Tuesday, October 13. 2020

Today's classes are: 

9:15 - 11:50 D Block Social and Environmental Science

12:30 - 3:05 A Block Criminology 

Mr. Ingram's photo

D Block - Social & Environmental  Sciences - Today we are postponing our field study of the beach at Point Holmes (Georgia Strait Alliance site code XPH) to this Thursday. You will be doing a beach quadrat to look for biodiversity indicators through gathering quantitative information from the intertidal zone and although the rain has stopped the wind has not dropped sufficiently for us to be able to safely examine the low tide littoral (swash) zone. As such, we have the learning commons / library booked for you to do one of three things:

1. Prepare for tomorrow's round table discussion on your user group and the Colorado River
2. Finish some really late work (still waiting on DAPL work from 14 of you!)
3. Begin work on your unit final project (look below)…

Here is your first project of the year.

Water is our most precious natural resource. It is essential to life on Earth, for human populations and all other living organisms, for the survival of natural environments and ecosystems. It is also vital to human economic activity and industry. It is a finite resource insofar as there is a fixed amount of cycling and recycling on planet Earth. And this set amount is under constant threat of mismanagement, overuse and pollution, effectively reducing its availability, while worldwide demand for it increases. Like other natural resources, water is unevenly distributed around the globe, thus leading to unequal access to it and competition for it.
Poor management of this resource allows rivers and lakes to become squalid dumping grounds for wastes ranging from untreated sewage, mine leachate, chemicals and other industrial discharges to the contaminated fecal, pesticide and herbicide run-off from agriculture. Groundwater supplies are also subject to contamination, overuse and mismanagement. Global warming threatens regional water supply, but increases the demand for this resource. There is a world water crisis.
The UN Department for Policy Co-ordination and Sustainable Development believes that water should be seen as: 1) a vital element, necessary for survival; 2) a natural resource, of economic value; 3) an environmental resource, of common heritage to all, and 4) a cultural and spiritual resource.

So, if clean water is a scarce resource that could be considered a commodity and has also been deemed both a natural and a human right, what can be done to ease and even eliminate the conflict associated with clean water? You or you and a partner will need to research a case of water conflict around the world. Your task is to use available resources to answer the following questions, to be displayed on a poster board:

1. Why is there a crisis over water in your area? What social and environmental factors do you think are contributing to the water crisis? What are common factors that go along with the water disputes, such as political instability, social unrest, economic downturn, heavy unemployment, civil warfare, etc.? 
2. Who are the “players” or "stakeholders" in this conflict? What are their motives and interests in the water dispute?
3. What is the water source in question (river, aqueduct, canal, watershed, tributary, reservoir, dam, etc.)? How large is the water source, and how large is the area through which the water source flows? Approximately how many people use this waterway as their main source of water?
4. Where in the world and in the country and/or region is the water source? Identify the waterway on a map, and highlight areas of the map involved in or affected by the issues in dispute (locations of villages, industries, crops, next closest water source, other water sources, country/clan borders, etc.).
5. How would the water source be affected by different outcomes of the water dispute? Use different colors or a symbol to indicate how the water source would be diverted, dammed or re-aligned. How would the items you highlighted in the previous question be affected by these changes?
6. How, if at all, would this water conflict be resolved? What is the current state of the dispute, if it is ongoing? What are solutions to the water crisis? Can you come up with ways that would provide the basis for a water-sharing plan?

Start by looking at the following links to get an idea of world water conflicts or hot spots:
10 global hot spots hit by water crises
FACTBOX: The world's water-scarce hotspots
Map: The world's water hotspots
Editor’s Pick: 10 Violent Water Conflicts
World Water Hotspots
Water Conflict Chronology
Three International Water Conflicts to Watch
HotSpots H2O: Water Conflicts to Watch in 2019
Water conflicts worldwide threaten peace amid efforts to preserve resources
Global hotspots for potential water disputes
The Council of Canadians: Water
Access to clean water and sanitation around the world – mapped
River Case Studies

A Block Criminology - Today we're back in the learning commons / library for you to continue your blog work. For this new entry I'd like you to tell me about auto theft. I'd like you to look up information on why people steal cars, where in Canada most cars are stolen from, what types of vehicles are most commonly stolen and I'd like you to tell me how much auto theft is actually happening in Canada (rates). Then I'd like you to tell me methods of protection (how to stop your car from being stolen). The Kanetix website below lists the top vehicles stolen in Canada and check out this article on the Macleans website for the article on the top 100 cities for auto theft in Canada. CTV News Vancouver has a short video on the top 10 most wanted auto theft suspects here and the Vancouver Sun did a nice piece on Auto Theft in the Lower Mainland (including interactive maps) here.

Insurance Bureau of Canada top cars stolen 2019
Auto Trader Canada's Most Stolen Cars and Trucks
Which Province Has the Most Auto Theft?
How high-tech car theft became a billion-dollar Canadian racket
Crime Stoppers Bait Car website
These are the 10 most stolen vehicles in Canada

When we're done and back in class we'll start with our look at property crimes, where we'll discuss the history of theft and make sense of the differences between occasional and professional thieves. You'll need to answer the following:

1. What are the differences between a professional and an occasional thief?
2. What is a "situational inducement"?
3. What is a "Booster", a "Snitch", and a "Fence"?