B Block Legal Studies - After today there are TWO (2) classes remaining in the Library/Learning Commons to complete your civil litigator project. First, we'll start looking at family law and today our focus is on the matrimonial home along with the division of assets and liabilities.
The guiding principle for division of assets and liabilities is the “equal division rule” FAMILY LAW ACT [SBC 2011] CHAPTER 25.s.81 (Equal entitlement and responsibility) There should be an equal share of "family property" distributed between spouses at the end of a relationship. The general rule is that family property and family debts are divided 50/50 upon separation. If an equal division of family property and debts causes significant unfairness, judges can provide one spouse with a larger share of the family property. The contributions of both spouses – even if one does not earn and income and is a stay at home parent – are treated with equal importance. An equalization payment is the difference between the net value of assets between former spouses.
You may seek an unequal division of assets – connected to the new changes in the BC Family Relations Act (2011). If you bring into a marriage: a financial gift or inheritance; property acquired before or after the relationship; damage awards and insurance proceeds with some exceptions; and or some kinds of trust property…the initial amount is not divisible - only the increase in the value of the asset during the relationship is divisible. Whether an asset was ordinarily used for a family purpose will not be relevant in deciding if it is family property. The property division scheme applies to all married spouses, as well as to unmarried spouses who have lived in a marriage-like relationship for at least two years.
Liabilities (debt) are also equally divided. The starting point is that all debts incurred by either spouse during the relationship are to be equally divided (the date is either the beginning of the cohabitation period or the date of marriage). Family debts include mortgages; loans from family members; bank lines of credit or overdrafts; credit cards; income tax; and repair costs. It does not matter whose name the debt is in, both spouses are equally responsible for family debt, whether they are married or in a common-law relationship.
The Matrimonial home is where both spouses lived together while they were married. It does not matter whose name is on the legal papers each spouse has an equal right to the matrimonial home.
There is a time limit to apply for court order: If you were married, you must apply to divide property within two years after you get an order for divorce. If you were living in a marriage-like relationship for at least two years, you must apply within two years of the date you separated. For more check out:
A Block Criminology - Oh...Casey Anthony and the Media frenzy that was and still is...I want you to try to make sense of the crime (Casey and Caylee Anthony), the media's coverage of the crime (particularly Nancy Grace), feminist perspectives on criminology, the bad mother motif, and Schadenfreude. HLN's Nancy Grace covered the Casey Anthony trial heavily in 2011. To her credit Nancy Grace was a criminal prosecutor in Georgia. Here is a CNN bio on her..
HLN's Nancy Grace covered the Casey Anthony trial heavily in 2011. Grace had her own trial of Casey Anthony in the media. Here is a sampling of her coverage
After the verdict here's what she had to say - which further shaped the public's opinion of Casey Anthony even after she was found not guilty by a jury of her peers
Now, here's what the media had to say about the media covering the Casey Anthony trial
And here's what CBC had to discuss about Nancy Grace on the show Q
Does the trial have a longer lasting impact on the USA or was it just 15 minutes of fame and a distraction from mundane daily life? Because of her actions, Nancy Grace has been spoofed on SNL and MadTV to name just two...
HBO had a television series called The Newsroom and they had an amazing bit on Nancy Grace's coverage of Tot Mom...
CNN did a retrospective piece on the trial here
Grace is currently the host of the podcast Crime Stories with Nancy Grace and the Fox Nation series of the same name and is also the founder of the website CrimeOnline. Grace told The Daily Beast in an article titled Nancy Grace Doesn’t Regret a Goddamn Thing
“I report and cover and investigate very disturbing criminal cases. I consider those facts to be evidence. If other people consider true crime to be sensational, I would say that they’re wrong,”
You should take some time to understand the German psychology/sociology term Schadenfreude. This term deals with a big concept - that as humans, we have a private rush of glee when someone else struggles (we take delight in another person's pain and misfortune). Schadenfreude registers in the brain as a pleasurable experience, a satisfaction comparable to that of eating a good meal. Schadenfreude is a common and normal part of life but can become dangerous if we lose empathy, fall into demonizing others, or lapse into “us vs. them” thinking.
There is a human fascination with murder as entertainment and news media companies have turned the story of the death of a toddler into a prime time circus...a story that we can safely watch and perhaps feel a little guilty pleasure in the fact that we're better than Casey Anthony. Her pain and suffering on television brings us delight and makes us feel good in that we are not the monster that the media has portrayed her out to be...sigh.
Matt Wild wrote a piece called The guilty (and not-so-guilty) pleasures of Dateline NBC and in it he stated
There is a human fascination with murder as entertainment and news media companies have turned the story of the death of a toddler into a prime time circus...a story that we can safely watch and perhaps feel a little guilty pleasure in the fact that we're better than Casey Anthony. Her pain and suffering on television brings us delight and makes us feel good in that we are not the monster that the media has portrayed her out to be...sigh.
Matt Wild wrote a piece called The guilty (and not-so-guilty) pleasures of Dateline NBC and in it he stated
...for an alarming number of Americans—myself included—Dateline has become appointment viewing. Mad Men, Downton Abbey, and their ilk are fine, but there’s a distinct, guilty pleasure in staying home on a Friday night, dimming the lights, sounding off on Twitter with other like minded fans, and watching the sordid true-life tales of murderous spouses (usually husbands), sorrowful family members (usually parents), and sinister motives (almost always infidelity) unspool over the course of an hour, all narrated by the stern and sonorous Morrison, or the rumpled and incredulous Mankiewicz. Murder, shattered families, and desperate cries for justice: perfect for a cozy night of popcorn, wine, and incessant tweeting.So you have a question to answer for me:
Regardless of your opinion of Casey Anthony is it possible for her to escape the negative label of "Tot Mom" and will she ever be able to avoid the horrible mother image presented by CNN and Nancy Grace? Use examples from the Casey Anthony trial to explain your ideas. How does the concept of Schadenfreude and Cancel Culture apply to the Casey Anthony trial? Did the media shame, call out, or try to cancel Casey Anthony? How would low self-esteem make someone more likely to seek out schadenfreude-filled crime media? Is Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat) good or bad for criminal trials and the news/media coverage of them? Use examples from the Casey Anthony trial and from either Monica Lewinsky's story or those in the 15 Minutes of Shame video (Matt Colvin, Emmanuel Cafferty, or Laura Krolczyk) to explain your ideas
You should consider the following when answering your question:
- Think about who reports information and how that information is used.
- Think about your privacy and how you manage your on-line presence.
- Think about how social media can be introduced as evidence at trials.
- Think about how social media can be used for reporting during trials.
- Do viewer/user comments about media coverage of a trial provide valuable feedback for discussion or not? Why?
- Is public shaming protected by the right to free speech or is this a case where our old norms and principles have simply been exposed as unfit for a new era?
D Block Physical Geography - Today, Tomorrow and Friday we'll be in the Library/Learning Commons to work on your BC renewable energy activity (your final exam). In this activity you will need to examine the five most common renewable energy sources (geothermal, wind, biomass, marine hydrokinetic, and solar)...as about 90% of electricity in B.C. is produced from hydroelectric sources (B.C. is home to over 15 709 MW of hydroelectric capacity) I've excluded it from the mix …you will need to:- Give a definition and an explanation of how it is produced (with an example from somewhere in the world)
- Detail at least three advantages and three disadvantages of using the source
- Assess the potential for developing that source of energy here in BC (consider cost of production and distribution)
- Choose the best option out of the ones they listed to develop here in BC (think cost to make and transmit and return on investment)
BC Sustainable Energy Association
Energy Alternatives
Clean Energy BC
Government of BC Electricity and Alternative Energy
Pembina Institute: Renewable and Energy Alternatives BC
Energy BC
Sierra Club BC Alternative Energy
Tyee Mapping BC's Clean Energy
Canadian Wind Energy Association
BC Geothermal Estimates
Canadian Geographic Energy IQ
BC Hydro Green Energy Study
BC Energy Production
Why is Marine Energy the Wave of the Future?
Canadian Climate Institute Clean Electricity Affordable Energy
Canadian Renewable Energy Project Map
Also, to help with your project/exam on renewable energy:
British Columbia Energy Market Profile: Measuring the Costs and Benefits of Energy Transitions
C Block Human Geography - We're back to the Learning Commons so you may work on your your term/semester long Urbanization SimCity Buildit project. Remember, for this project, I needed you to build a city and as you played, keep a track of what you did, why you did it and what the results were. You will need to make a presentation (either video, podcast, prezi, webpage or a straight up written report) with photos and a written a narrative (minimum 500 words) describing your city’s key features and design attributes.
The purpose of the City Narrative is to give me a quick overview of the future city’s infrastructure and its public services. Think of the City Narrative as a marketing piece that answers:
- What basic information should people know about your city (such as the name, population, age, and location)?
- What unique features does your city offer that make it unique?
- Why would someone want to live in your city? Are there any special benefits to living in your city?
- How did you lay out your city? Why did you do it in that manner?
- What kinds of industrial, commercial, and residential areas did you build? How did you decide where build them?
- What services (police, fire, medical, education) does your city provide? Where did you place them and why so?
- What is important to know about your city’s physical components (landmarks, parks, and recreation areas) and infrastructure (transportation, energy, waste disposal, pollution control)?
- How do you provide power to all areas of your city? Do you have renewable energy sources?
- How does your city dispose of waste and recycle?
- How do you manage pollution (water and air) in your city?
- What types of transportation are available to move citizens and goods throughout your city?
AND most importantly a summation
- What did you learn about urban planning and city design (leadership, resource allocation, population satisfaction, trade, taxation and alternative sources of funding, city planning, services, and perception of politicians)?
Use the following to help with your report:
- "Why Do Services Cluster Downtown"?
An urban area consists of a central city and its surrounding built-up suburbs. Downtown is the best-known and the most visually distinctive area of most cities. It is usually one of the oldest districts in a city, often the site of the original settlement. The downtowns of most North American cities have different features than those in the rest of the world. The central business district (CBD) is the core of the city where many services cluster. Services are attracted to the CBD because of its accessibility. Public services typically located in a CBD include city hall, courts, county and state or provincial agencies, and libraries. Public services are located in the CBD to facilitate access for people living in all parts of town. Sports facilities and convention centers are found in the CBD and attract many suburbanites and out-of-towners. Cities place these facilities in the CBD because they hope to stimulate business for downtown restaurants, bars, and hotels. People in business services such as advertising, banking, journalism, and law depend on proximity for professional colleagues. Even with the diffusion of modern communications, many professionals still exchange information with colleagues primarily through face-to-face contact. A central location also helps businesses that employ workers from a variety of neighborhoods. Outside of North America, CBDs are less likely to be dominated by commercial services. They instead feature religious or historical structures and parks. European cities display a legacy of low-rise structures and narrow streets, built as long ago as medieval times. Some European cities try to preserve their historic CBDs by limiting high rise buildings and the number of cars. CBDs outside of North America are also more likely to have residents. However, the 24-hour supermarket is rare outside of a North American CBD because of shopkeeper preferences, government regulations, and long-time shopping habits. Many CBDs outside of North America ban motor vehicles from busy shopping streets. Shopping streets reserved for pedestrians are widespread in Northern Europe, including in the Netherlands, Germany, and Scandinavia
Try to examine North American and non North American downtown cores.
- "Where Are People Distributed Within Urban Areas"?
Look at three North American models of urban development: The concentric zone model; the sector model; and the multiple nuclei model. None of the three models taken individually completely explains why different types of people live in distinctive parts of the city. But if the models are combined rather than considered independently, they help geographers explain where different types of people live in a city. People tend to reside in certain locations depending on their personal characteristics. This does not mean that everyone with the same characteristics must live in the same neighborhood, but the models say that most people prefer to live near others who have similar characteristics. Now European cities display different patterns from North American cities. Poor residents live in the outskirts and wealthy residents live closer to the core. Wealthy people are attracted by the opportunity to occupy elegant residences in carefully restored, beautiful old buildings (gentrification). Most of the newer housing built in the suburbs is high-rise apartment buildings for low-income people or people who have immigrated.
You should also look at the differences between North American, European and Latin American city development.
You should also look at the differences between North American, European and Latin American city development.
For Latin American city models, the "elite spine" and squatter settlements check out:
More tomorrow.
Today's Fit...
No comments:
Post a Comment