of the ocean sample showed ultradepleted zirconium.† She looked up. â€Å"Only two parts per million.† â€Å"Two ppm?† Corky blurted. â€Å"Meteorites have thousands of times that!† â€Å"Exactly,† Xavia replied. â€Å"Which is why Pollock thinks his sample's chondrules are not from space.† Tolland leaned over and whispered to Corky, â€Å"Did NASA happen to measure the titanium/zirconium ratio in the Milne rock?† â€Å"Of course not,† Corky sputtered. â€Å"Nobody would ever measure that. It's like looking at a car and measuring the tires' rubber content to confirm you're looking at a car!† Tolland heaved a sigh and looked back at Xavia. â€Å"If we give you a rock sample with chondrules in it, can you run a test to determine whether these inclusions are meteoric chondrules or†¦ one of Pollock's deep ocean compression things?† Xavia shrugged. â€Å"I suppose. The electron microprobe's accuracy should be close enough. What's this all about, anyway?† Tolland turned to Corky. â€Å"Give it to her.† Corky reluctantly pulled the meteorite sample from his pocket and held it out for Xavia. Xavia's brow furrowed as she took the stone disk. She eyed the fusion crust and then the fossil embedded in the rock. â€Å"My God!† she said, her head rocketing upward. â€Å"This isn't part of†¦?† â€Å"Yeah,† Tolland said. â€Å"Unfortunately it is.† 106 Alone in her office, Gabrielle Ashe stood at the window, wondering what to do next. Less than an hour ago, she had left NASA feeling full of excitement to share Chris Harper's PODS fraud with the senator. Now, she wasn't so sure. According to Yolanda, two independent ABC reporters suspected Sexton of taking SFF bribes. Furthermore, Gabrielle had just learned that Sexton actually knew she had snuck into his apartment during the SFF meeting, and yet he had said nothing to her about it? Gabrielle sighed. Her taxi had long since departed, and although she would call another in a few minutes, she knew there was something she had to do first. Am I really going to try this? Gabrielle frowned, knowing she didn't have a choice. She no longer knew whom to trust. Stepping out of her office, she made her way back into the secretarial lobby and into a wide hallway on the opposite side. At the far end she could see the massive oak doors of Sexton's office flanked by two flags-Old Glory on the right and the Delaware flag on the left. His doors, like those of most senate offices in the building, were steel reinforced and secured by conventional keys, an electronic key pad entry, and an alarm system. She knew if she could get inside, even if for only a few minutes, all the answers would be revealed. Moving now toward the heavily secured doors, Gabrielle had no illusions of getting through them. She had other plans. Ten feet from Sexton's office, Gabrielle turned sharply to the right and entered the ladies' room. The fluorescents came on automatically, reflecting harshly off the white tile. As her eyes adjusted, Gabrielle paused, seeing herself in the mirror. As usual, her features looked softer than she'd hoped. Delicate almost. She always felt stronger than she looked. Are you sure you are ready to do this?

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Managing Patient safety - Essay Example (I.O.M, 1999). Harm occurs if a patient’s quality of life or health is negatively affected by any element of their interaction with health care. This would be as a result of patient safety incident, which is any healthcare related event that is unexpected, unintended, and undesired and which could have or did harm the patients. It is, therefore, upon the NHS to ensure high standard, as well as safe clinical care is maintained and make sure they are in line with the current technology. According to the department of health, patient safety needs to be prioritized, as far as health care system is concern. The resulting patient safety management knowledge continually heighten improvement efforts to better patients’ welfare such as applying lessons learned from industry and business, educating consumers and providers, adopting innovative technologies, enhancing the error and the reporting systems, and finally developing new economic incentives (Fleming, M, 2000). Arguably, r esearchers ought to investigate and find out the effectiveness of patient safety in the health care system. This, in essence, can help ascertain the measures that can improve the conditions if need be. In this paper, my major concern entails patient care as practiced in any health care services with major focus on medication safety based on analyzing the current issues of patient safety management and understanding of systems and human factors in maintaining patient safety. It is evident from research that as far as patient safety is concerned, medication safety is one of the major issues that is quite disturbing. In this regard, human factors, which correlate with medication safety, play a major role, in so far as patient safety is concerned and cannot be overlooked when dealing with such sensitive issue as patient safety. Negligence, as a human factor, has increasingly become one major factor that affects medication safety basically because of lack of concern among the health care practitioners. For instance, I remember one critical instant when a health care practitioner, acting out of negligence, failed to rescue the life of Elain Bremonung, a young woman who was admitted in the hospital for routine sinus surgery. During the anaesthetic, she had breathing problems and the attending anaesthetist was slow at responding to the situation, thus became unable to insert a device to open her airway. The most distressing thing about it is that the affected patient was in a critical state. If not for the alarm sounded by one of the friends of the affected patient, the patient would have passed on. Arguably, there were no grave consequences reaped on this incident, however, one thing that is clear is that medication safety is up stake in many of the health care systems. This incident clearly shows that human factors, as well as organization factors play a role in medical safety. This, therefore, calls for need to investigate the link between organizational and human factors in relation to patient safety. I have considered such issues in my presentation. Hence in doing so, I would come up with an incident that reflects the role of organization and human factors in patient safety and finally outline recommendations to the situation. Patient safety. Patient safety is the prevention, avoidance and amelioration of adverse injuries or outcomes stemming from the processes of medical care. It is also freedom from healthcare associated, preventable harm. A

A summary of Death of the Duopoly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A summary of Death of the Duopoly - Essay Example Gillepsie and Welch point out that these parties will always be around, but voters also have the ability to make their own stance. Economists recognize the Republican and Democratic parties as being the longest-lived duopoly. However, they have not considered that this duopoly may meet the same end as duopolies before them, which is that a collusion of interests will bring about a revolt of the customers. Gillepsie and Welch use Kodak and Fujifilm as an example. Kodak was a huge, unbeatable name until Fujifilm came along, but the two held their ground as a strong duopoly in a way that economists believed was unbreakable. Unfortunately, Kodak and Fujifilm began to drop and fell completely with the rise of digital cameras and software. Like other duopolies, Kodak and Fujifilm treated their customers like â€Å"captives,† leaving them no choice in what they can buy and what they would pay. With the rise of digital technology and more options for customers, the duopoly fell entirely. The government, while a duopoly, does not face the same changes and downfall as Kodak and Fujifilm since it does not depend on customers to obtain its money. They can still meet an end, though, as their customers (the taxpayers) find an alternative method by â€Å"creating angry and effective coalitions to confront the status quo.† This does not necessarily mean that Republicans and Democrats will just disappear in the immediate or distant future, given their guaranteed revenue stream and their ability to do what they must to survive. However, the voters have a similar ability to create new methods that have made, and are still making, the political duopolists

Should the middle east countries depend on the oil for their economy Essay

Should the middle east countries depend on the oil for their economy - Essay Example As the vast oil reserves were discovered, the economy or group of economies experienced significant changes in various macro-economic aspects (TÃ ©treault). From business point of view, oil is not only a fuel but also an object for trade. Many authors and academicians agreed that it a very important source of foreign exchange and contributor to economic development. Middle East’s aggregate oil reserves are accountable for approximately 66% of total oil supply in the world. Monopoly in oil industry has resulted in wealth creation at a rapid pace in majority of countries in the region. Apart from the vast reserves, another reason behind oil monopoly of Middle Eastern (ME) countries is that these countries have been a great support to the world economy during major oil and energy crisis in 1979-81 and 1985-86. However, the oil industry is also a reason of economic misery in the ME region, it has resulted in power intervention, political corruption and militarization (TÃ ©treault; Toft 7265-7274). Oil is considered as a resource of paramount importance in domestic as well as international economic and political environment from importers’ as well as exporters’ point of view. While oil is the main source of economic development and global recognition for ME countries, the ME economy does suffer from various disturbances as a cost of owning the largest reserve of the lucrative resource. It was observed during the study that the oil wealth has created national economic distortion and imbalance in power and wealth distribution. Keeping in view the disadvantages of oil as a source of economic development, the paper presents arguments against the heavy dependence of ME economy on oil as a source of economic sustenance. The primary reason behind tremendous importance of oil in the Middle East is its role in the world economy. Oil is a source of national importance not only to small developing economies but also to major developed economies such as

How do Senor Flores, Senora Flores and Dr. Jean View this Situation Essay

How do Senor Flores, Senora Flores and Dr. Jean View this Situation from Totally Different Perspectives - Essay Example He also does not want to listen to the advice of Dr. Jean. The Latino’s belief in machismo makes Senor Flores feel offended if he listens to Dr. Jean’s advice. He thinks that his male ego is insulted. The perspective of Senora Flores on Alejandro’s situation is very fatalistic, or what the Latino’s term as fatalism. She feels that she is being punished by God that is why Alejandro is sick. She is suffering from inferiority complex and feels that she is being discriminated at the hospital for being a Latino and not speaking much. She is afraid that Alejandro will be discriminated too in school because he is sickly. Senora Flores feels overburdened by the responsibility of taking care of Alejandro. But at the same time, she believes that her mother should help her take care of Alejandro. She respects her mother, so much so that when she suggested that Alejandro is taken to an espiritista, she blindly followed her although she probably disagrees with her. Dr. Jean’s perspective of Alejandro’s situation is exactly the opposite of the views of the Flores family. She does not totally understand the Latino culture and beliefs; thus, resulting in misunderstandings with them. The first conflict is with regards to time. She dislikes the Flores’ disregard of time. She also feels that just because she is a woman, Senor Flores does not like to listen to her advice. She does not understand why the Flores’ had to consult an espiritista instead of just following her medical advice and give him his medicines. Dr. Jean is an example of a doctor who is quite detached to the family of her patient. She does not realize that it is important for a Latino family that they see some simpatia from their medical provider. Senora Flores chose to consult an espiritista when Alejandro was not getting better probably through the prodding of her mother.

Terrorism Definition Essay Example for Free

Terrorism Definition Essay Terrorism is just a word in English, but it is a hazard for mankind. Terrorism is the use of fear and acts of violence in order to intimidate societies or governments. People who do terrorism are called terrorists. Terrorism is a world-wide problem. By now, the governments throughout the world are realizing that terrorism is a serious threat to dealt with. Every terrorist acts usually takes days and even months of preparation. Terrorist are usually young, but the brain behind them are old, seasoned politicians. Terrorists mostly recruit younger people in their group as it is easy to brainwash them. Few of the terrorist attacks the world would never forget are the mid air bombings of Pan Am flight 103, the 9/11 attacks in which 2 civilian planes were hijacked and then later crashed into the famous World Trade towers in Manhattan, New York, the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, the 26/11 in which terrorist attacked the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi Trident hotels of Mumbai and left the world in shock. Many people lose their lives in such attacks. Around 3000 innocent people lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. Many of you might not know that World Trade Centre was a centre of attraction for all these terrorist attacks. Well before 9/11 incident the World Trade Centre already got a choke through bomb blasts in 1993. This was said to be a failure one as they aimed for twin tower attacks and missed their task. These terrorist activities are carried out by professional terrorist groups with the Al Qaeda being the most famous one. If you have been reading the newspaper you would have noticed the ongoing terror activities in Syria and Iraq. This militant act is being carried out by another terror group called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or simply known as ISIS. Most of the government across the globe have special intelligence branches to counter such attacks. A few famous intelligence boards are the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Government of India and the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States Government. But there are evidences that the government of Pakistan had been sponsoring jihadist groups and other groups like the Al Qaeda and the Taliban to fight against its enemies like India and the United States. Many international organizations like the United Nations are continuously working to prevent such activities and also to give aid to countries which have been a victim of terror attacks Pesticides are designed to kill and because their mode of action is not specific to one species,  they often kill or harm organisms other than pests, including humans. The Organization estimates that there are 3 million cases of pesticide poisoning each year and up to 220,000 deaths, primarily in developing countries. The application of pesticides is often not very precise, and unintended exposures occur to other organisms in the general area where pesticides are applied. Children, and indeed any young and developing organisms, are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticides. Even very low levels of exposure during development may have adverse health effects. Pesticide exposure can cause a range of neurological health effects such as memory loss, reduced speed of response to stimuli and reduced visual ability. Many studies have examined the effects of pesticide exposure on the risk of cancer. People can be exposed to pesticides by a number of different routes including: occupation, in the home, at school and in their food. There are concerns that pesticides used to control pests on food crops are dangerous to people who consume those foods. These concerns are one reason for the organic food movement. Many food crops, including fruits and vegetables, contain residues after being washed or peeled. The United Nations through the media is spreading the awareness of the need for organic farming through media channels, radios etc.

Sociol Cultural Homogenisation And The Role Of Media Media Essay

Sociol Cultural Homogenisation And The Role Of Media Media Essay There is a huge amount of debate on whether media actually leads to homogenisation process and thereby the subsequent creation of Global culture and whether there is such thing as global culture. Is the widening and deepening of international flows of culture through media in a single integrated market leading to the emergence of a global culture? If so, what are the factors which facilitate the creation of this homogenisation? These are some of the issues that the paper seeks to focus; the paper will also deal with the role of the local in responding or not responding to the impact of media. In short, the dynamic relationship between the local and the global is analysed in the paper. Introduction: Globalisation and media are closely inter-connected. The growth of globalisation has accelerated to a large extent with the growth and development of media technology especially in areas of TV, films, internet, videos, music, news etc. Media acts as an agent of globalisation in generating homogenisation by spreading cultural symbols, ideas and practices across socio cultural settings of the world. The impact of media is instant, it moves quicker than any material goods or people. It has a tremendous impact on both sustaining and weakening or eroding the fabric of social life. The more efficient the media is in communicating, the more effective it is in stabilising or destabilising existing social, political, religious etc scenario. Media actively constructs peoples identity across the dimensions of nations, race, class, gender, ethnicity etc in a number of ways, which often lead to homogenisation process. The media imposes their powerful images, sounds and advertisements on a vast ra nge of peoples of the world who most often succumb to their messages which are mostly designed to increase the profits of capitalist firms. Globalisation involves expanding worldwide flows of material objects and symbols and the proliferation of organisations and institutions within global reach that structure those flows. The process of globalisation is also characterised by relationships that are mediated through symbols of values, preferences and tastes etc through the powerful impact of media. The impact of media globalisation is manifold: it can lead to hybridisation of cultures, assertion of cultural autonomy and identity, cultural conflict, localisation, creolisation and homogenisation. However in my paper the focus is mainly on the homogenising effect of media globalisation on the socio cultural settings of the world and the factors which facilitates the creation of this homogenisation. Hannerz distinguishes between three dimensions of culture, which indicates that cultures are susceptible to global dynamics: Ideas and modes of thoughts: The entire array of concepts, propositions, values and mental operations that people within some social unit carry together. Forms of externalisation: The different ways in which ideas and modes of thought are made public and made accessible to the senses eg, forms of art, food habits etc. Social distribution: The ways in which people`s ideas and modes of thoughts and external forms are spread over a population and its social relationships. Thus, understanding structures of shared knowledge, values, beliefs, experience and meanings in all their complexities remain the core concern of cultural analysis. Media technology plays a major part in transmission of the second and third dimension of Hannerz definition of culture. According to Hannerz, media in particular are machineries of meanings: they enable communication without being in one other`s immediate presence  [1]  . In contemporary complex cultures, people increasingly make use of the media to externalise and distribute their ideas and thoughts throughout the world. This is how cultures as a system of meanings, symbols and actions get expressed in different form and media plays a major role in their transmission across the rest of the globe. Therefore culture is also about sharedness. The concept of de territorialisation as also referred by Appadurai, explains the inter connectivity of cultures across nations. These cultures are in contact with media in one way or the other and constantly influence each other in terms of tastes, styles, value systems, ideas, meanings and practices. According to Ritzer, the theory of socialisation and social interaction teach that human transcend in their social group through a process of acquiring culture and other gestures from parents and other social group members and social facts that happen in the environment in which the person lives. Here the environment in which each individual lives also includes media mediation and translation of social reality and thus culture is transmitted and diffused across cultures through the workings of the media. Media also play a major role in the continual re shaping of cultural identity. Benedict Anderson, points out that nation as imagined communities often started out as media audience. Media articulate the meanings and experiences associated with particular social identities in a globalised context and export them to different distant places. Arjun Appadurai makes clear that people around the world are increasingly living a fictional lives based on media narratives and imagery. People around the world can now connect with like- minded others which binds people together irrespective of language, home background and socio economic circumstances eg:- allegiance to Real Madrid or Manchester United as global football club. Internet connections enable fans scattered across the globe to remain in touch and meet up regularly. Popular culture leads to formation of distinctive organisational forms and practices which are hybrid in nature. They are neither local nor global but a distinctive hybrid culture of transnational where fan clubs of a particular sport like football, cricket etc or iconic figures like Michael Jackson come together and form a unique transnational group where hybrid names, emblems and material products emerge. This trend emerges with the formation of internet communities and networks. They allow intensive contact with other cultures without actual bodily or localized contact and have an impact on the minds and practices of the people. However the intensity of impact depends on the way in which information are processes and digested in the receiving cultures. New channels of intensified social connectivity are permitted by contemporary electronic media Eg:- social networking sites like facebook, orkut etc. Live global television covering a single event carried through the satellite news carriers covers varied and diverse locations and geographical areas. This brings together people across great distances and social relations become radically freed from l ocal contexts, and spatial distances become less important, and a greater consciousness of a world outside the local context come into picture. It produces a sense of globalised reality eg:- the recent FIFA World 2010, Cricket World Cup 2011 etc. This live global television is experienced by large numbers of people worldwide and creates an extension of social connections across time and space. Increased oneness of the world is accelerated by such forces. There is international corporate ownership of media enterprises which ensures that there is an increasing consumption of material goods and sharing of cultural icons across large numbers of people. These processes construct a shared experience of time and a collective memory for different groups of people. Thus Mass culture is created which is a product of modern communications. There is a huge amount of debate on whether media leads to homogenisation process and thereby the subsequent creation of Global culture and whether there is such thing as global culture. Is the widening and deepening of international flows of culture through media in a single integrated market leading to the emergence of a global culture? The term global cultural flow according to Arjun Appadurai, is used to indicate the simultaneous fluid movement and changing meaning of ideas as well as their location and passage through specific historical, linguistic and political contexts. Global culture is used to denote the growing uniformity and homogenisation of the world`s cultures which serves as a magnet attracting people to particular ideas regarding economic opportunities and consumption. Consumer culture: Global culture is often held to be a media driven construct dependent upon the profit seeking production of mass mediated signs and symbols. The emergence of global culture is often taken as the direct outcome of the capitalist market institution restructuring to get desires, create needs and thereby open up a new arena for capital accumulation leading to commoditisation, commercialisation and consumerism made possible by media ads and communication industries in their drive to maximise profits. Global consumerism thrives on the promotion of brand names like rolex, addidas, reebok, coca cola, Mc Donalds etc based on what people would like rather than what they are and need. This consumer culture is filled with new community signs which form the popular culture allied to global media translated through the market. There is a growing similarity which transcends frontiers and similar trend of styles of dressing, consumption of sports, music preferences, eating habits etc has emerged. Th e term MC world has been coined to describe the standardisation of an American consumer culture, a combination of fast food, fast music and fast computers that bring people together through a common consumption of commodified cultural production. According to Hermans and Kempen in their article Moving Cultures, referred to Glocalisation in economic usage where they introduced the term micromarketing i`e is the tailoring and advertisements of goods and services globally to increasingly local and diverse cultures. Thus, they talked about the creation of differentiated consumers and the emergence of consumer culture of the same global goods and services. They further problematises the relationship between the local and the global where cultures constantly interpenetrates with each other and become a part of the interconnectedness of the world system. Therefore the distinction between what it global and what is local becomes blurred and the presumed homogeneity of the local or internal and the distinctiveness of the global or external becomes problematic. Thus globalisation also involves the blurring of clear cut distinction between the local and global. What is local becomes global and what is global becomes local and sometimes they may become indistinguishable and homogenised. Media globalisation increasingly involved the creation and incorporation of locality. These processes is largely seen through the TV enterprise like CNN and MTV which seeks global markets and focussed on culturally diverse and differentiated groups. Dominance of west: Many have argued that global culture is more of western culture domination and enforcement of western culture on the rest of the world which is referred to as westernisation. The imposition of American culture in the form of TV, Videos, Pop music, Films and Ads on vulnerable communities unable to protect them from the sheer volume and intensity of exposition to media is widely under attacked. In recent years US has enjoyed a growing surplus for audio visual products (TV, Video, and Cinema) with the EU. Globally, the US accounts for about 75% of all TV programme exports. American Time Warner organisation claims to be the largest media company in the world. During the last decade there is a struggle for the formation of a new Information order from the Third World countries with a determination not to remain passive recipient to the west active centre. Countries like France, Italy, China, Canada, North Korea etc has imposed a check on US media imports for different reasons. Hence questions are being raised regarding prior consent for Transborder home reception, the production of communication technology on definition of privacy and also attempt to develop their own regional media. Fears of US media domination lead to Mc Bride Report 1980, which lead UNESCO to call for a restructuring of global media along more egalitarian lines. The WTO and International Tele communications Satellite Organisation (INTELSAT) are among the prestigious international bodies that have attempted to establish guidelines for the regulation of global cultural flow. However for some writers globalization is not westernization. According to them, outwardly analysis may appeared that the world is oriented towards westernisation rather than globalisation especially when one could see the popularity of the western music, movies, and McDonalds etc where more and more countries are seen playing the top chart of the pop list of USA and Hollywood movies and US-made television serials (like Friends and the Simpsons) are becoming widespread processes of cultural transmission. However, a closer examination indicates that the impact of the flow of these cultural goods have different meanings in different societal and cultural contexts with uneven impact on classes and age groups. Some of the products are consumed without any modification; others are modified and indigenized to suit the local contexts. Nevertheless, westernisation can be seen as a part of Globalisation. Media Imperialism: There is a construction of media order through the entrepreneurial devices of a comparatively small number of global players eg Time Warner, Sony, Rupert Murdoch News Corporation and Walt Disney Company. News globalisation was dominated by press wire services in the 19th century, however in the 1970`s and 1980`s electronic media globalisation increased. Aggressive media companies like Rupert Murdoch`s News Corporation yielded a massive conglomerates of other global media industries. Cable News Network (CNN) has struggled to become a 24 hour news provider, watched religiously by global business and political elites of the world. The result was an undeniable increase in the degree to which people`s everyday lives are experienced through the media. Several large media companies like Viacom, Disney, Time Warner etc over the last decade have evolved from being a local industry to large global conglomerates based on new forms of vertical and horizontal integration. These media conglomerati on was made possible by media deregulation in major western economies. These conglomerates not only have access to enormous quantities of investment capital but also the ability to minimise financial risks by managing their media products across different world markets in their areas of influence. For instance, News Corporation began as a print enterprise in Australia, spread into TV in UK in the 1970`s. This is now targeting the huge Chinese and Indian markets with its Star TV system which currently broadcasts in over 20 Asian languages. There is a popular concern about the growing concentration of ownership of global media production and transmission in the hands of a small number of corporations. For example, the past two decades have experience a huge expansion of the pop music industry, MTV has now become 24 hour music channels in America, Europe and Asia. But 70% of all pop music is produced and distributed by a handful of multinational corporations that integrate production, transmission and promotion ensuring that certain iconic faces like Madonna, Michael Jackson etc are everywhere, on TV, video, films, CD`s, magazines, newspapers, advertisements, radio and even designed on T shirts and many other things. The flow of information was dominated by multinational entities based in the most powerful nations leading to what is known as medial imperialism. Global and the local: The widespread claim of homogenisation of world cultures; the global as pro active and the local as reactive to global culture have been found to be unlikely by many scholars. They have argued that the local do not remain a passive recipient of global cultures transmitted to them through the media but the local have its own way of interpreting global influences according to its relativity. One such defender of this view is Robertson, who maintained that diffusion and transfer of ideas and values across socio cultural formations adapt to a particular local culture, which he termed as Glocalization. He talked about ambivalence and ambiguity of human culture in globalised world. Globalisation itself has no meaning unless it is connected in the context of the local. For him, globalisation is able to link locales together both materially and ideationally. Hence the local and global are inter connected and influence each other simultaneously and the media acts as an agent in increasing thi s process of glocalization and globalisation. This results in not only homogenisation but also hybridisation of cultures as the global gets localised according to the suitability and necessity of that particular contexts. To quote Robertson, An international TV enterprise like CNN produces and reproduces a particular pattern of relations between localities, a pattern which depends on a kind of recipe of locality  [2]  . He further illustrates how certain religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism etc involved a long process of Glocalization after its dissemination throughout the globe. Following form this and relating it to the present context of information technologically advanced world, we see that religions are being widely promoted through the media. Religious channels are available 24/7 on TV, internet etc. These channels reach out to different regions of the world and are either absorbed and assimilated into the existing settings and become glocalised or they are rejec ted completely as a threat to their existing values and beliefs system. From here we can induce how the media play an important role in localising the global. Thus, the relation between the local and the global remain complex and negotiable terrain. Basically the politics of the glocal refers to globalisation from below which means that the impact of the global to a certain extent is in the hands of the local. This is because the local is not just a passive recipient of whatever globalisation through media brings at their doorstep influencing their lifestyles, ideas, values etc but the local is something active which constantly accommodates, assimilate and transforms different cultures that are brought to them, interpreting them according to its convenience and adaptability. Another reaction of the local to the global is the rejectionist attitude. There are many local movements who vehemently attempts to reject or resist the globalisation process and the impact of media consumerist culture claiming to protect their cultural identity or the purity of their culture. Some remain hostile to globalisation impact due to its ability to erode the traditional value system and the adverse affect on their socio cultural moral system. Contemporary indigenous movements are becoming increasingly global Eg:- Native people`s Movement increasingly use the media to defend or promote their rejection of globalisation process. In a globalised world, people constantly used the media to mobilise people as a local assertions against globalisation influence. In the present context, promotion of locality through the media has become a common trend. There is an attempt to globally organise the rights and identities of natives or indigenous people`s movement. The emergence of popul ar culture and the growing commodification of the consumer`s experience popularised and sensationalised by media is seen by many as posing a threat to the richness and diversity of cultural practices, resulting in the description of mass consumerism as a monolithic force with one dimensional causal effects on the traditional cultures. There are certain closed group which remain suspicious about the impact of media globalisation and attempts to curb and regulate the free expression of media itself. Such kind of group would be countries like China, Japan, Muslim fundamentalist etc however in the context of contemporary advancement of media technology it becomes difficult to remain intact by the homogenising influence of media. Nevertheless, the idea of uniformity of culture should not undermine the pervasive impact of counter currents that emerges from the local reception of the global. Wilkinson (1995) has developed the thesis that today, Conclusion: However claims of Global culture and its impact on cultures without uninterrupted reception by age, class, gender and geography etc is naive. Thus a deeper probing of the complex relationship between the global and local is necessary because human beings are not without rational analysis or do not have any personal choice but they are thinking individuals with a mind of their own capable of deciding what is best for themselves and hence they do not succumb to the global consumer culture unmindfully but translates the impact of media according to their own reality. Tomlinson made a distinction between culture as lived experience and culture as represented in media. He had argued that the realities in peoples lives are much more powerful than mere representation in global televisions and people do not get manipulated easily by the reception of media. He furthers argues that the cultural critics have overlooked the capacity of the audience to negotiate the possible contradictions in the reception of media. To him the power of the media should not be exaggerated by looking at media as mediating cultural experience rather than the determining force. Ang also refers to interpersonal drama to mean that media products are interpreted differently in different cultural contexts. Avijit Pathak is another who also talks about the politics of culture where cultures constantly negotiate in its interaction and influences. For him, even though there is a dominant global culture emanating, the process of reception becomes contextualised and gain a hermeneutic form, this he calls the art of resistance. For Wilkinson only one global civilisation exists which is a direct descendent of 1500 BC civilisation in the near East when Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilisation collided and fused. This entity spread all over the globe and engulf all others previously independent civilisation like Chinese, Japanese and western into one global civilisation. His idea was of connectedness of the world into one system rather than uniformity. People who interact with each other continuously belong to the same civilisation even if their cultures might be very dissimilar and hostile to each other  [3]  . Expansion of media communication increases connectivity of cultures, thus a chain of cultural networks are created no matter however they are connected either hostile or differently but they are still interacting with each other and hence influences each other in one way or the other and results in the emergence of certain similar trends. Therefore, what is undeniable is that media globalisation in o ne form or the other has an impact on the lives and consciousness of almost every one cutting across transnational borders, cultures, ethnicity, gender, class, age etc. Thus, global media is rendering almost everyone with something of a cosmopolitan culture. What was once local has become global and the line between the division of global and local is thinning and becoming blurred day by day.

Tubing design

Tubing design Tubing design In the previous chapter, selection procedure of tubing diameter was based on well performance analysis. In this section, the procedure for selecting tubing material properties is presented. Selection of material is carried out by considering different forces that act on the tubing during production and workover operations and then a graphical method is used to present the tubing load against material properties. 1.1 Forces on tubing During the life of the well, tubing is subjected to various forces from production and workover operations which include: * production of hydrocarbon, * killing of the well, * squeeze cementing, * hydraulic fracturing etc. The activities result in change in temperature and pressure inside the tubing and casing-tubing annulus, which can cause a change in tubing length (shortening or lengthening). The change in length often leads to increase in compression or tension in tubing and in extreme situation unseating of packer or failure of tubing (Hammerlindl, 1977 and Lubinski et.al, 1962). According to the authors the change in pressure inside and outside of tuning and temperature can have various effects on tubing: * piston effect(According to Hookes Law), * helical buckling, * ballooning and * thermal effect. HOOKES LAW EFFECTS Changes in pressure inside and outside the tubing can cause tubing movement due to piston effect. According to Hookes law, change in length of tubing caused by this effect can be calculated using the Equation 4.1. Where is the change in forces due to the change in pressures inside ( ) and outside () tubing and can be expressed as: Where, (see Fig. 4.2) DL1= change in length due to Hookes Law effect, inch, L = length of tubing, inch, F = force acting on bottom of tubing, lb., E= modulus of elasticity, As = cross-sectional area of tubing, inch2, Ai = area based on inside diameter of tubing, inch2 and Ao = area based on outside diameter of tubing, inch2, Ap= area based on diameter of packer seal, inch2, = change in pressure inside annulus at packer (Final Initial), psi and = change in pressure inside tubing at packer (Final Initial), psi. Notes: DL, DF, DPi or DPo indicates change from initial packer setting conditions. It is assumed Pi = Po when packer is initially set. HELICAL BUCKLING The difference in pressure inside tubing and casing-tubing annulus acts on the cross sectional area of packer bore at tubing seal and leads to a decrease in the length of tubing due to buckling. This effect is known as helical buckling. When the tubing is restricted from movement, a tensile load is developed. This effect is increased with increase in inside tubing pressure. The change in length caused by helical buckling can be calculated by the Equation 4.3. where Force causing buckling: Ff = Ap (Pi Po) If Ff (a fictitious force) is zero or negative, there is no buckling. Length of tubing buckled: n = Ff / w Where, DL2= change in length due to buckling, inch, r= radial clearance between tubing and casing, inch, w = ws + wi wo, ws = weight of tubing, lb/incn, wi =weight of fluid contained inside tubing, lb/in. (density multiplied by area based on ID of tubing), wo= weight of annulus fluid displaced by bulk volume of tubing, lb/in. (density multiplied by area based on OD of tubing), =tubing outside diameter, inch and =tubing inside diameter, inch. Buckling can be avoided by applying surface annular pressure. BALLOONING EFFECTS The radial pressure inside the tubing causes tubing to increase or decrease in length. When the pressure inside the tubing is greater compared to the pressure inside the casing-tubing annulus, it tends to inflate the tubing, thus shortening the tubing. If the pressure inside the casing-tubing annulus is greater compared to pressure inside the tubing, then the tubing length is increased. This effect is known as ballooning and the change in length caused due to this effect is given by Equation 4.4. Where, DL3=change in length due to ballooning, in. m= Poissons ratio (0.3 for steel) R= tubing OD/tubing ID Dri=change in density of fluid inside tubing, lb/in3 Dro=change in density of fluid outside tubing, lb/ in3 Dpi=change in surface pressure inside tubing, psi Dpo=change in surface pressure outside tubing, psi d=pressure drop in tubing due to flow, psi/in. (usually considered as d= 0) THERMAL EFFECTS Due to the earths geothermal gradient, the temperature of the produced fluids can be high enough to change the tubing length. The effect is opposite (decrease in length) when a cold fluid is injected inside the tubing. It is ideal to take the change in average string temperature. The change in length due to temperature can be calculated using the Equation 4.5. Where, DL4=change in length, in. L=length of tubing string, in. C=coefficient of expansion of steel per oF DT=temperature change, oF PACKER SETTING FORCE The setting of packer requires forces which may lead to change in length of tubing. This change in length can be calculated using the Equation 4.6., which is derived based on Equations 4.1 and 4.3. The force on packer should not exceed critical values whereby it can cause permanent damage to the tubing. The initial weight on packer may cause slack off and to check if this situation might exist, one could use Equation 4.7. Where, F = set-down force. The tubing can suffer permanent damage if the stress in the tubing exceeds the yield strength of the tubing material. It is therefore advised to determine the safe tubing stresses for a given production or workover operation. The safe tubing stress can be calculated by using the following Equations (Allen and Roberts, 1989): The critical values can be calculated using Equations 4.8 and 4.9. Where, Si=stress at inner wall of the tubing So=stress at outer wall of the tubing For free-motion packer: When the packer exerts some force on the tubing, an additional term Ff should be added to Fa and the sign in Equations 4.8 and 4.9 varies in way to maximize the stresses. Example 4.1: An example of Tubing Movement calculation: The following operations are to be performed on a well completed with 9,000 ft of 2-7/8 OD (2.441 ID), 6.5 lb/ft tubing. The tubing is sealed with a packer which permits free motion. The packer bore is 3.25. The casing is 32 lb/ft, 7 OD (6.049 ID). Calculate the total movement of the tubing (note: notation is used for inch). Conditions Production Frac Cement Initial Fluid 12 lb/gal mud 13 lb/gal saltwater 8.5 lb/gal oil Final Fluid Tubing 10 lb/gal oil 11 lb/gal frac fluid 15 lb/gal cement Annulus 12 lb/gal mud 13 lb/gal saltwater 8.5 lb/gal oil Final Pressure Tubing 1500 psi 3500 psi 5000 psi Annulus 0 1000 psi 1000 psi Temp Change +25oF -55oF -25oF SOLUTION Production: Hookes Law Effect At bottom hole conditions DPi = Final pressure inside tubing Initial pressure inside tubing DPo = Final pressure inside annulus initial pressure inside annulus Using Eq. (4.2) Using Eq. (4.1) Helical Buckling Effect Using Eq. (4.3) Ballooning Effect Using Eq. (4.4) Temperature Effect Using Eq. (4.5) Total Tubing Movement (Tubing lengthens) Fracturing: Hookes Law Effect At bottom hole conditions DPi = Final pressure inside tubing Initial pressure inside tubing DPo = Final pressure inside annulus initial pressure inside annulus Using Eq. (4.2) Using Eq. (4.1) Helical Buckling Effect Using Eq. (4.3) Ballooning Effect Using Eq. (4.4) Temperature Effect Using Eq. (4.5) Total Tubing Movement (Tubing shortens) Cement: Hookes Law Effect At bottom hole conditions DPi = Final pressure inside tubing Initial pressure inside tubing DPo = Final pressure inside annulus initial pressure inside annulus Using Eq. (4.2) Using Eq. (4.1) Helical Buckling Effect Using Eq. (4.3) Ballooning Effect Using Eq. (4.4) Temperature Effect Using Eq. (4.5) Total Tubing Movement (Tubing shortens) 1.2 Selection of Tubing Material Tubing selection should be based on whether or not the tubing can withstand various forces which are caused due to the variations in temperature and pressure. The API has specified tubing based on the steel grade. Most common grades are: H40, J55, K55, C75, L80, N80, C95, P105 and P110. The number following the letter indicates the maximum yield strength of the material in thousands of psi. The failure of the tubing can be attributed to the loading conditions. There are three modes of tubing failure which include: * burst (pressure due to fluid inside tubing), * collapse (pressure due to fluid outside tubing) and * tension (due to weight of tubing and tension if restricted from movement). The graphical design of the tubing can be achieved by creating a plot of depth vs pressure. This design is carried out by calculating pressures inside the tubing and casing-tubing annulus at the bottom hole and tubing head. The maximum differential pressures at surface and bottom hole are examined using the plot. This maximum condition usually occurs during stimulation. When the maximum allowable annular pressure is maintained during stimulation, a considerable amount of reduction in the tubing load can be achieved. The burst pressure load (difference between the pressure inside the tubing and annulus) is mostly experienced in greater magnitude close to the surface but may not necessarily be always true. The burst load lines are plotted followed by plotting collapse load lines. The collapse loads are calculated with an assumption that a slow leak at the bottom hole has depressurized the tubing. This scenario is sometimes expereinced after the fracturing treatment when operators commence kickoff before bleeding off the annular pressure. If the data for pressure testing conditions (usually most critical load) is available, it should be included in the plot. Along with the collapse and burst loads, the burst and collapse resistance for different tubing grades (available) are plotted. By observing the plot we can determine which tubing grade to be selected that can withstand the calculated loads. An example of selecting tubing based on graphical design is presented below. Example 4.2: Graphical tubing design Based on the data given below, select a tubing string that will satisfy burst, collapse and tension with safety factors of 1.1, 1.0 and 1.8 respectively. Planning Data: D =9000 ft true depth, f = 2.875 inches, tubing OD, CIBHP = 6280psi, closed-in bottom hole pressure, FBP = 12550psi, formation breakdown pressure, FPP = 9100psi, fracture propagation pressure, Gpf = 0.4 psi / ft packer fluid gradient, Gf = .48 psi /ft fracturing fluid gradient, g = 0.75 gas gravity at reservoir, Pann = 1000 psi, maximum allowable annulus pressure, SFB =1.1, safety Factor, Burst Condition, SFC =1.0, safety Factor, Collapse Condition, SFT =1.8, safety Factor, Tensile Load, Burst and Collapse rating of available tubings: B_L80 =9395 psi, C_L80 =9920 psi, B_J55 =6453 psi, C_J55 =6826 psi, B_H40 =4693 psi and C_H40 =4960psi. Solution: Step 1: Calculate the ratio of bottomhole pressure to surface pressure. Referring table 4.1 in the manual, determine the ratio of surface and BHP at the given reservoir gas gravity, At a gas gravity = 0.8 and Depth 9000 ft, the ratio is 0.779 At a gas gravity = 0.7 and Depth 9000 ft, the ratio is 0.804 At gas gravity 0.75 the ratio of surface pressure to BHP is Table 4.1 Ratio of surface pressure and BHP in gas wells for a range of gas gravities. Depth of Hole Gas Gravity (ft) (m) 0.60 0.65 0.70 0.80 1000 305 0.979 0.978 0.976 0.973 2000 610 0.959 0.956 0.953 0.946 3000 915 0.939 0.935 0.93 0.92 4000 1219 0.92 0.914 0.907 0.895 5000 1524 0.901 0.893 0.885 0.87 6000 1830 0.883 0.873 0.854 0.847 7000 2133 0.864 0.854 0.844 0.823 8000 2438 0.847 0.835 0.823 0.801 9000 2743 0.829 0.816 0.804 0.779 10000 3048 0.812 0.798 0.764 0.758 11000 3353 0.795 0.78 0.766 0.737 12000 3660 0.779 0.763 0.747 0.717 13000 3962 0.763 0.746 0.729 0.697 14000 4267 0.747 0.729 0.712 0.678 15000 4572 0.732 0.713 0.695 0.659 16000 4876 0.717 0.697 0.67 0.641 17000 5181 0.702 0.682 0.652 0.624 18000 5486 0.687 0.656 0.645 0.607 19000 5791 0.673 0.652 0.631 0.59 20000 6097 0.659 0.637 0.615 0.574 Step 2: Calculate the pertinent pressures for different operating conditions. a) Pressures inside casing-tubing annulus Assuming during the production and killing of well, packer fluid is present inside the casing tubing annulus. For producing situation: Pressure inside annulus at surface = packer fluid gradient * Depth Pkill_prod_surface= = 0.4* 0 = 0 psi Pressure inside annulus at bottom hole = packer fluid gradient * Depth Pkill_prod = Gpf *D = 0.4* 9000 = 3600 psi For Stimulation: Pressure inside annulus at surface= Pstim_surf = 1000 psi Pressure inside annulus at bottomhole = packer fluid gradient * Depth + (Max Allowable pressure inside annulus) Pstim_bh= Gpf *D + Pann = 0.4*9000 + 1000 = 4600 psi b) Pressures inside tubing At bottom hole, pressure = CIBHP At surface, pressure = CITHP (closed in tubing head pressure) CITHP = ratio * CIBHP CITHP = 0.792 * 6280 = 4973 psi KILL SITUATION: When a well is killed, the bottom hole pressure is given as sum of CIBHP and maximum allowable annulus pressure. At bottom hole, pressure inside tubing during kill situation (BHIP) = CIBHP+Pann BHIP =6280 +1000 = 7280psi Tubing head pressure during kill situation is calculated by multiplying BHIP with gas gravity. At tubing head kill pressure (THIP) = ratio * BHIP = 0.792*7280 = 5765 psi FORMATION BREAKDOWN SITUATION: During stimulation the bottomhole pressure is the formation break down pressure and can be calculated by the density of the fracture fluid .In this problem the break down pressure is specified. At bottomhole, pressure inside tubing during formation breakdown (BHFBP) = FBP BHFBP = 12550 psi The tubing head pressure can be calculated by subtracting the hydrostatic head generated by the fracturing fluid from the bottomhole pressure. At tubing head, pressure (THFBP) = FBP -Gf* D =12550- 0.48* 9000 = 8230psi FRACTURE PROPAGATION During stimulation (propagation), we experience some pressure drop due to friction. Based on the pumping rates and properties of proppants we can determine the drop in pressure. Assuming a pressure drop of 0.35 psi / ft (usually calculated through properties of fracturing fluid and pumping rate), the bottomhole pressure at fracture propagation (BHFP) can be calculated as: DPfr = 0.35 psi/ ft At bottomhole, BHFP = FPP BHFP =9100 psi At tubing head, the pressure inside tubing can be calculated as: Tubing head fracture propagation pressure (THFP) = BHFP + DPfr* D Gf*D = 9100 + 0.35*9000 -0.48*9000 =7930 psi Step 3: Calculate the burst load for different operating conditions: Defining the burst loads: Burst Load pressure = pressure inside tubing pressure in the casing- tubing annulus Burst Load at tubing head for producing conditions: BL _surface_prod = CITHP Pkill_prod_surface = 4973 0 = 4973 psi Burst Load at bottomhole for producing conditions: BL _bh_prod = CIBHP Pkill_prod = 6280-3600 = 2680 psi Burst Load at tubing head for killing operation: BL _surface_kill = THIP Pkill_prod_surface = 5765 -0 = 5765 psi Burst Load at bottomhole for killing operation: BL _bh_kill = BHIP Pkill_prod = 7280-3600 = 3680 psi Burst Load at tubing head for formation breakdown: BL _surface_fbp = THFBP Pstim_surf = 8230 -1000 = 7230 psi Burst Load at bottomhole for formation breakdown: BL _bh_fbp = BHFBP Pstim_bh = 12550 -4600 = 7950 psi Burst Load at tubing head for fracture propagation: BL _surface_fbp = THFP Pstim_surf = 7930 -1000 = 6930 psi Burst Load at bottomhole for fracture propagation: BL _bh_fbp = BHFP Pstim_bh = 9100 -4600 = 4500 psi Step 4: Calculation of collapse Load Defining the collapse loads: Collapse load pressure = pressure in casing-tubing annulus- pressure inside tubing In order to plot critical collapse load conditions (CLL) normally, we assume that a slow leak in tubing has changed the pressure inside casing-tubing annulus to CITHP and that tubing is empty and depressurized. Step 5: Plot the Load lines. Plot the burst load and collapse load lines for various completion operations, burst and collapse resistance lines for the available tubing grades. The obtained plot is illustrated in Fig. 4.4. It can be observed from plot that formation breakdown situation has the maximum burst pressures. The maximum burst pressure line and collapse line are plotted with the available ratings of tubing. The resulting plot will look like Fig. 4.5. Then by inspecting the graph we can come to a conclusion that L-80 grade is the best grade available that can withstand the collapse and burst pressures during various operations. But in other situations we have an option to select multiple grades on tubing which are guided by the estimated loading conditions. Estimation of Tensile Load: Most of the tubing failures are caused due to coupling leakage and failure. The failure of coupling can be attributed to inadequate design for tension of the tubing. This load being one of the significant and causes most failures compared to failures due to burst and collapse pressures. A higher safety factor is used while designing tubing. The design can be initiated by considering only the weight of tubing on packer. Some companies even ignore buoyancy effects while calculating weight to have a better design. So ideally a tubing design for tension is carried out by calculating the weight of the tubing in air. Then the buoyant weight of the tubing is calculated using the densities of steel and mud. Selecting a grade of casing which can handle the tensile load generated due to the weight of the tubing. An example below illustrates the design of tubing for tension. Example 4.3 Tension Design Tubing weight: 7.2 lb/ft Tubing length: 12,500 ft Packer fluid: 0.38 psi/ft = 54.72 lb/ft3 Density of steel: 490 lb/ft3 Win_air = 7.2 x 12,500 = 90,000 lb Wbuoyant = = 0.89 x 73,600 = 80,100 lb Joint Specifications J55 L80 EUE HYD CS EUE HYD A95 API joint strength (Klb) Design factor Design capacity (Klb) 99.7 1.8 55.4 100 1.8 55.6 135.9 1.8 75.5 150 1.8 83.3 Tubing Tension Design Considerations 1. Requires L80 tubing at surface 2. Requires joint strength capability of HYD A95 or equivalent Review questions 1. When would buckling of tubing above a packer likely to occur? 2. A 10,000-ft, high-rate oil well is completed with 5ÂÂ ½ 15.5 lb/ft tubing (wall thickness 0.275). Under producing conditions the flowing temperature gradient is 0.40F/100 ft, and under static conditions the geothermal gradient is 1.8oF/100ft from a mean surface temperature of 40oF. When the well is killed with a large volume of 40oF seawater, the bottom-hole temperature drops to 70oF. If free to move, what tubing movement can be expected from the landing condition to the hot producing and to the cold injection conditions? If a hydraulic packer were to be used and set in 30,000 lb tension, what would be the tension loading on the packer after killing the well? (Ignore piston, ballooning and buckling effects). 3. A 7000-ft well that is to be produced with a target of 15,000 STB/D using 5ÂÂ ½ tubing encounters 170 ft of oil-bearing formation with a pressure of 3000 psi. What rating of wellhead should be used? If a single grade and weight tubing is to be used, what is the cheapest string that can probably be run, assuming that Grade Weight (lb/ft) Collapse Strength (psi) Burst Strength (psi) Tensional Strength (1000 lb) Cost Comparison J-55 C-75 N-80 15.5 17.0 17.0 17.0 20.0 4040 4910 6070 6280 8830 4810 5320 7250 7740 8990 300 329 423 446 524 Cheapest Most expensive Moderately expensive REFERENCES 1. Allen, TO and Roberts, AP, Well Completion Design- Production Operations-1, 3rd edition, 1989, pp 182-187. 1. Hammerlindl, DT, Movement, Forces and Stress Associated with Combination Tubing Strings Sealed with Packers, JPT, February 1977. 2. Lubinski, A, Althouse, WS, Logan, TL, Helical Buckling of Tubing Sealed in Packers, JPT, June 1962. 3. Well completion design and practices PE 301-IHRDC EP Manual Series, Boston, MA 02116, USA.

Leadership Speech :: essays research papers

Many people believe that leadership is simply being the first, biggest or most powerful. Leadership in organizations has a different and more meaningful definition. A leader is someone who sets direction in an effort or task and influences or motivates people to follow that direction. The power point presentation explains leadership is the influence that particular individuals exert on the goal achievement of others in an organizational context. When some think of leadership the idea of the military is taken into account while others use the term to refer to executive management. These are few examples of different types of leaders there are. There are also different roles of leadership such as senior-level executives and middle managers. Motivated leaders who have charisma and high levels of emotional stability will be honest and have integrity in the manner in which they lead. An effective leader must be respected by the members of his or her group in order to perform effectively. Another aspect of leadership includes leadership traits such as being influential and inspirational. There also different contexts of leadership, e.g, leading oneself, leading other individuals, leading groups, leading organizations. Some traits that are often associated with being an effective leader include a measure of intelligence, high energy, self confidence, dominance, and a need for achievement. An effective, charismatic leader must lead by example. That leader must be able to know what is going on, the job or task that is being accomplished, and be able to lead the group into performing the task at hand successfully. There are many different types of theories on leadership. There is Fiedler’s contingency theory, situational theories of leadership and House’s path-goal theory. These theories are used to make an individual or manager a more effective leader. They can be used as a guide for individuals and help them achieve whatever goal is set out by their organization or group. Fiedler’s Theory is stated in the power point presentation as the association between leadership orientation and group effectiveness is contingent on how favorable the situation is for exerting influence. If there is some catastrophe which will befall a group or set of individuals if a task is not complete, then that group will be more effective as they are motivated to complete that task to avert that particular catastrophe. The Situational Theories of leadership explain how leadership style must be tailored to the demands of the task and the qualities of subordinates.

Lee De Forest Essay -- essays research papers

Lee De Forest Lee De Forest was born Aug. 26, 1873, Council Bluffs, Iowa. De Forest was the son of a Congregational minister. His father moved the family to Alabama and there assumed the presidency of the nearly bankrupt Talladega College for Negroes. Excluded by citizens of the white community who resented his father's efforts to educate blacks, Lee and his brother and sister made friends from among the black children of the town and spent a happy although sternly disciplined childhood in this rural community. (Kraeuter, 74). As a child he was fascinated with machinery and was often excited when hearing of the many technological advances during the late 19th century. He began tinkering and inventing things even in high school, often trying to build things that he could sell for money. By the age of 13 he was an enthusiastic inventor of mechanical gadgets such as a miniature blast furnace and locomotive, and a working silverplating apparatus. (A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries). His father had planned for him to follow him in a career in the clergy, but Lee wanted to go to school for science and, in 1893, enrolled at the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University, one of the few institutions in the United States then offering a first-class scientific education. (Kraeuter, 74). De Forest went on to earn the Ph.D. in physics in 1899, with the help of scholarships, and money his parents made by working odd jobs. By this time he had become interested in electricit...

Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird :: essays research papers

One of the principal aims of To Kill a Mockingbird is to subject the narrator to a series of learning experiences and then observe how much she profits from her experiences. There is rarely a chapter that does not teach Scout something new or does not build toward a new learning experience. So, one rewarding approach to the novel is throughout an examination of these experiences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the largest view, Scout learns about (1) justice and injustice through the Tom Robinson trial; (2) prejustice and its effects on the processes of the law and society; (3) courage as manifested in ways others act; and (4) respect for individuality of the human being. On a smaller scale, Scout learns numerous things about numerous people; she becomes aware of the difficulty of being a lady, particularly when under dressed; and she learns when to fight and not to fight.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many of scouts learning experiences being in clearly insignificant scenes. Ultimately she must learn to respect the difference in behavior between vastly different people, especially when the behavior differs from the normal as radically as in the cases of Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and the Cunninghams. So early in the novel, Scout in the novel, Scout is faced with some confusing experiences at school, where she confronts a teacher who dosen’t understand why she can read and where she meets Walter Cunningham. Later, Atticus explains to her that to judge a person you must try to see things from that person’s point of view. You must learn to walk aroun in his skin. Then you cab uderstand better why a person acts or belives what he does.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Only at the end of the novel does Scout finally learn to respect this saying. Until then, she remains curious and confused why Boo never came out of his house. In the meantime she goes through a series of maturing experiences. She learns how to see her from the teachers point of view; she tries to judge the Cunninghams and the Ewells from their side; she bears the insults of the town and particularly the apperent viciousness of Mrs. Duboes. From all of these, she learns to look at the individuality of the others!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For Scout, courage is most often something with physical act and involves personal danger. It is very difficult for Scout to see that greater courage is often required in other places of life. Scout learns that the greatest courage can be found in a situation where a person knows that he is going to lose and still continues to fight.

Laura Wingfield

Laura Wingfield is, in many ways, the pivotal character of the play.   She is the central figure upon which the thematic nuances of fragility and misconception play out.   In fact, Laura is the character about which all the characters possess some misconception.   On the whole, this misconception revolves around her perceived weakness, a notion everyone adopts and fails to question even in her moments of will.   Hence, her reputation as weak becomes more a taxing factor than any actual weakness of her own. Throughout the play, Laura comes from symbolize the fragility of the glass menagerie, and yet her character reveals itself to be less of the transparent and delicate (at least in terms of breaking), and more of the fibrous and compassionate.   She cries over her brother’s unhappiness, holds fast to her love for Jim, and walked for hours in the cold to avoid typing class in her younger years. Still, however, characters misjudge her.   Amanda, her mother, thinks she can relive her youth vicariously through Laura.   Tom and Jim maintain a notion of her as some exotic bird, or perhaps the glass unicorn she possesses. Perhaps the most striking detail illustrating misconception of her is apparent in her moniker, â€Å"blue roses†.   Infatuated with Jim in high school, she explains a prolonged absence from class as owing to pleurosis.   He mistakes the name of the disease for â€Å"blue roses†, which becomes his nickname for her. Laura has the least lines of the play, only furthering her image as a selfless and isolate character.   She stands in dramatic contrast to the selfishness of the rest of her family, who seem to play out their psychological imperatives almost entirely unconscious of their effect on other people.   The fact that Laura does not participate in the inequities of the other characters, sets her apart.   She remains the play’s most enigmatical figure.