Today and Tomorrow is Dia de los Muertos!
Today's schedule is CDAB
C/D Blocks Social and Environmental Sciences - Today you'll be outside and Benton will have you estimate the height of some trees on the Vanier property. From the open source textbook Forest Measurements: An Applied Approach
How does one figure out how tall a tree is? Surely not by climbing each tree with a tape or measuring its shadow. A simple, accurate, and rapid measuring method is needed to make tree height a feasible part of our inventory data. Here is the easiest way for good precision:In determining tree height, a tree is presumed perpendicular to the ground (Figure 2.3). Therefore, the tree makes a right angle with the ground, and a right triangle can be drawn from it. The triangle’s three sides are: 1) the tree, 2) a horizontal distance along the ground, and 3) an imaginary diagonal line running from the top of the tree to the ground. Likewise, the tree’s height can be considered the rise and the horizontal ground distance the run. (Sound familiar?) If a horizontal distance from the tree to a place where we can see the tree’s top can be measured, the tree’s height can be determined using %slope.
After Benton will continue with DBH (Diameter at Breast Height). From Bioforest.ca
Diameter is the most important and most common tree measurement. With diameter, stand characteristics and an estimate of tree volume or weight can be determined. Diameter is generally measured 1.3 m (4.5 feet) above the ground, which is roughly at breast height.DBH is measured on standing trees outside of the bark. Diameter can be calculated by measuring the circumference of the tree, then divide circumference by π (3.1416). Tree calipers and DBH tapes can be used to measure diameter directly.
Finally Benton will work on biomass with you. From the FAO
The quantity of biomass in a forest is a result of the difference between production through photosynthesis and consumption by respiration and harvest processes. Thus it is a useful measure for assessing changes in forest structure. Changes in forest biomass density are brought about by natural succession; human activities such as silviculture, harvesting, and degradation; and natural impacts by wildfire and climate change. Biomass density is also a useful variable for comparing structural and functional attributes of forest ecosystems across a wide range of environmental conditions.Biomass of forests is also very relevant for issues related to global change. For example, the role of tropical forests in global biogeochemical cycles, especially the carbon cycle and its relation to the greenhouse effect, has heightened interest in estimating the biomass density of tropical forests. The biomass of forests provides estimates of the carbon pools in forest vegetation because about 50% of it is carbon. Consequently, biomass represents the potential amount of carbon, that can be added to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when the forest is cleared and/or burned.
Re-evaluation of forest biomass carbon stocks and lessons from the world's most carbon-dense forests
From the article above...
 |
| This diagram shows that temperate moist forests occurring where temperatures were cool and precipitation was moderately high had the highest biomass carbon stocks. Temperate forests that had particularly high biomass carbon density included those dominated by Tsuga heterophylla (Western Hemlock), Picea sitchensis (Sitka Spruce), Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas Fir), and Abies amabilis (Pacific Silver Fir) in the Pacific Northwest of North America [range in living above-ground biomass of 224−587 tC·ha−1 and total biomass of 568–794 tC·ha−1 Link Here |
With Ms. Nadeau we have been investigating forests as natural resources but today we will shift our focus to explore other values of forests: forest therapy, biophilia and spirituality. Not only should you learn about the intrinsic value of forests to many different cultures but also you will experience and reflect on your own experiences in nature. To start...
- Think of a place in nature, your favourite place in nature. Hold this in your mind. Why is it your favourite? How do you feel when you are there?
- Has anyone experienced these feelings of healing in nature?
- What did Jessica Silvey equate time in nature to on a spiritual level? What senses did she describe?
- What methods of experiencing nature are described?
-find a place 10 feet from others
-sit or stand in one spot, do not move
-close your eyes
-take 3 deep full belly breaths
-open your eyes
-start to engage each sense:
sight: what colours are you seeing, what type of light…
smells: can you smell the earth? Any plants? A freshness?
sounds: what animals can you hear? Birds? What is the wind doing to the trees?
touch: is the ground below you soft and springy? Are there plants you can feel? What are their textures? Can you feel the wind or rain on your face?
Come back to the circle and we will go around the circle and share what we experienced.
Don't forget that tomorrow will be experiencing a sit spot in Cathedral Grove and you will be required to reflect on your experience by answering the guiding questions listed in your sketchbook criteria
A Block Criminology - Today and tomorrow we'll finish our unit on violent crime with a look at terrorism.
The 2016 GTI (Global Terrorism Index) report reinforces the fact terrorism is a highly concentrated form of violence, mostly committed in a small number of countries and by a small number of groups. The five countries suffering the highest impact from terrorism as measured by the GTI; Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria, accounted for 72 per cent of all deaths from terrorism in 2015. Similarly, only four groups were responsible for 74 per cent of all these deaths; ISIL, Boko Haram, the Taliban and al-Qa’ida. While terrorism as a form of violence has a major psychological impact on the societies it touches, there are other forms of violence which are more devastating. Major armed conflicts resulted in more deaths in 2015 as well as the wholesale destruction of economies. The global homicide rate is 15 times the death rate from terrorism.
The 2019 GTI indicates the total number of deaths from terrorism declined for the fourth consecutive year in 2018, falling by 15.2 per cent to 15,952 deaths. This represents a 53 per cent reduction since its peak in 2014 when 33,555 people were killed in terrorist attacks. The primary driver of this reduction in the number of deaths from terrorism has been a fall in the intensity of conflict in the Middle East, and the subsequent decline of ISIL. The year-on-year fall in deaths mirrors a fall in the number of attacks, which dropped from 8,629 to 7,551, a 12.5 per cent decrease. Preliminary data for 2019 suggests that the decrease in both incidents and deaths from terrorism has continued, and that 2019 will have the lowest level of terrorist activity since 2011.
Global Terrorism Index 2014 from Vision of Humanity on Vimeo.
Statistical analysis of the drivers of terrorist activity show there are two distinct sets of factors associated with terrorism, depending on whether the country is developed or developing.
The first set of factors which are closely linked to terrorist activity are political violence committed by the state and the presence of a conflict. The research finds that 93 per cent of all terrorist attacks between 1989 and 2014 occurred in countries with high levels of state sponsored terror, involving extrajudicial killing, torture, and imprisonment without trial. Similarly, over 90 per cent of all terrorist deaths occurred in countries already engaged in some form of conflict whether internal or international. This means only 0.5 per cent of terrorist attacks occurred in countries that did not suffer from conflict or political terror. This underlines the close link between existing conflicts, grievances and political violence with terrorist activity.
When analyzing the correlates of terrorism there are different factors that are statistically significant depending on the level of development. In the OECD countries, socio-economic factors such as youth unemployment, militarization, levels of criminality, access to weapons and distrust in the electoral process are the most statistically significant factors correlating with terrorism. This reinforces some of the well-known drivers of radicalization and extremism. In developing countries, the history of conflict, levels of corruption, acceptance of the rights of others and group based inequalities are more significantly related to terrorist activity.
Statistical analysis of the drivers of terrorist activity show there are two distinct sets of factors associated with terrorism, depending on whether the country is developed or developing.
The first set of factors which are closely linked to terrorist activity are political violence committed by the state and the presence of a conflict. The research finds that 93 per cent of all terrorist attacks between 1989 and 2014 occurred in countries with high levels of state sponsored terror, involving extrajudicial killing, torture, and imprisonment without trial. Similarly, over 90 per cent of all terrorist deaths occurred in countries already engaged in some form of conflict whether internal or international. This means only 0.5 per cent of terrorist attacks occurred in countries that did not suffer from conflict or political terror. This underlines the close link between existing conflicts, grievances and political violence with terrorist activity.
When analyzing the correlates of terrorism there are different factors that are statistically significant depending on the level of development. In the OECD countries, socio-economic factors such as youth unemployment, militarization, levels of criminality, access to weapons and distrust in the electoral process are the most statistically significant factors correlating with terrorism. This reinforces some of the well-known drivers of radicalization and extremism. In developing countries, the history of conflict, levels of corruption, acceptance of the rights of others and group based inequalities are more significantly related to terrorist activity.
I'll have you work on the following questions:
- 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?
- Who carries out terrorism? Is terrorism always carried out by organized opposition groups? Can states be terrorists? Can individuals? Explain...
- 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?
- 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?
- 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?
- Governments have tried numerous responses to terrorism. Discuss some of these responses.
Some stuff to help with your questions:
What Motivates Terrorists?
Public Safety Canada Counter Terrorism
Terrorism threatens Canada
It’s time to talk about terror in Canada
For more on this read Keeping Terrorism in Perspective at Stratfor
For information on terrorism check out:
Terrorism Watch and Warning
DHS Preventing Terrorism
Global Terrorism Database
FBI Terrorism
Counter Terrorism Canada
2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada
National Counterterrorism Center
What Motivates Terrorists?
Public Safety Canada Counter Terrorism
Terrorism threatens Canada
It’s time to talk about terror in Canada
For more on this read Keeping Terrorism in Perspective at Stratfor
For information on terrorism check out:
Terrorism Watch and Warning
DHS Preventing Terrorism
Global Terrorism Database
FBI Terrorism
Counter Terrorism Canada
2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada
National Counterterrorism Center
B Block Legal Studies - Today we'll talk about the duties of police officers. From the All About Law textbook:Just for a moment consider George Floyd
From the Time article Why The Killing of George Floyd Sparked an American Uprising
Police officers often have to make quick decisions to save lives - their own as well as others. They have to act reasonably because they are held responsible for their conduct and behaviour when carrying out their duties. If they break the rules of police conduct, their evidence may be refused, which can result in an acquittal. In rare situations, the officers involved can be charged under criminal law or sued under civil law (Murphy, Elliott, Mete and Glass; 2009)
A black person is killed by a police officer in America at the rate of more than one every other day. Floyd’s death followed that of Breonna Taylor, shot at least eight times inside her Louisville, Ky., home by plain-clothes police executing a no-knock warrant. From 2015 to 2019, according to statistics compiled by the Washington Post, police shot and killed 962 to 1,004 Americans each year. Black Americans are nearly three times as likely as white people to be killed by police, according to the database Mapping Police Violence.
We'll talk about the rights of police officers in Canada and in connection to the George Floyd case and we'll work on questions 2, 3 & 4 from page 154 of the AAL text.
Chapter 17.1 of the RCMP’s operational manual sets out guidelines for use of force by officers. It includes a requirement that officers use lethal force “only when preventing death, or the threat of death, or grievous bodily harm to peace officers and the public, and when no lesser means is appropriate.” The RCMP also requires officers to complete a Subject Behaviour/Officer Response, or SBOR report, each time they use force on the job. The RCMP does have a use of force diagram called the “Incident Management/Intervention Model” (IMIM) that officers are trained to use as they determine what level of force is appropriate for a given situation however the IMIM does not include any detail about specific situations or use-of-force options..
Ethics in Law Enforcement (text) Use of Force Philosophy Theory and Law
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