Thursday, February 27, 2020

Pro Gay Marriage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pro Gay Marriage - Research Paper Example Recognition of gay marriage will pave the way to truly equal and accepting society where all people share the same freedoms and get the opportunity to love, be loved and create a family regardless of their sexual orientation. All arguments against gay marriage are ideological in their nature and they can be easily disapproved. According to Kellard, gay marriage does not threaten the institution of tradition marriage because not all traditional marriages are based on love. Many couples decide to marry in order to get money, social benefits or the access to healthcare. The rate of divorces in the USA tends to climb high and, obviously, it is not an indicator of a solid traditional marriage. Despite common beliefs that gay marriages are harmful for children, they serve as a better alternative to families where children have only one loving parent. Conservative religious beliefs does not apply to those who do not share them so it is not fare to take away freedom of love and religion from those who are granted to have it constitutionally (Kellard). Overall, there is no reason to think about gay marriage is something harmful and threatening; it is just a union of people who want to live together as a family. Objections to same-sex marriages are usually expressed by extremely conservative people who reinterpret information and even lie in order to present the issue in negative light and persuade Americans that they will ruin everything by supporting gay marriage. For instance, Dana Loesch, who is a well-recognized columnist, often writes about lawsuits filed by gay couples against certain organization in different states. In her articles gay couples sue with people who deny taking photos of their wedding, baking a wedding cake or renting a pavilion for their marriage (cited in Lampo). However, according to Lampo, all these cases have nothing to

Monday, February 10, 2020

Ground Subsidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Ground Subsidence - Essay Example Most human built structures do rely on the ground for stability but what if the ground suddenly becomes unstable What if subsidence occurs This paper aims to answer these questions by discussing the nature of subsidence and its effects on civil works. I will be providing definitions and possible causes of subsidence. For the civil works, I will be enumerating the effects along precautionary and remedial measures that can mitigate its effects. "Ground subsidence" is legally defined as the means or process that is characterized by the downward displacement of surface material caused by natural phenomena such as removal of underground fluids, natural consolidation, or dissolution of underground minerals, or by man-made phenomena such as underground mining. (Colorado Geologic Survey) Subsidence may occur abruptly-virtually instantly-or gradually over many years. It may occur uniformly in a small, confined area as shown in Figure 1a or may occur over a wide area as local depressions as shown in Figure 1b. Subsidence is commonly associated with the dissolution of soluble rocks, such as limestone, beneath the surface while those with crystalline rocks in which most metals are mined have greater strength and are less likely to settle or collapse. The resultant landscape has closed depressions and is known as karst topography. Note that the depressions do not necessarily result to holes in the ground as shown in Figure 2. ... ed subsidence occur as a result of withdrawal of fluids from subsurface reservoirs as shown in Figure 4, from the collapse of soil and rock over subsurface holes, such as those left by underground mining and from the draining of wetlands. (Waltham and Cushaw, 2004) FIGURE 1a. SMALL SINKHOLE. Not all sinkholes are large subsidence features. Small collapse sinkholes, such as this one in Boyle County, Kentucky, are common. (Kentucky Geological Survey) FIGURE 1.b LARGE COLLAPSE SINKHOLE. This sinkhole near Montevallo in central Alabama was dubbed the "December Giant" after it measured close to 120 m (400 ft.) in diameter and 45 m (150 ft.) in depth. (U.S. Geological Survey) FIGURE 2. KARST TOPOGRAPHY. This rolling landscape of the Mitchell Plateau in southern Indiana is typical of karst topography in a humid temperate climate. (Samuel S. Frushour, Indiana Geological Survey) Subsidence can also occur due to expansive soils. There are clay-rich soils which shrink significantly during dry periods and expand or swell during wet periods. The swelling is caused by the chemical attraction of water molecules to the surface of very fine particles of clay. Swelling can also be caused by the chemical attraction of water molecules to layers within the crystal structure of some clay minerals. Figure 3a shows the mechanism by which expansion of soil can occur while Figure 3b shows water consumption by trees as another cause. FIGURE 3. EXPANSIVE SOILS (a) Smectite clay expands as water molecules are added onto and within the clay particles. (b) Effects of soil's shrinking and swelling at a home site. (After Mathewson, C. C., and J. P. Castleberry, II. Expansive soils: Their engineering geology. Texas A&M University) FIGURE 4. PROCESS OF SUBSIDENCE DUE TO WATER