Tuesday, January 7. 2014

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

C Block Crime, Media and Society 12 - Today we start our look at Russel Williams. Canada hasn't seen a case that has drawn so much media attention since Robert William Pickton or Paul Bernardo. The case received coverage in Canada (both "Above Suspicion" and "The Confession" from The Fifth Estate on CBC and "Fall From Grace" shown on Global's 16 X 9) and in the United States as well ("Name, Rank & Serial Killer" on CBS 48 Hours, "Conduct Unbecoming" on NBC Dateline). Today we'll start by looking at the case in detail and then we'll watch "Above Suspicion" (see below).

There are lots of places to find information on the case but a good place to start is the accompanying website to the CBC documentary "Above Suspicion". By the way the documentary was originally aired on September 24th, 2010 which was three weeks before Russell Williams plead guilty to all charges in the matters against him.

D Block Law 12 - Today I have the library booked for you to continue your work on the major civil law project that is due in just under three weeks. Including today you have six library blocks to finish this assignment...no pressure really. And don't forget if you're choosing to do three cases with a video for your law firm...you "Better call Saul"


A Block Criminology 12 - OK so we know where violence comes from. We know what homicide is, the divisions of murder and why people do it. We understand what sexual assault is, the typology of assault and the motives for doing it. Today I'll finish up the violence section with you by looking at abuse, domestic assault and terrorism. You'll have a unit quiz on Wednesday and after we'll begin property crime. You need to hand in your work from last week to me (typology of rapist and identify and explain the motives for sexual assault). For terrorism consider the following:

By design, terrorist attacks are intended to have a psychological impact far outweighing the physical damage the attack causes. As their name suggests, they are meant to cause terror that amplifies the actual attack. A target population responding to a terrorist attack with panic and hysteria allows the perpetrators to obtain a maximum return on their physical effort. One way to mitigate the psychological impact of terrorism is to remove the mystique and hype associated with it. The first step in this demystification is recognizing that terrorism is a tactic used by a variety of actors and that it will not go away. Terrorism and, more broadly, violence are and will remain part of the human condition. The Chinese, for example, did not build the Great Wall to attract tourists, but to keep out marauding hordes. Fortunately, today's terrorists are far less dangerous to society than the Mongols were to Ming China.

For more on this read Keeping Terrorism in Perspective at Stratfor.

Today, I'll have you work on the following questions:

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?

 

B Block Social Studies 10 - Yesterday we looked at the crazy stupid idea of building a railway from coast to coast (A Mari Usque ad Mare). Today, we'll learn about Andrew Onderdonk and the railway through BC. We'll focus on John A. Macdonald's "National Policy" and look at the connection between Sir Hugh Allan's Pacific Railway Company, the Pacific Scandal and Macdonald's defeat in 1873. We'll then look at George Stephen & Donald A. Smith's Pacific Railway Company which hired William Van Horne and Andrew Onderdonk to build the railway.
Here are some websites that can help you understand the rail experience in Canadian history:
Children's History of the CPR
Canadian Pacific Railway Photo Gallery
The Canadian Encyclopedia - Building the Railway
The Kids site of Canadian Settlement - Chinese & the Railway
Vancouver Public Library - CPR History
BC Archives - CPR
Kamloops Art Gallery - Andrew Onderdonk & the CPR
Library & Archives Canada: Canada by Train
Library & Archives Canada: The Kid's site of Canadian Trains
Musee McCord Museum: CPR form sea to sea
Musee McCord Museum: Forging the National Dream
Canada Science and Technology Museum: Railways

Today I'll have you work on questions...