Wednesday, December 4. 2019

Today's schedule is BADC

B Block Human Geography - Today we're going to a presentation in the MPR from John Michael Koffi. Koffi is the author of Refuge-e: The Journey Much Desired. He is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and subsequently has lived and travelled in multiple countries as a refugee. He first obtained a scholarship to the United World Colleges, finishing his high school in Germany and then received a full scholarship to UBC, where he is studying International Relations. I am super excited to listen to this young 21 year old.

A Block Physical Geography - Today we'll continue our look at weather; working on an activity called “Air: The High and Low of it” in your week 14 package. After you have finished this activity you need to complete questions 19 and 21 from page 177 in your Geosystems textbook.

Don't forget, we'll start the class by looking at the synoptic chart for North America and begin to understand weather station plots. Take some time on the following sites to learn more and to practice your weather operational analysis capabilities:
WW2010 - University of Illinois Weather site
National Weather Service "Jet Stream" online weather school
American Meteorological Society "Data Streme"
USA Today Reading Weather Maps
Practise at: Weather Office (Environment Canada) Operational Analysis Charts or at the Data Streme site above

D & C Blocks Environmental and Social Sciences - First off today you're with Young in 115. Yesterday we got a sense of where the Hawaiian Islands are and the people who first inhabited them. Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) are the aboriginal people (and their descendants) of the Hawaiian islands. Their ancestors were the original Polynesians who sailed to Hawai’i and settled the islands around the 5th century AD. For Kanaka Maoli , according to tradition, the roots and fruits that provide for the next generations come from “Wao Akua”, the realm of the gods, the upper forested regions of the island watersheds...from places like Mauna O Wakea. Yesterday we talked about Mauna Kea being sacred because it is the piko, or umbilical cord that connects the Creator to the people of Hawai’i. It is the place where the sky god, Wakea, met with Papahānaumoku, the earth goddess, leading to the creation of the islands. What is myth? From PBS

Myths are stories that are based on tradition. Some may have factual origins, while others are completely fictional. But myths are more than mere stories and they serve a more profound purpose in ancient and modern cultures. Myths are sacred tales that explain the world and man's experience. Myths are as relevant to us today as they were to the ancients. Myths answer timeless questions and serve as a compass to each generation.

So, several hundred Kanaka Maoli and Hawaiian rights activists have been camped at the foot of Mauna Kea, blocking the only road to the top of the mountain. That has kept construction equipment from reaching the summit to start building a $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope, and it has forced other scientific facilities at the summit to shut down. Protesters say the construction of the other telescopes on Mauna Kea desecrated the mountain, and they do not trust promises that the Thirty Meter Telescope will be the last one built — assurances they say they have heard before. They are concerned about any further alterations to the summit. It's not all about Wao Akuna...so what;s it about?

Today we'll look at the videos from yesterday's blog entry and then I'll give you some articles to take a read together. You should make notes on the sides so we can answer some questions. With Benton, you'll be in 145 with a mobicart doing some fun things about mountains