Thursday, December 13, 2012

Today's schedule is D-C-B-A

D Block Social Studies 11 - So yesterday we finished looking at the Women's Movement (including the Royal Commission on the Status of Women and the National Action Committee) and that's about it. Today we'll start by watching the Canada: A People's History episodes “Do Your Own Thing” (which deals with the “youthquake” and the environmental movement) and “Taking Back the Past”(which deals with the Aboriginal Nations rights movement). I'll have you finish the Challenging the Status Quo grid (use pages 177 to 181 and pages 208 to 210 of the Counterpoints textbook) that I gave you yesterday and then we'll look at the CBC, the Massey Commission and the CRTC, Medicare, social welfare programs, changes to immigration in Canada, the points system and multiculturalism.

C Block Crime, Media & Society 12 - Yesterday we got caught up in a really good discussion about Schadenfreude. Because we had such a good discussion (and Vanier's Got Talent took some of our class time away) we didn't get a chance to go through the Nancy Grace/HLN coverage of the Casey Anthony trial along with the HBO Newsroom footage I wanted to show you, so today we will. After I'll ask you the following:

1. Who would you want deciding your guilt or innocence? A jury of your peers or CNN and Nancy Grace? Regardless of your opinion of Casey Anthony is it possible for her to escape the negative label of "Tot Mom" and will she ever be able to avoid the horrible mother image presented by CNN and Nancy Grace?
2. How does the concept of Schadenfreude apply to the Casey Anthony trial? How would low self-esteem make someone more likely to seek out schadenfreude-filled crime media?

Does the trial have a longer lasting impact on the USA or was it just 15 minutes of fame and a distraction from mundane daily life? Because of her actions, Nancy Grace has been spoofed on SNL and MadTV to name just two

And tomorrow we'll watch the Law & Order Special Victim's Unit episode "Selfish" to see a "ripped from the headlines" story.

B Block Geography 12 - Today is our LAST DAY in the library for our severe weather video-poster-power point project. Remember that Discovery Channel has a great series called Raging Planet with some cool video footage that you could embed in your power point presentation here: Discovery Channel Raging Planet Your project will need to be submitted into the assignments directory (digitally) or to me in room 611 (if it's a poster) at school NO LATER than Wednesday, December 19th. This will give me enough time to have them marked before the Christmas Break. I will also remind you that you have a weather unit final on Tuesday (December 18th, 2012) and if you have any questions you should ask me as soon as possible. For the test the work goes back to November 15th, 2012 (use the Blog Archive feature on the right hand side of this site - above the "About Me" and below the "Search This Blog" sections) The test topics include:

1. the structure of the atmosphere (tropo & strato)
   ozone depletion (CFC's), the enhanced greenhouse effect (GHG's) & air pollution (acid rain)
2. solar energy & insolation (heat, albedo, energy distribution, & seasons)
   atmospheric pressure & global wind patterns (coriolis force, wind pattern names, pressure zones)
3. low & high pressure systems (how they happen, winds & weather associated with them, including air masses)
4. precipitation (lifting mechanisims - orographic, frontal, radiative, convectional - fronts and storms)
5. weather maps (station plots / models and low pressure cyclonic storms - cold and warm fronts)
6. severe weather (specifically hurricanes - how they develop & how they cause damage)

A Block Law 12 - Today you again have the block to work on your case study project. The Insurance Bureau of Canada has a great webpage to help with Occupier's Liability called Slip/Trip and Fall. On this site it indicates:

As an occupier, you and/or your organization are required to keep areas such as aisles, stairs, ramps, walkways, driveways and parking lots reasonably safe for persons who are using them. Some common hazardous conditions include:

• ice and snow that has not been cleared
• unexpected elevation changes
• uneven surfaces (e.g., cracks, gaps, potholes)
• slippery surfaces (e.g., wet floors, tile flooring)
• missing or loose handrails on stairs
• debris on walking paths (e.g., boxes in aisles)
• inadequate lighting.

An occupier may be held liable for slips, trips and falls if he/she/it fails to provide a reasonable standard of care in keeping the premises free from hazards. In cases where there is more than one occupier – such as a landlord and a tenant or in the case of shared spaces – it is possible for liability to be shared. Who is held liable depends on the circumstances of the loss. The following are some of the criteria used to determine whether or not the appropriate standard of care was applied:

• Whether the danger was foreseeable.
• Whether the occupier’s conduct was in accordance with acceptable standards of practice.
• Whether there was an adequate system of inspection (considering the risks involved) in place and carried out.
• Whether the danger was allowed to exist for an unreasonable amount of time.
• The ease with which the danger could have been prevented.

I would highly recommend that you check out some web pages to help with your project:
Occupiers Liability Act [RSBC 1996] Chapter 337
Products Liability Act
Doing Business in Canada (Product Liability)
Family Compensation Act [RSBC 1996] Chapter 126
Medical Malpractice Canada
Lawyers BC Medical Malpractice
John McKiggan Medical Malpractice Informed Consent (minors and)