The Roles of a Citizen in a Democracy Essay Example for Free

The Roles of a Citizen in a Democracy Essay A Democracy is a type of government that is for the people to choose their leaders and to hold their leaders accountable for their policies and their conduct in office. The people are the ones who decide what they want and who they want to represent them, usually by a majority vote. But who exactly are these people? We refer to them as citizens of where ever they are from. We are citizens of the United States of America and we also live in a democracy. As citizens in a democracy we have many rights but also many duties that we have to fulfill such as to actively participate, to use nonviolent pressure to speak our opinions to the government and to follow laws but, to not follow unjust laws. One of the only ways a democracy can work is to have active participation from all the citizens. A reason this is especially important is when we are voting for a governor or president or even just a city mayor. If some people decide that they dont want to vote, then maybe next time some more people will decide not to vote and then next time even more people are not voting, soon enough there are only a few people holding all the votes. This is not what democracy is about. In a democracy, all the citizens are supposed to have a say in everything. When only a few people are voting and only a few people are getting there opinions across then its only a matter of time before they are the ones holding all the power and the citizens who did not say anything before will have no choice. This is why there needs to be active participation from all the citizens in a democracy. If a democracies officials are beginning to stray then it time for the citizens to use their nonviolent protests and actions. Nonviolent actions are simply ways to get your point across with out causing any harm. The Government is much bigger and more powerful than the citizens and if we tried to fight using gun power and other physical means then we would eventually get crushed by the overwhelming forces of the government. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal an d nonviolent pressure(letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963). He was very true in a sense that nonviolent actions are what has peacefully brought us how far we are today. The government can sometimes become corrupt and it is our duty as a citizen to counter whatever the government is doing with our power of legal and nonviolent pressure. A citizen in a democracy must also follow the laws provided by their government but also they have to not follow the unjust laws. The government officials give laws in order to protect us from other people or even from ourselves. There may come a time however, that we will be handed a law that is very much unjust. How can we tell if a law is just or unjust? Martin Luther King, Jr., said Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.(letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963). When the government put out the segregation statutes, people were saying it was a unjust way to treat other humans. It makes the segregator feel superior and the segregated feel inferior. The citizens decided not to stand this treatment so they began using nonviolent protests and petitions and eventually won out. This example shows that in a democracy it is the citizens voice that must come out and they are really the ones that will make it work. In a democracy a citizen must use nonviolent actions to show their opinions, follow just laws, and actively participate in the government. A democracy is a great way to run a group of people but it will really only work. Although some people say that a democracy is not the way to go, I would have to disagree and say that a democracy can and will work. The citizens in a democracy are really the ones that make it work. Without the citizens doing their responsibilities and using there rights then it will quickly turn into a place where the government controls everything and then they ways of a democracy are lost.

The Effectiveness of Weblogs in the Classroom Essay -- Education Teachi

The Effectiveness of Weblogs in the Classroom The internet has proven that it can be a very reasonable and valuable tool for research and communication within the classroom setting. Over the past decade, it has redeveloped the way students retrieve and use information, claims Richardson (2004). Richardson continues that until now it was not very clear if the internet provided students with anything more than a vast tool for research. One application that has altered this perception is the â€Å"weblog.† The introduction of weblogs within school systems has really made a profound impact on the way children learn. According to Richardson (2004), â€Å"Weblogs are redefining the way students and teachers use the internet, turning them from mere readers into writers.†(p.1) Although educators have been slow in adopting weblogs into the classroom, they seem to be quite affective alternatives to traditional education. According to Wikipedia (2005), a weblog can be defined as â€Å"a web application which contains periodic time-stamped posts on a common webpage. These posts are often but not necessarily in reverse chronological order. Such a website would typically be accessible to any internet user. ‘Weblog’ is a portmanteau of ‘web’ and ‘log† (Wikipedia, 2005). Wikipedia (2005) states that the name for this application was created in 1997 by John Barger. During the late 90's the phenomenon of weblogs just started to become ever so popular. Most people used them for personal journal writing, but by 2004 the use of weblogs became mainstream (Wikipedia, 2005). It was estimated that in the fall of 2003 that over 4 million users subscribed and created weblogs over a 6 month period of time, claims Richardson (2004). ... ..., 2005 at http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan04/richardson.shtml Richardson, W. (2005, April 10). Weblogg-ed: The Read/Write Web in the Classroom. Retrieved April 11, 2005, from http://www.weblog-ed.com/ Selingo, J. (2004, August 19). In the Classroom Weblogs are a Bulletin Board [Electronic Version]. New York Times. Retrieved April 10, 2005, from http://www.nytimes.com /2004/08/19/technology/circuits/19blog.html?ex=1250568000&en=33627811ca310596&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland Stach, Michael (2004, April 1) Introduction to Blogs and Blogging. Retrieved on April 11, 2005 from http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18400984 Trimarco, R. (2004). Use of Blogs in online College Classes. In B. Hoffman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Technology. Retrieved April 11, 2005, from http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/ articles/blogonlineclass/index.htm

Hit and Run Sports and Lesiure Company Essay

* The company provides wide range of sports and leisure facilities to members and non-members. The facilities include golf courses, football pitch, basketball court and swimming pool. Members have to book to use facilities and bill is charged to their account. * The leisure club’s shop provide to customers wide range of sports goods such as clothing, golf clubs and tennis racquets. For members there is 10 % discount. * The club provides qualified coaches for different sports that can be booked to give lessons to individuals or groups. The fee is charged for each lesson and the company receives half of the fee. Types of members Type of membership Description Individual They are any one of the ages from 16 to 60, who are not students, under corporate or affiliated team member. Student This membership is available to anyone over 16 and under 25 years of age who is in full time education. Senior For elderly people who are over the age of 60. Corporate For nominated employees from a company who has account with the leisure centre. Family This is available up to 2 adults and 4 children. Children who are under the age of 12 can only join the club as part of a family membership. Affiliated team Available to local sports teams. It allows them for priority bookings and discount rates for regular bookings. Functions of each department within the clubs The club shop The primary function of the shop is to sell sports equipment. However the sales assistants are also responsible for replenishing the stock on display from the stockroom. Also the shop can take bookings for the facilities. They hold all their stock item’s details and quantities on the database. When a member purchase an item, the item code is typed in and the description and the price is displayed on the screen. Also the member’s number is entered from their membership card. This allows them to identify the member and available discount is automatically calculated. The shop also allows members to pay through their account, cash, cheque or credit card. If credit card is used, the Sales assistant has to contact the credit card Company, usually by telephone, to check the credit availability. Receipt is issued when the sale is complete and the appropriate stock item quantities are decreased. The Sales manager is responsible for regulating the stock of all equipment. The sales manager has to make sure that the quantities are up to the required levels. If there is a shortage of any equipment, the database automatically produces a report. This operates at the end of each working day. The following day, the Sales manager telephones the appropriate equipment suppliers and orders the equipment required. The confirmed purchase orders are printed and sent by post. The shop also has specially printed carrier bags for customer’s purchases. The design of the bag changes every year however it always includes the Hit and Run name and logo. Every year the Sales and Marketing Director negotiates a new order for bags for all clubs. Administration The administration manager handles all applications for membership with the help of assistant. The administration assistants are responsible for all office procedures within a club. They produce and post out all correspondence from the club such as letters to members. They also produces invoices for goods and services. One of the administration assistants is responsible for updating the member’s details on database and also ordering membership cards. The summary of all membership transactions which include new members, bookings and membership renewals, is sent to Head office on a floppy disk. The floppy disk also contains information about financial summaries for shop sales, membership and booking fees and lastly a summary of all purchase orders raised. Administration assistant sends all the invoices received by suppliers on the goods received or service done, to head office. This is done at the end of each week. Head office then deals with the payment. Most important function of Administration department is keeping records of the hours worked by each member of the club’s staff along with any coaching fees received. The information is sent to the Human Resource department in head office. The human resource department deals with the information so that wages due can be calculated and paid. Reception Reception department deals with bookings. When a member books facilities, receptionist take member number on a booking login screen together with expiry date on the card. The member’s details are displayed on the screen. Receptionist asks for member’s address and name. When it is confirmed booking screen is displayed. The member’s number is copied onto the booking screen. Also code for facility, the date and the start time is required. The booking system then checks the availability of the facility and if it is the booking is confirmed. Then a booking card is produced containing the information to the member. Reception also deals with members checking in. The member provides the receptionist with the booking number. The details of the booking are displayed on the computer when the booking number is typed in on a check in screen. The receptionist checks and allocation of the facility is confirmed. Then another card is printed for the member. This confirms that the facility has been booked. Facilities maintenance The facilities manager deals with maintenance of all the buildings and facilities in the club. Outdoor facilities such as pitches and the golf course are maintained b a team of green keepers. A team of maintenance staff maintains the indoor facilities and the structure of the buildings. The facilities manager must schedule regular maintenance. This will reduce the chance of member’s disruption on using facilities and also to make efficient use of available staff. The manager also contacts contractors from outside the club for tasks such as the servicing or repair of mowers, rowing machines and other equipment. Once a month the manager contacts suppliers for cleaning materials. Coaching Qualified coaches provide lessons for each of sports. They provide this service to groups or individuals. They also supervise the use of club facilities. The head coach is responsible for ordering sports equipment needed such as tennis balls, shuttlecocks, nets or racquets. This is sent off to the suppliers by fax. Suppliers to the club and relationship between these suppliers and the department/individuals within the company * Sports equipment retailers – They provide stocks for the shop in the clubs. The sales manager phones the suppliers when there are shortage of equipment. They also provide equipment for the coaching department. * Card Company – They provide membership cards for the administration department. The administration assistant sends the details of the membership card. * Cleaning material suppliers – They provide cleaning materials to the facilities maintenance department. The facilities manager places the order. * Maintenance equipment service – The service is provided for repairing or servicing mowers, rowing machines and other equipment for facilities maintenance department. Facilities manager also places the order. * Carrier bag suppliers – They provide carrier bags for the sport shop. The sales manager and marketing manager change the design every year. The supplier provides yearly allocation. * ICT service and suppliers – The club uses ICT facilities. There are computer workstations at the main desk, in the sports shop, administration office and the General Manger’s office. They need software, which hold data for all sports equipment in sports shop. Also for membership database and booking data. The ICT suppliers along with ICT department in head office supply this.

The Twin Towers Collapse Explained

In the years since the terrorist attacks in New York City, individual engineers and committees of experts have studied the crumpling of the World Trade Center twin towers. By examining the buildings destruction step-by-step, experts are learning how buildings fail and discovering ways to build stronger structures by answering the question: What caused the twin towers to fall? Aircraft Impact When hijacked commercial jets piloted by terrorists struck the twin towers, some 10,000 gallons (38 kiloliters) of jet fuel-fed an enormous fireball. But the impact of the Boeing 767-200ER series aircraft and the burst of flames did not make the towers collapse right away. Like most buildings, the twin towers had a redundant design, which means that when one system fails, another carries the load. Each of the twin towers had 244 columns around a central core that housed the elevators, stairwells, mechanical systems, and utilities. In this tubular design system, when some columns became damaged, others could still support the building. Following the impact, floor loads originally supported by the exterior columns in compression were successfully transferred to other load paths, wrote examiners for the official Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) report. Most of the load supported by the failed columns is believed to have transferred to adjacent perimeter columns through Vierendeel behavior of the exterior wall frame. Belgian civil engineer Arthur Vierendeel (1852-1940) is known for inventing a vertical rectangular metal framework that shifts shear differently than diagonal triangular methods. The impact of the aircraft and other flying objects: Compromised the insulation that protected the steel from high heatDamaged the sprinkler system of the buildingSliced and cut many of the interior columns and damaged othersShifted and redistributed the building load among columns that were not immediately damaged The shift put some of the columns under elevated states of stress. Heat From Fires Even if the sprinklers had been working, they could not have maintained enough pressure to stop the fire. Fed by the spray of jet fuel, the heat became intense. It is no comfort to realize that each aircraft carried less than half of its full capacity of 23,980  U.S. gallons of fuel. Jet fuel burns at 800 to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is not hot enough to melt structural steel. But engineers say that for the World Trade Center towers to collapse, its steel frames didnt need to melt—they just had to lose some of their structural strength from the intense heat. Steel will lose about half its strength at 1,200 Fahrenheit. Steel also becomes distorted and will buckle when the heat is not a uniform temperature. The exterior temperature was much cooler than the burning jet fuel inside. Videos of both buildings showed inward bowing of perimeter columns resulting from sagging of heated trusses on many floors. Collapsing Floors Most fires start in one area and then spread. Because the aircraft hit the buildings at an angle, the fires from impact covered several floors almost instantly. As the weakened floors began to bow and then collapse, they pancaked. This means that upper floors crashed down on lower floors with increasing weight and momentum, crushing each successive floor below. Once movement began, the entire portion of the building above the area of impact fell in a unit, pushing a cushion of air below it, wrote researchers of the official FEMA report. As this cushion of air pushed through the impact area, the fires were fed by new oxygen and pushed outward, creating the illusion of a secondary explosion. With the weight of the plunging floors building force, the exterior walls buckled. Researchers estimate that the air ejected from the building by gravitational collapse must have attained, near the ground, the speed of almost 500 mph. Loud booms were heard during the collapse. They were caused by airspeed fluctuations reaching the speed of sound. Why They Flattened Before the terrorist attack, the twin towers were 110 stories tall. Constructed of lightweight steel around a central core, the World Trade Center towers were about 95 percent air. After they collapsed, the hollow core was gone. The remaining rubble was only a few stories high. Stephen Chernin/Getty Images Strong Enough? The twin towers were built between 1966 and 1973. No building constructed at that time would have been able to withstand the impact of the terrorist attacks in 2001. We can, however, learn from the collapse of the skyscrapers and take steps to construct safer buildings and minimize the number of casualties in future disasters. When the twin towers were constructed, the builders were granted some exemptions from New Yorks building codes. The exemptions allowed the builders to use lightweight materials so the skyscrapers could achieve great heights. According to Charles Harris, author of Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases, fewer people would have died on 9/11 if the twin towers had used the type of fireproofing required by older building codes. Others say the architectural design actually saved lives. These skyscrapers were designed with redundancies—anticipating that a small plane could accidentally penetrate the skyscraper skin and the building would not fall from that type of accident. Both buildings withstood the immediate impact of the two large aircraft bound for the West Coast on 9/11. The north tower was hit at 8:46 a.m. ET, between floors 94 and 98—it did not collapse until 10:29 a.m., which gave most people one hour and 43 minutes to evacuate. Even the south tower was able to stand for a remarkable 56 minutes after being hit at 9:03 a.m. ET. The second jet hit the south tower on lower floors, between floors 78 and 84, which structurally compromised the skyscraper earlier than the north tower. Most of the south tower occupants, however, began evacuating when the north tower was hit. The towers could not have been designed any better or stronger. Nobody anticipated the deliberate actions of an aircraft filled with thousands of gallons of jet fuel. 9/11 Truth Movement Conspiracy theories often accompany horrific and tragic events. Some occurrences in life are so shockingly incomprehensible that some people begin to doubt theories. They might reinterpret evidence and offer explanations based on their prior knowledge. Passionate people fabricate what becomes alternative logical reasoning. The clearinghouse for 9/11 conspiracies became 911Truth.org. The mission of the 9/11 Truth Movement is to reveal what it believes to be the United States covert involvement in the attacks. When the buildings collapsed, some thought it had all of the characteristics of a controlled demolition. The scene in Lower Manhattan on 9/11 was nightmarish, and in the chaos, people drew on past experiences to determine what was happening. Some people believe that the twin towers were brought down by explosives, although others find no evidence for this belief. Writing in the Journal of Engineering Mechanics ASCE, researchers have shown the allegations of controlled demolition to be absurd and that the towers failed due to gravity-driven progressive collapse triggered by the effects of fire. Engineers examine evidence and create conclusions based on observations. On the other hand, the Movement seeks the suppressed realities of September 11th that will support their mission. Conspiracy theories tend to continue in spite of the evidence. Legacy on Building While architects strive to design safe buildings, developers dont always want to pay for over-redundancies to mitigate outcomes of events that are unlikely to happen. The legacy of 9/11 is that new construction in the United States must now adhere to more demanding building codes. Tall office buildings are required to have more durable fireproofing, extra emergency exits, and many other fire safety features. The events of 9/11 changed the way we build, at local, state, and international levels. Sources National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers. NIST NCSTAR 1. September 2005. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). World Trade Center Building Performance Study, FEMA 403 September 2002. Bazant, Zdenek P.; Le, Jia-Liang; Greening, Frank R.; Benson, David B.  What Did and Did not Cause Collapse of WTC Twin Towers in New York. Journal of Engineering Mechanics ASCE, Vol. 134 (2008), p. 15.Griffin, Dr. David Ray. The Destruction of the World Trade Center: Why the Official Account Cannot Be True. January 26, 2006.