Nestled away, in the back corner of G.P. Vanier, you'll find room 115 (we used to be 611). Lurking in the shadows of this room is Mr. Young...waiting to pounce on unsuspecting students and natter on about volcanoes, hail, psychopathy, criminal law defenses, cultural diffusion, media theories, crime, and urban models of city development. He loves his job in 115 and can't wait to work with you this year.
A Block Physical Geography - Today I have the Learning Commons/Library reserved for the class so that you may continue working on your Orting College development project. I'll have some previous examples of student work for you to look at. These people are running away from a volcano, like what may happen with Mt. Rainier...they're not students running away from Mr. Young wondering where your assignments are.
Disaster risk is defined as “the potential loss of life, injury, or destroyed or damaged assets which could occur to a system, society or a community in a specific period of time, determined probabilistically as a function of hazard, exposure, vulnerability and capacity. In the technical sense, it is defined through the combination of three terms: hazard, exposure and vulnerability.
Hazard is “a process, phenomenon or human activity that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation”. Hazards may be single, sequential or combined in their origin and effects. Each hazard is characterized by its "location, intensity or magnitude, frequency, and probability".
Exposure is “the situation of people, infrastructure, housing, production capacities and other tangible human assets located in hazard-prone areas”. Measures of exposure can include the number of people or types of assets in an area. These can be combined with the specific vulnerability and capacity of the exposed elements to any particular hazard to estimate the quantitative risks associated with that hazard in the area of interest.
Vulnerability is “the conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes which increase the susceptibility of an individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards”. Vulnerability is multi-dimensional in its nature, and next to the four dimensions above, some authors also include cultural and institutional factors. Examples include, but are not limited to: poor design and construction of buildings, inadequate protection of assets, lack of public information and awareness, high levels of poverty and education, limited official recognition of risks and preparedness measures, disregard for wise environmental management or weak institutions, and governance.
So, your job in this assignment is to help the town of Orting to prevent new disaster risks, reduce existing disaster risks, and manage residual risks, contributing to the strengthening of resilience and reduction of losses. Disaster risk management actions can be categorized into; prospective disaster risk management, corrective disaster risk management and compensatory disaster risk management (also referred to as residual risk management).
Not all disasters can be prevented, good risk management, evacuation plans, environmental planning and design standards can reduce risk of loss of life and injury mitigation. Traditionally, authorities manage volcanic risk through volcano monitoring and emergency services’ planning, mainly focused on evacuation, aid and rehabilitation.
Some websites to help with natural hazard risk reduction and mitigation:
B Block Criminology - Today we'll try to make sense of mass and serial murder. As you know, most homicide transactions are done by someone you know (acquaintances not strangers) and the bulk of murder cases are cleared (a suspect identified and a charge laid by Crown Counsel). If that is the case for the majority of homicides then what of multiple murders?
In the DSM-V, the APA recognizes Antisocial Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder but not Psychopathy. Dr. Robert Hare of the University of British Columbia created a checklist called the PCL-R (Psychopathy Checklist Revised). From Mind Disorders...Hare describes people he calls psychopaths as "intraspecies predators who use charm, manipulation, intimidation, sex and violence to control others and to satisfy their own selfish needs. Lacking in conscience and empathy, they take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without guilt or remorse". A prototypical psychopath would receive a maximum score of 40 on hare's PCL-R, while someone with absolutely no psychopathic traits or tendencies would receive a score of zero. A score of 30 or above qualifies a person for a diagnosis of psychopathy while most people with no criminal backgrounds normally score around 5 and many non-psychopathic criminal offenders score around 22.
While both psychopathy and sociopathy are extreme forms of antisocial personality disorders, sociopathy is caused by social or environmental factors whereas psychopathic traits are more innate.
Psychopathology focuses on Anti-Social Personality Disorders (DSM-V) along with sociopathy and psychopathy (hot-headed vs. cold-hearted) Anti-Social Personality Disorder is diagnosed as:
A. There is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three (or more) of the following: 1. failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest 2. deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure 3. impulsivity or failure to plan ahead 4. irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults 5. reckless disregard for safety of self or others 6. consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations 7. lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another.
B. The individual is at least age 18 years. C. There is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before age 15 years. D. The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or a manic episode.
While both psychopathy and sociopathy are extreme forms of antisocial personality disorders, sociopathy is caused by social or environmental factors whereas psychopathic traits are more innate. From the Atlantic magazine...
In his landmark book on psychopathy, The Mask of Sanity, researcher Hervey Cleckley theorized that some people with the core attributes of psychopathy -- egocentricity, lack of remorse, superficial charm -- could be found in nearly every walk of life and at every level, including politics. Robert Hare, perhaps the leading expert on the disorder and the person who developed the most commonly used test for diagnosing psychopathy, has noted that psychopaths generally have a heightened need for power and prestige -- exactly the type of urges that make politics an attractive calling. In any event, the idea that a psychopath could reach the heights of power is nothing new.
So are all mass murderers and serial killers psychopaths? We'll take some more time to understand what a "psychopath" is...specifically a Charismatic Psychopath: charming, attractive liars; gifted at some talent, using it to their advantage in manipulating others; verbally facile fast-talkers who easily persuade others out of everything they own, even their lives
The question I'd like you to work on is:
Explain the types of serial and mass murderer along with the reasons why they commit these crime
For the types of serial and mass murder use the following:
A Block Physical Geography - I have the learning commons/library reserved for the class so that you may continue working on your Orting college development project. Ask yourself,
What is the greatest danger to Orting? Of all that could potentially happen at Mount Rainier what poses the greatest threat? Now ask yourself what triggers that threat? What causes it to happen? Last think about the statistical likelihood of that event happening. How likely is the event to occur in the next 5, 10, 100, or 1000 years?
A Block Physical Geography - Today we're in the learning commons / library to begin our research on the Orting College case study. Should the town of Orting, Washington, build a new college to attract people to their community or not? What will the impact of increased population be on the tiny town that sits in the shadows of Mt. Rainier? The assignment is in your Tectonics package and was adapted from the following website: http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/volcanoes/volcano.html
What is the greatest danger to Orting? Of all that could potentially happen at Mount Rainier what poses the greatest threat? Now ask yourself what triggers that threat? What causes it to happen? Last think about the statistical likelyhood of that event happening. How likely is the event to occur in the next 5, 10, 100, or 1000 years? Check out the risk analysis section of the COTF website for help here.
B Block Criminology - Today we'll discuss homicide. We'll discuss the divisions of murder in Canada, the extent of murder in Canada, and murderous relations (acquaintance and stranger homicide). A homicide occurs when a person directly or indirectly, by any means, causes the death of a human being. Homicide is either culpable (murder, manslaughter or infanticide) or non-culpable (not an offence). A murder occurs when a person intentionally, by a willful act or omission, causes the death of another human being, or means to cause bodily harm that the person knows is likely to cause death.
First degree murder occurs when:
it is planned and deliberate; or
the victim is a person employed and acting in the course of his/her work for the preservation and maintenance of the public peace (e.g. police officer, correctional worker); or
the death is caused by a person committing or attempting to commit certain serious offences (e.g. treason, kidnapping, hijacking, sexual assault, robbery and arson).
Second degree murder is all murder that is not first degree while Manslaughter is culpable homicide that is not murder or infanticide.
In Canada, homicides represent a fraction of the total number of police-reported violent Criminal Code offences each year.
In Canada, homicides remain relatively rare events, accounting for less than 0.1% of all police-reported violent crimes in 2023. These incidents include first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter and infanticide. While homicide occurs relatively infrequently in Canada, homicide rates are considered a benchmark for measuring levels of violent activity both in Canada and internationally.
Statistics Canada says that in 2023, police services reported 778 homicides across the country, 104 fewer victims than the previous year. As a result, the national homicide rate decreased by 14%, from 2.27 to 1.94 homicides per 100,000 population. Gang-related homicides and intimate partner homicides all experienced declines, contributing to the overall reduction in the national homicide rate.
Some Statistics of note:
Eight provinces saw reductions in their homicide rates. The largest decline was in New Brunswick (-42%), while Nova Scotia (-29%) and British Columbia (-23%) also saw notable declines.
26 of Canada's 42 CMAs (Census Metropolitan Areas - Cities) recorded declines in their homicide rate from 2022 to 2023. The three largest CMAs—Toronto (-14%), Montréal (-21%) and Vancouver (-37%)—experienced significant reductions in homicide rates in 2023.
Nearly 4 in 10 (39%) homicides were committed with a firearm in 2023. Consistent with recent years, handguns were the most common firearm used in these crimes, accounting for 56% of firearm-related homicides in 2023.
173 gang-related homicides were committed in 2023, 31 fewer than the previous year, corresponding to a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 population, accounting for approximately one-quarter of all homicides in 2023
Women accounted for a disproportionate number of victims of intimate partner homicide in 2023. While there were 36 fewer victims of intimate partner homicides in 2023 (67 victims, down from 103 in 2022), women accounted for 73% of victims.
In 2023, just over one in four (26%) homicide victims were Indigenous, despite representing 5% of the overall population. This overrepresentation translates to a homicide rate of 9.31 per 100,000 Indigenous people, a figure more than six times higher than the rate for non-Indigenous Canadians.
In 2023, 30% of all homicide victims (235) were identified as belonging to a racialized group Black (39%) and South Asian (20%). The overall rate of homicide for racialized victims (1.98 victims per 100,000 population) was higher than the homicide rate for non-racialized victims (1.90 per 100,000 population).
778 is a lot, but...and I know the population of the USA is almost 10x that of Canada...still there were a total of 19,252 reported homicide cases in the U.S. in 2023 (an estimated nationwide decrease of 11.6% compared to the previous year). When looking at murder victims by gender and ethnicity, the vast majority were male, while just over half of the victims were Black or African American. In addition, homicide victims in the United States were found most likely to be between the ages of 20 and 34 years old, with the majority of victims aged between 17 to 54 years old.
A Block Physical Geography - Today we'll begin the class by looking at Yellowstone and caldera supervolcanoes 😯
Yellowstone Caldera is a volcanic crater some 40- by 25-miles large, left behind when 240 cubic miles of debris ruptured out of the Earth and into the air during volcanic discharge some 630,000 years ago. Lava flowed into the breach, filling it, which may account for the lack of a deeper crater. Long before that, 2 million years ago, volcanic activity blew 600 cubic miles of Yellowstone debris into the air. The upper chamber, which caused the historic blasts and is closest to the surface, is 2,500 cubic miles in volume and measures about 19 by 55 miles. The lower reservoir, which has a volume of 11,200 cubic miles, measures about 30 by 44 miles and is about 16 miles thick. An eruption in the next few thousand years, however, is extremely unlikely, the yearly chance sits at 1 in 700,000
and the really bad DocuDrama movie SUPERVOLCANO
You have your explosive and effusive Volcano 🌋 questions to work on
Of course there are others, like Campi Flegrei, the largest volcanic area in Europe ...
B Block Criminology - Today, we are in the classroom with a notebook cart, and your journal / blog entry is to answer the following:
What are the short and long term impacts on victims of Crime? Use both Harper from the Law & Order episode you watched on Friday and Chapter 3 pages 54-7 in CRIM textbook to help.
Use the following links to assist you in your response:
