PER 2015
are nowhere near as prized as comics. This means that some shops are willing to use them as a loss leader, making them incredibly cheap, to entice you in so you buy other comics. This works in many independent comic book sellers, but not in the case of the large chains, as they are what keeps them running. this leads me on to point out that this is one of the few industries in the world, where the large chains provide higher prices in places where it is more logical to be lower, and lower prices where it is more logical to go higher (as shown in the case of the grab bags). It is safe to say that whilst overall the large chains will make more money, in a shop of the same size, the smaller chains will make more profit. I hope I have entertained and enlightened you a little bit about the comic book industry. Charlie Clarke Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is the process of drilling hundreds of feet under the ground to deep rock. When the rock is reached a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and other chemicals is directed at the rock. The solution is then injected into the rock at high pressure. This mixture releases the valuable trapped shale gas. The gas then travels to the head of the well, where it is collected to be sold to energy suppliers, to produce energy for thousands of homes. It is predicted that global reserves of shale gas trapped in underground rock could provide energy for every country in the world for 200 years. The shale gas in the UK alone could provide energy for UK residents for 50 years. However fracking brings with it a number of problems that many believe outweigh the benefits that can be received from extracting shale gas via fracking. These negative impacts include; water contamination in areas around fracking wells. It is believed that water by fracking sites contains fourteen times more methane than normal drinking water in areas that are not in close proximity to fracking sites. Another surprising impact is the possibility that fracking can cause small earthquakes. Fracking affects different people in different ways, with thousands of people both supporting fracking and just as many against the idea of creating fracking wells around the world. Fracking has both negative impacts and positive benefits associated with it. Fracking primarily benefits individuals and home owners. Fracking is a largely untapped market with trillions of cubic feet of shale gas reserves around the world. If fracking gathered more support and more people were willing to invest in the idea, there would be a much larger supply of energy for energy suppliers to sell to individuals, small businesses and homeowners. This large rise in the supply of energy sources would drive energy prices down, benefitting homeowners all around the world. USA has the most fracking sites in the world and it is calculated that between 2007 and 2013, fracking drove down gas bill receipts by $13 billion 39 . Increased fracking in the USA, especially in areas such as Texas, fracking has had a positive impact on local communities. Consumers across the USA have made savings of over $100 because of the implementation of fracking across the country. Fracking is largely regulated in the USA and the industry standards are growing. Fracking can also have environmental benefits associated with the process. On a local scale the emissions created by a fracking well can be less than that of a coal production site. Fracking may not have a positive impact on the environment, however the footprint of a fracking site is less than that of a coal production site, commonly found all around the USA. Fracking sites also provide energy for locals and reduce Should “fracking” be allowed? If so, who should benefit?
39 http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/brookings-now/posts/2015/03/economic-benefits-of-fracking
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