Wednesday, September 28. 2016

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

B & C Blocks Social Studies 11 -  Today we'll talk about the ways you can influence government, focusing on elections and voting. We'll look at representation by population, the first past the post system, and the concept of proportional representation. You'll need to work on 1, 2, 3, and 4 on page 253 along with 1 and 2 on page 258 of your Counterpoints textbook today. For help on why you should vote see:

Elections Canada Electoral System explanation
Compulsory voting in Australia explanation
Electoral Reform in BC First Past the Post or STV
About.com First Past the Post vs Proportional Representation
Historical record of Canadian Voter turnout
2015 Election Results CBC

There are two members of parliament representing the Comox Valley...Comox and Electoral Areas B and C will remain with the North Island, while Courtenay, Cumberland and Area A will join a new 'Courtenay-Alberni' riding.

  A Block Geography 12 - Today we'll begin the class by working on the Juan de Fuca and Geothermal energy questions that we ended the day off with yesterday. I'll show you some information on geothermal energy plants and you'll get some time to work on the assignment. After, we'll watch the National Geographic Amazing Planet DVD that we didn't get to yesterday. When the video is finished, you'll work on your Day 15 assignment (define anticline & syncline, and work on questions 4 - 5 from page 412 in your Geosystems text). You will also have the opportunity to work on your Juan de Fuca plate and Geothermal energy questions as well. For help with the geothermal energy check out:

USGS Other Energy Sources (Geothermal)
Canadian Geothermal Energy Association
US Energy Information Agency Energy Kids Geothermal

D Block Criminology 12 - To start the class I'd like to talk about your lists from yesterday and find out why violence is a form of entertainment for some.

After that we'll watch some Warner Brothers cartoons with all the glorious violence in them and we'll have a discussion about the acceptance of violence in our modern culture. We'll look at: Bully for Bugs; Rabbit Seasoning; For Scentimental Reasons; Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2^th Century and lastly The Ducksters. Criminal Harassment (Stalking), Sexual Assault, Assault, Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault (torture), and Unlawful Confinement are just a few of the crimes in these cartoons...all violent crimes.

Is Bugs Bunny bad for kids? Comedy and violence are intermingled into a typical or formulaic narrative story.....Wile E. Coyote chases the Road Runner, Elmer Fudd chases Bugs Bunny, Sylvester chases Tweety Bird and they inflict carnage on each other. The end is always the same....someone wins, someone loses, the loser is humiliated and we laugh at them (good clean wholesome fun). While we watch the cartoons I want you to think about the implicit and implied messages that each cartoon sends to kids (rather than the explicit and obvious messages) and then we'll talk about what those messages do even if kids understand the difference between cartoon and real violence.

So now compare the violence in the Warner Brothers cartoons (from the 50's and 60's) with that of the Happy Tree Friends. Check out the following video: Happy Tree Friends A to Zoo . Let's be frank here, the cartoon is not meant for children but because of the "cute" characters what would it be like if we just let young children watch that cartoon unsupervised?

Consider the following:
Media Violence: Psychology
Cartoon Violence Project
Gender and Comm. Kids Cartoon Violence


I'd then like to give you a few notes on the question: Where does violence come from? We'll look at personal traits, ineffective families, evolutionary factors, exposure to violence, cultural values, substance abuse, and firearm availability. If there's time don't forget to work on yesterday's questions:

1. What is the attraction of violent films and video games?
2. Is there more violent imagery in media now as opposed to the past (think graphic, realistic visceral)? Why / Why not?
3. What kinds of people are drawn to violent imagery and what kind of violent images draw them to that form of entertainment?
4. What is “morbid curiosity”?
5. Are there any equally satisfying substitutions for violent entertainment?
6. What draws our attention to violent media events (news) that are not intended to entertain?