Tuesday, April 8. 2025

Today's schedule is CDAB

A Block Physical Geography - You'll need to start work on the physical and chemical weathering questions in your geomorphology package: definition of frost action, exfoliation, and pressure release jointing along with carbonation (solution), oxidation, and hydration. This Crash Course video should help

You'll then need to work on the following:

• Explain how the angle of repose influences the stability of slopes (p.248) 
• Identify the six important factors that influence weathering. (p.249)
• Why is freezing water such an effective physical weathering agent?  (p.250/p.88)
• What is chemical weathering? Contrast these set of processes to physical weathering (p.252) 
• Iron minerals in rock are susceptible to which form of chemical weathering? What characteristic colour is associated with this type of weathering? Why? (p.253)
• What kind of minerals do carbon compounds react with, and under what circumstances does this reaction occur? What is this weathering process called? (p.253)

The Geosystems Core text (pages next to the questions above) and the following sites can help

National Geographic Education: Weathering

Geographypods: Weathering

Open BC Physical Geology Text Mechanical Weathering and Chemical Weathering

SUNY Introduction to Physical Geography (Lumen learning): Weathering Processes

SLCC Physical Geography and Natural Disasters Text: Weathering

B Block Criminology - Shoplifting is a thing, right?

How much of a problem is it?

Is it really common? Why

So, target hardening and removal strategies

So, you may finish your work on the shoplifting poster if you're going digital, rather than analogue, please use Canva. Remember, You work for the Retail Council of Canada and have been hired to create a poster campaign about shoplifting. The poster campaign has two purposes:

1. To help employees identify people who are shoplifting and
2. To explain how to reduce shoplifting in stores (target hardening and target removal strategies)

Look at the bullet points on page 228-229 in the Criminology text for help. Here are some further ideas and points.....

Spot the Shoplifter: Unfortunately, there is no typical profile of a shoplifter. Thieves come in all ages, races and from various backgrounds. However, there are some signs that should signal a red flag for retailers. While the following characteristics don't necessarily mean guilt, retailers should keep a close eye on shoppers who exhibit the following:

1. Spends more time watching the cashier or sales clerk than actually shopping.
2. Wears bulky, heavy clothing during warm weather or coats when unnecessary.
3. Walks with short or unnatural steps, which may indicate that they are concealing lifted items.
4. Takes several items into dressing room and only leaves with one item.
5. Seems nervous and possibly picks up random items with no interest.
6. Frequently enters store and never makes a purchase.
7. Enters dressing room or rest rooms with merchandise and exits with none.
8. Large group entering the store at one time, especially juveniles. A member of the group causes a disturbance to distract sales staff.

You may use the rest of the class to complete your poster and will be handed in on Thursday for marks. For more check out:

Metro Van stores reveal how they catch shoplifters (CTV News) 

National theft ring uncovered after shoplifting arrests on Island

Preventing Shoplifting Guide

10 Ways to Stop Shoplifting in Your Retail Store

Preventing Retail Theft (you can't make a profit it your merchandise is free)
Using Customer Service to deter theft
Simple steps to deter retail theft
Loss Prevention & Security
Shopliftingprevention.org

Inside the World of Professional Shoplifters

Shoplifting - signs and prevention

The Great Shoplifting Freak-Out

Also, don't forget you still 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"? 

Today's Fit...

 

Monday, April 7. 2025

Today's schedule is ABCD

A Block Physical Geography - Today we're going to start our new unit on gradation. We've looked at the process of building up the land through tectonics and energy from below. Now we'll focus on breaking down the surface of the Earth and today we cover "geomorphology". We'll look at some slopes on Google Earth. The United States Geological Survey has a good web page on Landslides here and the Atlas of Canada has a good site on Landslides in Canada. 

 

B Block Criminology - Today you may work on your shoplifting poster if you're going digital, rather than analogue, please use Canva. Remember, You work for the Retail Council of Canada and have been hired to create a poster campaign about shoplifting. The poster campaign has two purposes:

1. To help employees identify people who are shoplifting and
2. To explain how to reduce shoplifting in stores (target hardening and target removal strategies)

Look at the bullet points on page 228-229 in the Criminology text for help. Here are some further ideas and points.....

Spot the Shoplifter: Unfortunately, there is no typical profile of a shoplifter. Thieves come in all ages, races and from various backgrounds. However, there are some signs that should signal a red flag for retailers. While the following characteristics don't necessarily mean guilt, retailers should keep a close eye on shoppers who exhibit the following:

1. Spends more time watching the cashier or sales clerk than actually shopping.
2. Wears bulky, heavy clothing during warm weather or coats when unnecessary.
3. Walks with short or unnatural steps, which may indicate that they are concealing lifted items.
4. Takes several items into dressing room and only leaves with one item.
5. Seems nervous and possibly picks up random items with no interest.
6. Frequently enters store and never makes a purchase.
7. Enters dressing room or rest rooms with merchandise and exits with none.
8. Large group entering the store at one time, especially juveniles. A member of the group causes a disturbance to distract sales staff.

You may use the rest of the class to complete your poster and will be handed in on Monday for marks. For more check out:

Metro Van stores reveal how they catch shoplifters (CTV News) 

National theft ring uncovered after shoplifting arrests on Island

Preventing Shoplifting Guide

10 Ways to Stop Shoplifting in Your Retail Store

Preventing Retail Theft (you can't make a profit it your merchandise is free)
Using Customer Service to deter theft
Simple steps to deter retail theft
Loss Prevention & Security
Shopliftingprevention.org

Inside the World of Professional Shoplifters

Shoplifting - signs and prevention

The Great Shoplifting Freak-Out

For fun, check out the sweet old school 1975 video on Shoplifting...

Today's Fit...

 

Friday, April 4. 2025

Today's schedule is ABCD

A Block Physical Geography - Today you have a Tectonics unit final test. You are allowed to use your weekly note/work package (not the textbook) as a support and will most likely need the entire block for this. If you finish early, then you may work on your Dante’s Peak questions or your Hawai'i Kai topographic map lab. Don't forget, you Rock...like Gneiss! No Schist!

B Block Criminology -  So theft...we'll finish our introduction to theft and 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"? 

After, You work for the Retail Council of Canada and have been hired to create a poster campaign about shoplifting. The poster campaign has two purposes:

1. To help employees identify people who are shoplifting and
2. To explain how to reduce shoplifting in stores (target hardening and target removal strategies)

Look at the bullet points on page 228-229 in the Criminology text for help. Here are some further ideas and points.....

Spot the Shoplifter: Unfortunately, there is no typical profile of a shoplifter. Thieves come in all ages, races and from various backgrounds. However, there are some signs that should signal a red flag for retailers. While the following characteristics don't necessarily mean guilt, retailers should keep a close eye on shoppers who exhibit the following:

1. Spends more time watching the cashier or sales clerk than actually shopping.
2. Wears bulky, heavy clothing during warm weather or coats when unnecessary.
3. Walks with short or unnatural steps, which may indicate that they are concealing lifted items.
4. Takes several items into dressing room and only leaves with one item.
5. Seems nervous and possibly picks up random items with no interest.
6. Frequently enters store and never makes a purchase.
7. Enters dressing room or rest rooms with merchandise and exits with none.
8. Large group entering the store at one time, especially juveniles. A member of the group causes a disturbance to distract sales staff.

You may use the rest of the class to complete your poster and will be handed in on Friday for marks. For more check out:

Metro Van stores reveal how they catch shoplifters (CTV News) 

"Stunning" look inside shoplifting epidemic (CTV News)

National theft ring uncovered after shoplifting arrests on Island
Preventing Retail Theft (you can't make a profit it your merchandise is free)
Using Customer Service to deter theft
Simple steps to deter retail theft
Loss Prevention & Security
Shopliftingprevention.org

Today's Fit...

 

Thursday, April 3. 2025

Today's schedule is DCBA

B Block Criminology - Today you have a quiz on violent crime. I have a note/cheat sheet that you may use to help. The quiz should take no more than half an hour to complete. After, 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"? 

A Block Physical Geography - Today we finish Dante's Peak and don't forget that you have a series of questions to answer about the volcanology of the movie (in your Volcano work package). Today we'll get to the main portion of the volcanic eruption and the effects that Dante's Peak takes on the small town that sits in a valley near its base. Dante's Peak produces a Plinian eruption (lots of material ejected and very active). The order of eruption at Dante's Peak is:

1. Tectonic Earthquakes 
2. Harmonic Tremors 
3. Vertical Eruptive Cloud 
4. Spreading of the Eruptive Cloud and Ash Fall
5. Lava Flow 
6. Relative Calm...cue the slasher movie music 
7. Lahars 
8. Pyroclastic Cloud 
9. End of Eruptive activity - relative calm
10. USGS Vulcanologist Harry Dalton hooks up with Mayor Rachel Wando and presumably live happily ever after

So it's bad...not as bad as the scientific premise behind Volcano (with Tommy Lee Jones) but bad. From Erik Klemetti at WIRED

Now, here is what I think: I hate Dante’s Peak. It isn’t really the lack of much scientific basics – sure, they mostly understand how volcanic monitoring works but they miss the boat on how volcanoes actually work. It isn’t the acting – Linda and Pierce are good and believable. It isn’t the coffee-loving USGS geolackeys (that is accurate). However, it is the combination of everything – the over-the-top response from Harry about the volcanic rumblings, the resistance from his boss, the recalcitrant grandmother, the deus ex machina mine shelter. The damn dog jumping in the truck as they drive over an ACTIVE LAVA FLOW. The film is, at the same time, trying to be realistic while being wildly unrealistic, and in most cases, there was no need to be unrealistic when it comes to an eruption in the Cascades threatening a town. But no, we can’t take the time to actually portray real events (“Dante’s Peak” lacked a scientific adviser). Sure, it can be exciting but, for me, it was so frustrating that I couldn’t get over it.

My friend I agree, wholeheartedly. Check out the archived Geological Guidebook to Dante's Peak and from the LA Times archive Volcanologists Survey ‘Dante’s Peak’ or Dino Jim's Dante's Peak Geological Overview

Dante's Peak was filmed in Wallace, Idaho. Here's Young, so very very long ago in Wallace

Today's Fit...

 

Wednesday, April 2. 2025

Today's schedule is BADC

B Block Criminology - Today we'll finish our look at terrorism and violent crime (Quiz tomorrow). I'll have you work on the following questions:

1. What is terrorism? Why do some attacks on civilians count as terrorism and others don’t? How does the motive, race, ethnic background and/or religion of the attacker affect the way attacks are responded to?
2. Who carries out terrorism? Is terrorism always carried out by organized opposition groups? Can states be terrorists? Can individuals? Explain...
3. Is the motive behind an act important in deciding whether it is terrorism, or should only the act itself be considered? What is the objective of terrorism? Is terrorism "violence for an audience" -- an act committed to inspire fear in the public and therefore force policy changes? Or does a terrorist act have specific strategic objectives? Does it make any difference if the perpetrators consider themselves martyrs for a religious or political cause?
4. If a cause is considered legitimate, are any means to achieve its goals legitimate? How does one distinguish between a terrorist and a freedom fighter?
5. Which of the five drivers of violent extremism identified in the United Nations Secretary-General's VE Action Plan do you consider to be the most significant one, and why?
6. Governments have tried numerous responses to terrorism. Discuss some of these responses. 

From Public Safety Canada

From UN Intro to International Terrorism

From Our World In Data: Terrorism

Protecting National Security in Partnership with all Canadians

A Block Physical Geography - You'll have about half the class, today, to finish up your work on the Hawai'i Kai topographic map assignment.

After, we are watching one of the best/worst disaster movies of all time...Dante's Peak (oh Bond...James Bond; I mean Dalton...Harry Dalton of the USGS Cascade Volcano Observatory you dedicated vulcanologist yet tortured soul). You will have a series of questions to answer about the volcanology in the movie (they are in your Tectonics package). Believe it or not there are actually some good things about the movie. I'm a big fan of the lahars and the pyroclastic flow is a fairly decent recreation. What I really want is a truck that can drive over top and through a lava flow like the US Forest Service truck in the movie...That would be sweet! Seriously though there are too many errors in science to count but you'll need to try to identify a few. Today will be the first half of the movie...the character building and hints of looming catastrophe part…tomorrow is the good stuff (and stuff that's just wrong - wait for my maniacal laughter) 

Today's Fit...