Issues on Women and Homophobia an Example of the Topic Psychology Essays by

Issues on Women and Homophobia 1. What issues involving straight women have been resolved since the 1920`s in the United States, and which have not? What do you see happening in the future, when and why? Need essay sample on "Issues on Women and Homophobia" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed The battle for female suffrage culminated on August 18, 1920, when Tennessee became the thirty-sixth state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment, granting women the right to vote. Following approval of the Nineteenth Amendment, women made substantial inroads in political and economic life. Dr. Riesman in his study of the basic changes taking place in the American characters during the twentieth century (that is, from inner-directed to outer-directed) found that the growing pre-occupation with acts of consumption reflects the change. The women then were confronted with a host of new, varied and difficult problems of adjustment within a brief period of time. Women were lured to experiment and to try something new and not get stuck with the traditional ways of thinking and doing things. Back then in the 60s, the clothes that the old school hip hop artists donned were expressions of inpiduality but they even carried a purpose which was a functional one. Women spoke of a willingness to create a difference of their own despite several constraints. When one thinks of the identity crisis that plagues people, one is able to discern the connection between this genre and its lure on women then. Conformity comes in many forms and affects many aspects of peoples lives. People, having identified with many models, have incorporated many different characteristics. Now they must integrate, synthesize, and reorganize these, dropping some characteristics and strengthening others. A new, unique and coherent identity emerges, one in which, the whole has a different quality than the sum of its parts (Buszek, 1998). For women at that time, the circumstances all conspired for this art to flourish. Even if women were expected to maintain an unrealistic level of decorum, still, the women at that time were beginning to accept their own sexuality. They began to allow themselves sexual pleasures. This problem is compounded by old feelings that sex is immoral and dirty. (Such feelings are still very much with us even in these days of sexual revolution.) If a women, even unwillingly, still thinks of sex as bad, then it is sometimes easier to engage in it (to even enjoy it) is she can maintain the concept that it is the mans doing. She is just complying and its really for him This attitude is part of the history of what women were supposed to do and feel. But it does not match what she wants and achieves in other areas. There is an additional dimension to the sexuality seen in this, and in the philosophy behind the success of the women then. To be herself, expressing her sexuality, is the final confirmation of her new self which really exists. It will prove, as it were, that she really can be the person she is glimpsing now. It will allow her to tap all of her suppressed energies and direct them toward her goals. It will be, in a sense, dependencys end, and she is not quite ready to face it. It seems frightening but it is also too good to be true. It also means she is still asking a man to prove that her new self existsto give it his stamp of validation via the final test, his demonstration of interest (Buszek, 1998). For generations, women had been subjected to men. In the early 19th century, married women could not enter into contracts without their husband's consent. Women lost all title to property or future earnings upon marriage while their children were legally controlled by the father. Even women were often without recourse against kidnapping or imprisonment by husbands and other male relatives (McElroy, 1991). Women had no voice in what was going on around them, to what they wanted their lives to be, or even when it concerned their bodies. In the 19th century, the industrial revolution created a new middle class with wealth from land, trading, and factories. The middle class women took up Marie Gouze's ideals. This sparked the feminist movement. These women were educated, and it was obvious to them that there were rights they were missing. They saw how the men of their class had acquired these rights with the new found wealth. The goals of the Women's Movement in the 19th century were to get the right to vote, to achieve equality in property rights, access to education, access to jobs and fair pay, porce, and children's custody (Manzano, 1999). In the future, I think that for women to act and react out of their own being is to fly in the face of their appointed definition and their prescribed way of living. To move toward authenticity, then, also involves creation, in an immediate and pressing personal way. The whole fabric of ones life begins to change and one sees it in a new light. As one woman puts it, I keep seeing everything with a different meaning now. Most days I feel as if Im adlibbing my way through. I dont follow the script I used to know. For this new and much more intense personal creating, there are no certain guideposts. For some women, there may be anguish and anxiety, but there are also clear satisfactions and joys along the way, even before there is anything like a sense of completion. 2. What do you think are the main sources of homophobia in American culture? What is the situation today in America? regarding homophobia and what do you predict for the future, when and why? In todays society, many people suffer from homophobia due to lack of understanding of homosexuality. Throughout history people have constantly adopted discriminatory attitudes towards others who happen to be different from them. This is similar to the discrimination accorded to other cultures, races and members of lower social classes. The struggle of homosexuals to receive equal treatment is expected to go on, although support from liberals, the scientific and psychological segments of society greatly helps. Contrary to the conservative perspective that homosexuality is a choice, scientists contend that homosexual orientation results from biological, psychological and social factors, and is not a conscious choice that can be voluntarily changed (APA). In fact, many homosexuals, at the time they are beginning to discover their different sexual orientation, fight within themselves and try to change that sexual orientation without success. Indeed, homophobia is based on the prejudice towards those who are different. One of the sources is also the Judaeo-Christian religious tradition that opposes it. From its roots in religion, homophobia has been made into a decree as a law in many states and countries. (Kelly2005). Slowly but surely, gay people are recognizing their different roles in society, not based on their sexual orientation, but based on their inpiduality. In Vivienne Cass model of homosexual identity formation, the final step is identity synthesis, where the inpidual recognizes the support of heterosexuals and does not make sexual identity as the primary factor in relationships with others (Kort, Joe). As homosexuals progress through the coming out process, they realize the significance of their being, and not being fixated on the issue of sexual orientation. In the future, I think that it is true enough that homosexuals continue to face difficulties in gaining acceptance and equal rights as the next straight person, but members of the gay community are succeeding in developing a healthy identity despite all the discrimination surrounding them. There will be a lot of progress to uplift the status of homosexuals and to slowly foster equality, in so far as national legislation and general public perspective are concerned. However, the greater part of the work towards equality lies in homosexuals themselves. It is through their endeavor to be strong role models and be valuable assets to their communities that the stigma coupled with their existence is to be lifted. Major steps and changes would still be necessary before homosexuals are truly accepted into society. Education and information based on scientific and psychological research are key factors for heterosexuals to understand the realities and truth about homosexual orientation. This is seen to most likely lessen the prejudice against homosexuals. While a world without prejudices is still but a vision, homosexuals would do better by confronting the issues within themselves and not focus on what other people think. This would help them be better inpiduals worthy of acceptance in any society. WORKS CITED Buszek, Maria Elena. War Goddess The Varga Girls, WWII and Feminism Issue No.6 1998. Retrieved July 15, 2007 Kelly, Ryan. The Root of Homophobia. 2005. Retrieved July 15, 2007 Kort, Joe. Cass Model of Gay Retrieved July 15, 2007 at: http://www.joekort.com/PDF/cassmodelofidentityformation2.pdf Homophobia. Retrieved July 15, 2007 at: http://www.theocracywatch.org/homophob.htm Manzano, Y. Feminism before the 20th Century. From cwluherstory.com website. 1999. Retrieved July 15, 2007 at: Martignette, Charles and Louis K. Meisel, The Great American Pin-Up, (Spain: Taschen, 1996),16.

buy custom The Guri Dam essay

buy custom The Guri Dam essay The Guri Dam in Venezuela measuring 7,426m in length and 162m in height is the third largest hydroelectric plant in the world. With an installed capacity of 10,200 MW, it catered to about 73% of Venezuelas electricity demand. This dependence started posing a major problem when Venezuela was hit by a prolonged drought attributed to El Nio in 2010. The government was forced to implement 2 hour black outs everyday throughout the country to make up for the low water levels behind the dam.The water levels dropped to about 248.22m above sea level. The declining water levels meant the turbines had to work harder to generate electricity thus giving rise to a water vortex which in turn would cause water bubbles to get sucked in and move up to the water blades. This process could eat away at the metal plates a process called cavitation. The cavitation could cause massive vibrations that can be felt throughout the plant. If the turbine is shut down quickly enough there could be an explosion e ventually leading to complete shutdown of the plant. The vibrations were beginning to affect Unit 8 of the Guri Dam; it had to be shut down, leading to an electric cut down of 400MW.Though the mid-April rains in 2010 led Venezuelan officials to believe that they could survive the crisis, water level in the dam continued its descent. There was a drop of about 76cm in the water level in a span of two weeks. Venezuela expected to be blessed with rain at least in May (the start of the rainy season), but El Nino did not will so. The drought prolonged, leading to more complications.(Juan Mabromata 2010)The current project to try and restore water levels to the Guri Dam is named involves the technological modification of the dam so that it can last another thirty years without any major problems. This has come in the wake of a serious electric blackout and electrical rationing in Venezuela. While they cannot do anything but wait and watch the different colors of the El Nino, they can prepa re themselves for the worst, or the best hopefully.RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATIONS TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE Electrical rationing plans began to be implemented in order to keep the water level above 240m above sea level; consequently preventing a complete shutdown and the halt of operations. As a result of this, Venezuela has had to bear the brunt of widespread electrical shortages and blackouts; apart from being a discomfort to the citizens it also proved to be a hit to Venezuelas economy. The water levels at the Guri Dam are a major determinant of Venezuelas future. In the pages that follow we aim to look into a few more aspects of the crisis and its management.(ICIS News 2010)The future of the Guri Dam does depend on nature to a large extent. Here we attempt to look at what improvements can be made to the construction or design of the dam such that it functions without any glitches in conditions of compromised water levels as well.The Guri dam is a gravity type dam. The spillways are three-chute concrete spillways and each chute consists of an overflow gated crest, a step chute and a ter minal flip bucket. The spillway flow occurs through a bucket which projects a highly arched jet of water that falls into the tail water pool. The tail water pool is responsible for the final dissipation of energy.In 1969 it was observed that the lips of the bucket and the ends of the side training walls were showing signs of scouring/erosion. An investigation on the same led to Harza Engineering suggesting the CVG to restore the damaged areas with epoxy concrete and epoxy protective coatings. The repairs were made in early 1970, but investigations in late 1970 showed greater damage in the form of renewed scouring. Further field inspections revealed that the damage was happening due to cavitation and was not self-arresting. This indeed could prove to be hazardous if not handled appropriately.The St. Anthony Falls Hydraulic Laboratory of the University of Minnesota started an experimental study aimed at determining the mechanism of damage and proposed modifications to the existing des ign. It started with an analysis of the existing structure and went on to Model Investigation Tests.The analysis of the existing structure took into consideration the discharge, lateral tail water flow, chute velocities, vortex cavity sources and the tail water stages.1.1 DISCHARGEIt was observed that the maximum design capacity of the spillway was 40,000 cms at an 88m head drop and the energy contained in the flows of the Guri Dam at the point of exit from the flip bucket was 46,000,000 hp. This could cause enormous damage.1.2 LATERAL TAIL WATER FLOWHigh discharges of waste water from the spillway were generating a large clockwise vortex which substantially affected the lateral pool velocity across the ends of the flip bucket. This lateral flow was proving to be a significant factor in spillway damage.1.3 VORTEX CAVITY SOURCESA traveling vapor cavity of relatively small size was found to be a common cause of cavitation damage.1.4 TAILWATER STAGESThe tail water stages were found to be unusually large. This required more attention because the stage level of the tail water pool substantially impacted the pressure values which in turn played a role in cavitation damage.It was also observed that there existed Sill Damage and Wall Damage. The bucket lips which were the principal controllers of the location of the final dissipation of the flow of energy had lost quite a significant volume of concrete due to erosive removal of the same. The disintegration of bucket lips could threaten the existence of the entire structure. Though wall damage was seen to be occurring simultaneously, it did not require emergency status because it did not threaten the structure of the dam. It was stated that a solution that addressed the more serious issue of sill damage would automatically remedy the wall damage issue.Model investigation tests conducted in a Variable Pressure Test Facility which allowed the modeling of the cavitation process helped gather more insight into the issues a nd their impending threats to the dam, the ecosystem and the people in the area.SOLUTIONSA combination of high velocity flows and pressure levels below one-half atmosphere will certainly lead to erosion. At the Guri dam erosion was mainly observed in areas with pulsating negative pressure values greater than one half atmospheres. The turbulence due to flow overtopping in the bucket side wall strongly contributed to the negative pressure pulsations. An increase in the height of the walls was suggested to reduce or rather eliminate the source of low pressure.The other solutions suggested to improve the engineering of the Guri Dam included routing the flow via a reduced number of chutes, increasing flow depth, lowering the tail water to reduce back-up in the bucket and reforming the lip shape and fabricating it with highly cavitation resistant metal that could also bear the resistance of the water to reduce cavitation damage. Stainless Steel in its most preferable form was suggested. If these solutions could be implemented, the biggest problem that the Guri Dam is facing can be reduced to a great extent.The study also suggested operating with a deeper flow in the bucket and depressing the tail water stage to eliminate the turbulent water jump in the downstream end of the bucket. Rebuilding the bucket to raise the lip above all normal tail water stages, though an expensive option could be carefully considered to reduce tail water back up effects.Reviewing and reducing the number of gates and gate openings could minimize the generation of discrete waves and turbulence centers that contribute to the damage of the lip. Minimizing boundary areas possessing low mean static pressure as a result of high velocity will also help reduce damage to the lip of the bucket.Elevation of the sill to a position above the tail water will nullify the influence of lateral flow that contributes to cavitation damage. (Ripken Warren 1972)ROLE OF POLITICSPresident Hugo Chavez maintained that the current electricity crisis that Venezuela is battling is the result of the El Nino, but critics do not agree. Chavez and his government are being blamed for sheer lack of planning, corruption and swindling of the resources allocated for the construction of the Guri Dam. The money was not invested in the infrastructure of the dam.Even in the wake of a crisis and technological modification the government does not seem to have realized its mistake. The corruption in the electricity sector has impacted engineers ability to repair the electricity issue in time to avoid a crisis. It is too late now. The receipts for the electricity equipment were highly inflated so that government officials could keep a good amount of the money, there were mismatch between the requirement specifications and the equipment ordered the officials placing the orders did not consult with the engineers. Much of the purchased material is said to be unusable till date.Research shows that only 25-30% of the funds approved for infrastructure upgrades were put to intended use. However Rodriguez stated that the government had invested about $16.5 billion to help the electrical sector keep up with the rising consumer demand most of them were long term projects with no immediate solutions. (Fox News 2010) (Fabiola Sanchez 2010)Brazilian contract workers who are threatening to abandon the technical modification unless they receive their paychecks claim that they have not been paid (by EDELCA). Venezuela would be in a serious spot if the Brazilians left, taking their technical expertise with them. Even though the issue seems to have come up in one of Chavezs meeting with the Brazilian President, there seems to be no change in the situation and the payment dispute remains unresolved.(Juan Mabroamata 2010)Whether the Guri Dam turns out to be as successful as predicted or no, whether Chavez has minimized the impacts of the crisis or no and whether the Venezuelans can trust Chavez and his go vernment with their lives and land or no is a matter of whether it will rain or no. If yes, would that be enough to reverse the environmental impact of the Guri Dam, to refill the dam and restore normality to the lives of the Venezuelans?RELATED CONCERNS 4.1 ENVIRONMENTFor millions of years the warm waters of the Caribbean caused huge quantities of moisture to rise up into the air and drift southwest to Venezuelas plains. When the wet air hit the Andes mountain range, it resulted in a lot of rain. It was this kind of rain that formed rivers like the Ornica that fed all their water back to the oceans. This cycle gave rise to the rain-soaked tropical jungle, that later became the venue for the Guri Dam because of its ideal conditions. The dam was constructed with the aim of harnessing hydroelectric power and making Venezuela independent from the use of fossil fuels. However, the construction of the dam and the dam itself altered the rainfall pattern in the area leading to the presen t drought. This will turn into a vicious cycle if alternative measures are not taken.(Alex Lu 2011)4.2 ECONOMIC CONDITION/ GLOBALIZATIONThe decreased water levels behind the Guri Dam have led to electricity rationing. Industries are short of power, manufacturing and other markets are strongly hit as a result of electric shortages and black outs. People are asked to work for shorter durations so that power can be saved. Rollout electric shortages are being implemented to keep the water level at at least 240m above sea level so that the hydroelectric plant continues to function in hopes of recovering one day. Shopping Malls and most other business are allowed to start business only after 11 AM and function for lesser durations. If the scenario persists, it is only a matter time before Venezuela is severely crippled.President Chavez promulgated the construction of the Guri Dam with a view to moving towards a more Green Policy and reducing his countrys dependence on fossil fuels. It cat ered to about 73% of the electricity demand in Venezuela. However it failed to take into consideration the disastrous environmental impact that it was to have. The very basis of the dam the rain forest and the rivers were affected, there were no rains and there was no water in the river, then where was the water for the dam to come from?In an attempt to maximize the use of hydroelectric power Venezuela ended up in a crisis that crippled it economically, environmentally and most of personally. Life in Venezuela is not what it was before Guri Dam, not what they expected it to be after Guri Dam and can never be expected to be either of them, again. The activities of the Venezuelan government should be directed towards technically modifying the dam, minimizing its effects on the environment, developing alternative sources of energy so that they are not dependent on just one source, eliminating corruption and keeping in mind the larger picture of the project, because what Venezuela has lost from nature she cannot reclaim.The proposed modifications of the dam if carried out in time and appropriately can prevent any further disasters. 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