Thursday, May 3. 2018

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

D Block Human Geography 11 - Today with Mr. V we will watch a Ted Talk video on how languages have evolved over time.

From there we will try to discover where the languages that we speak come from. Following this we will have a presentation on how languages evolve by looking at the diffusion of the Indo-European language family. We will then talk about how English is related to different languages and the difference in English as it is spoken in different settings around the world with a focus on the distinct dialects of Canada. Following this, you will be asked to think about if Vancouver Island could ever have distinct dialects of its own. Using a map of Vancouver Island, students will write about if they think the island could have dialects and if so, where they would appear. This will be handed in at the end of the lesson.

C Block Criminology 12 -Today with Mr. V we're back in the library where you will have this class to work on your inquiry project. By the end of the day you should have found out the origin of the organization you're looking at, along with its numbers, a few interesting facts about it, and who the head of the organization was.

B Block Introduction to Law 10 - We'll look at what you think about crime rates (from yesterday) and then we'll start with a look at the BC Crime trends from 1998 - 2007 and then we'll talk about the disparity (difference) between the public perception of violent crime and the actual rates of violent crime in Canada....hint take a look to the right.

The crime data indicate that rates have declined significantly in the past few years and are now far less than they were a decade ago. Suspected causes for the crime rate drop include an increasing prison population, more police on the street, the end of the crack epidemic and the age structure of society. The data sources show relatively stable patterns in the crime rate. Ecological patterns show that crime varies by season and by urban versus rural environment, however there is evidence of gender patterns in the crime rate: Men commit more crime than women. Age is one of the largest influences on crime; young people commit more crime than the elderly (and there are fewer young people in society). Crime data show that people commit less crime as they age, but the significance and cause of this pattern are still not completely understood. Similarly, racial and class patterns appear in the crime rate. However, it is still unclear whether these are true differences or a function of discriminatory law enforcement.

Although police-reported crime in Canada (measured by the Crime Severity Index CSI) increased for the second year in a row in 2016, the national CSI increased only 1% but remained 29% lower than a decade earlier in 2006. Highlights of the Stats Can Report show:

1. In 2016, the overall volume and severity of violent crime, as measured by the violent CSI, was virtually unchanged from the previous year.
2. The overall volume and severity of non-violent crime, as measured by the non-violent CSI rose  2%  from the previous year (largely driven by increases in police-reported incidents of fraud).
3. After notable increases in property offences in 2015, police-reported crime rates for all types of property crimes decreased or remained the same in 2016, with the exception of theft of $5,000 or under and total fraud. The rate of total fraud, which includes general fraud (+14%), identity fraud (+16%) and identity theft (+21%), was 14% higher than in 2015.
4. Police-reported rates of cannabis-related drug offences declined for the fifth consecutive year in 2016. The rate of possession of cannabis declined 12% from 2015 
5. The rate of impaired driving decreased by 3% in 2016 to 194 impaired driving incidents per 100,000 population, representing the fifth consecutive decline.

The slight increase in the national CSI between 2015 and 2016 was primarily driven by a continued increase in the rate of fraud (+14%). Increases in police-reported rates of administration of justice offences, sexual violations against children and child pornography were also reported. These increases were offset by fewer police-reported incidents of breaking and entering, mischief and robbery resulting in a slight increase to Canada’s CSI compared to 2015.

Between 2015 and 2016, 20 of 33 of Canada’s census metropolitan areas (CMAs) reported increases in their Crime Severity Index (CSI). Calgary, which had the largest increase in CSI in 2015 (+30%), reported a 6% decline in 2016 primarily driven by decreases in breaking and entering and robbery. Similarly, of the other four CMAs which had recorded the largest increase in 2015, Victoria (-12%), Abbotsford-Mission (-5%) and Moncton (-4%) also reported declines in their CSIs in 2016. In Edmonton, however, crime continued to increase (+3%) as a result of increases in theft of $5,000 or under and fraud.Regina (125.8) and Saskatoon (117.8) were the CMAs with the highest CSIs in 2016, as has been the case since 2010. Relatively high CSIs were recorded in Edmonton (105.7), Winnipeg (103.9), Kelowna (100.3), Vancouver (94.3) and Abbotsford-Mission (91.4). These seven CMAs also had the highest police-reported crime rates in 2016

A Block Law 12 - Today, you'll get your final project for the year and we'll go through the sad stories of the people who walk through the doors of your law office. I'll explain the benefits of an out of court settlement and identify why negotiating an agreement is better than going to court. I'll remind you that you have the option of completing a 30 second commercial for your law firm much like