Friday, December 13. 2014

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

B Block Social Studies 10 - Today is a work day; you may work on one of the following (and all are due today):

1. ‘Ole Bill Coot cartoon/storyboarding assignment
2. Which immigrant group was most influential in the development of British Columbia? Provide evidence from the textbook and consider the influence of each group on the economy, the culture and people's everyday lives.
3. Explain the positions of the three groups that represented options for B.C. before joining confederation (confederationists, annexationists and imperialists) and identify the impacts on BC for each. So... a) Confederation - benefits of this idea and impacts on BC  b) Annexation - benefits of this idea and impacts on BC  c) Imperialism - benefits of this idea and impacts on BC

A Block Criminology 12 - In order to understand mass murder and motives we will dedicate some time today to the murders at Columbine High School in Littleton Colorado a decade ago. We'll watch the National Geographic "Final Report" on the massacre (mass murder shootings). In essence we'll look at the background of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as well as the types of behavior, personality traits, and circumstances in the family, school, and community environment that should be regarded as warning signs of school shooters. After we finish our look at mass murder by focusing on Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (for more see school shooters) you may continue yesterday's work:

1. Despite cultural awareness and various initiatives in schools and in the media, hate crimes continue to happen in significant numbers in Canada. Discuss the types of hate crimes most prevalent in Canada and the current responses to them. 
2. Governments have tried numerous responses to terrorism. Discuss some of these responses. 
3. It is unlikely that the threat of punishment can deter robbery; most robbers refuse to think about apprehension and punishment. Wright and Decker suggest that eliminating cash and relying on debit and credit cards may be the most productive method to reduce the incidence of robbery. Although this seems far-fetched, society is becoming progressively more cashless; it is now possible to buy both gas and groceries with credit cards. Would a cashless society end the threat of robbery, or would innovative robbers find new targets?
4. Based on what you know about how robbers target victims, how can you better protect yourself from robbery? 

D Block Law 12 - Today we'll be in the class watching the documentary Hot Coffee. Seinfeld mocked it. Letterman ranked it in his top ten list. And more than fifteen years later, its infamy continues. Everyone knows the McDonald’s coffee case. It has been routinely cited as an example of how citizens have taken advantage of America’s legal system, but is that a fair rendition of the facts? Hot Coffee reveals what really happened to Stella Liebeck, the Albuquerque woman who spilled coffee on herself and sued McDonald’s, while exploring how and why the case garnered so much media attention, who funded the effort and to what end. After seeing this film, you will decide who really profited from spilling hot coffee. We'll watch the first 36 minutes of the movie and then you have the rest of the class to work on your Civil Law project.

C Block Crime, Media & Society 12 - Today we'll look at Colton Harris-Moore the "Barefoot Bandit" who was raised on Camano Island just north of Everett Washington in the Puget Sound.
Harris-Moore was sentenced in December 2011 to seven years in state prison for dozens of crimes, including burglary and identity theft, stemming from his two-year run from the law in stolen boats, cars and airplanes. A self-taught pilot, he was finally apprehended in a hail of bullets in the Bahamas in 2010, after he crash-landed a plane stolen from an Indiana airport. He has a "Fan Club" and 48,266 likes on his Facebook site. Many many articles have been written on him including Time, Maxim Magazine, and Outside Magazine...Twice! He also has agreed to sell his life story to 20th Century Fox movie studio for $1.3 million... So Today we'll watch "Chasing the Barefoot Bandit"

So why the media adoration? Did the media fall in love with the story? Was it too bizarre to follow? Why such a big deal about this criminal? Let's figure it out.