A note...my voice is still weak from the laryngitis I've been battling since last Friday. I'll do my best
D Block Physical Geography - Today we'll look at air pollution, specifically the anthropogenic additions to our atmosphere. We will look at the effects of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides on human health and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We'll also look at the Environment Canada Air Quality Index.
For us in the Comox Valley PM2.5 pollution refers to very fine particulates - with a size generally less than 2.5 micrometres (µm). It is contained in pollution from gasoline and diesel vehicles as well as *woodsmoke* and industry. This microscopic material when breathed in can penetrate deep into the lungs and can then be absorbed into the bloodstream. This form of pollution is associated with health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer as well as diabetes and dementia. High levels of PM2.5 pollution can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and other serious medical emergencies, and has a long term impact on lung function particularly in children.
BC Air Quality Readings
Real Time Air Quality Index Map
The Habitable Planet: Air Pollution
Environment Canada Air Pollution site
For more information on Ozone look at:
Environment Canada Ozone site
US Environmental Protection Agency Stratospheric Ozone page
NOAA Ozone depletion page
EPA Health Effects of Increased UV Radiation
National Public Radio site on the London "Killer Fog" of 1952
EPA website on acid rain
From Vox: Why India’s air pollution is so horrendous
Check out an article on CNN indicating that breathing in Delhi air is equivalent to smoking 44 cigarettes a day
And to further help with your air pollution questions:
Your questions are:
- Why are anthropogenic gases more significant to human health than are those produced from natural sources? (page 24 Geosystems Core text)
- How are sulphur impurities in fossil fuels related to the formation of acid in the atmosphere and acid deposition on the land? (pages 24-25 Geosystems Core text)
- Summarize the commitments Canada has made to improve air quality. (page 25 Geosystems Core text)
Every day we are going to start by looking at the synoptic forecast along with weather maps.
C Block Human Geography - Today, we'll go through the key question "Where Are Religions Distributed?". In addition to the religions for your presentations we'll look at Confucianism, Taoism, Bahá’í, Shintoism, Zoroastrianism, Cao Dai and Jainism.
This is a really good World Religions Map. To end you'll have the following questions to work on:
- How are the differences between universalizing and ethnic religions similar to the differences between folk and popular culture? List several similarities.
- Refer to the small pie charts in Figure 6-3 (it's the one above). Which regions have enough adherents of each of the three universalizing religions that all three appear on the pie charts?
- What are some similarities and differences between Buddhism and Chinese ethnic religions?
To help with question # 3 above...
Measuring Religion in China (scroll down to Cultural traditions with spiritual underpinnings)
Here is a digital copy of the chapter on Religion from the text.
B Block Legal Studies - Today we'll talk about: firearms (the Firearms Act along with non-restricted, restricted and prohibited weapons); prostitution/the sex trade which includes Obtaining sexual services for consideration CC286.1(1) and Procuring 286.3(1); and obscenity which includes Obscene materials CC163(1) along with Making child pornography 163.1(2) Distribution, etc. of child pornography 163.1(3) Possession of child pornography 163.1(4) or Accessing child pornography 163.1(4.1)
It is important to note: The Supreme Court of Canada struck down the country's anti-prostitution laws in a unanimous decision, and gave Parliament one year to come up with new legislation. In striking down laws prohibiting brothels, living on the avails of prostitution and communicating in public with clients, the top court ruled that the laws were over-broad and "grossly disproportionate." The government replaced the law with Bill C-36 (2014) which received Royal Assent and became law on December 6, 2014.
Purchasing sexual services and communicating in any place for that purpose is now a criminal offence for the first time in Canadian criminal law (a person convicted of this new offence may be sentenced to up to 5 years imprisonment if prosecuted on indictment, and 18 months if prosecuted by summary conviction). The new prostitution laws do not criminalize the sale of sexual services. the new law protects from criminal liability people who receive money from the sale of their own sexual services.
These laws are being challenged once again in the Supreme Court of Canada. To find out more check out more on the escort agency challenge here or the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform challenge here and an October 2022 challenge in Ontario Superior Court here.
s. 163 (8) For the purposes of this Act, any publication a dominant characteristic of which is the undue exploitation of sex, or of sex and any one or more of the following subjects, namely, crime, horror, cruelty and violence, shall be deemed to be obscene.
R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 163; 1993, c. 46, s. 1; 2018, c. 29, s. 11.
The Criminal Code section 163 subsection 3 (Defence of public good) states that No person shall be convicted of an offence under this section if the public good was served by the acts that are alleged to constitute the offence and if the acts alleged did not extend beyond what served the public good.
So what are the community standards of tolerance that determine a "public good"?
Immoral acts are distinguished from crimes on the basis of the social harm they cause. Acts that are believed to be extremely harmful to the general public are usually outlawed, whereas acts that only the harm the actor themselves are more likely to be tolerated. Acts that are illegal because they are viewed as a threat to morality are called public order crimes.
If there's time, for a different case of obscenity we'll look at "Sniffy the Rat" and artist Rick Gibson. To either giggle or be horrified check out the CBC story here. Is it Really Art or is it Obscene? Philosophy Talk "Art and Obscenity"
Lastly I'll have you work on questions:
- questions 1, 2, & 3 on page 240 of the All About Law text along with
- questions 1 & 2 from page 244 of the All About Law text.
A Block Criminology - First, finish your gang poster. You have access to computers and a printer. Get it done, because they aren't done. Organized crime by nature (according to Howard Abadinsky) is monopolistic - in other words organized crime groups want to have a monopoly over a specific geographic area for the illicit activity they wish to pursue. From Foreign Policy:
Drugs are just the tip of the iceberg. In the popular U.S. television series Breaking Bad, about a high school teacher turned methamphetamine kingpin, there was an instructive exchange. When the show's antihero, Walter White, was asked whether he "was in the meth business or the money business," he replied, "I'm in the empire business." The same can be said of the DTOs (Drug Trafficking Organizations), which are independent and competing entities. The sale of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and meth remains extremely profitable. The U.S. Justice Department has put the cartels' U.S. drug trade at $39 billion annually. But the DTOs have diversified their business considerably, both to increase their profits and to exclude rivals from new sources of revenue. For example, they are dealing increasingly in pirated intellectual property, like counterfeit software, CDs, and DVDs. The most destructive new "product," however, is people. The cartels have built a multi billion-dollar business in human trafficking, including the shipment of both illegal immigrants and sex workers.
Gangs are often considered "immoral" and their profit comes from many "immoral" things. Immoral acts are distinguished from crimes on the basis of the social harm they cause. Acts that are believed to be extremely harmful to the general public are usually outlawed, whereas acts that only the harm the actor themselves are more likely to be tolerated. Acts that are illegal because they are viewed as a threat to morality are called public order crimes.
So, to curb the power of cartels or gangs should we take some radical action? Should we cut off their source of income (like drugs and sex trade workers)? Here are the two questions for you to answer:
- Should drugs be legalized? Why? If you believe drugs should be legalized, think about whether all drugs should be legalized or just a select few. Why should certain drugs be legalized and others not? Use the resources on Tuesday's blog post to help shape your answer
- Should prostitution/the sex trade be legalized? Why? If you believe it should be legalized, should all the forms of prostitution described in your text be legalized, or only a select few? If prostitution/the sex trade were legalized should government be able to exercise some control over it? How...what would that look like?
For the drug trade question...so, drugs can be categorized by the way in which they affect our bodies:
Depressants slow down the messages between the brain and the body — they don’t necessarily make you feel depressed. The slower messages affect your concentration and coordination and your ability to respond to what’s happening around you. Small doses of depressants can make you feel relaxed, calm and less inhibited. Larger doses can cause sleepiness, vomiting and nausea, unconsciousness and even death.
Stimulants speed up the messages between the brain and the body. This can cause your heart to beat faster, your blood pressure to go up, your body temperature to go up – leading to heat exhaustion or even heat stroke, a reduced appetite, agitation and sleeplessness. You can feel more awake, alert, confident or energetic. Larger doses can cause anxiety, panic, seizures, stomach cramps and paranoia.
Hallucinogens change your sense of reality – you can have hallucinations. Your senses are distorted and the way you see, hear, taste, smell or feel things is different. For example, you may see or hear things that are not really there, or you may have unusual thoughts or feelings. Small doses can cause a feeling of floating, numbness, confusion, disorientation, or dizziness. Larger doses may cause hallucinations, memory loss, distress, anxiety, increased heart rate, paranoia, panic and aggression.
A drug may be legal to consume, illegal to consume, or legal to consume only for specific people in specific circumstances. Examples of drugs that are usually or always legal to consume include alcohol (depressant), caffeine, and nicotine (both stimulants). Examples of drugs that are usually or always illegal to consume include cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. These latter drugs are listed in the Controlled Drug and Substances Act.
For your question, remember...British Columbia was granted an exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) by federal government in November 2022 which will run until 2026. Under the exemption, up to 2.5 grams of the following four drug types can be legally possessed:
- Cocaine (crack and powder).
- Methamphetamine.
- MDMA.
- Opioids (including heroin, fentanyl and morphine).
In BC, illicit drug toxicity death is the second-highest cause of years of potential life lost (only cancer was higher), and the highest cause in the 19-39 year age group. The impacts of decriminalization are monitored by the Province of BC and through a federally funded evaluation. So, to that end effective immediately, it's illegal to consume hard drugs in public in B.C. Police will enforce the law against drug use in all public places, including hospitals, restaurants, transit, parks and beaches with the ability to compel the person to leave the area, seize the drugs when necessary or arrest the person, if required. This change does not recriminalize drug possession in a private residence or place where someone is legally sheltering, or at overdose prevention sites and drug checking locations.
For the sex trade question "Should we legalize prostitution"? Think about the two opposing views:
- Sexual Equality View - The sex trade worker is a victim of male dominance. In patriarchal societies, male power is predicated on female subjugation, and prostitution is a clear example of this gender exploitation
- Free Choice View - The sex trade, if freely chosen, expresses woman’s equality and is not a symptom of subjugation.
A few more web resources to help:
Today's Fit...
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