September 2020 Archive
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Click on the arrows to discover the wonderful readings awaiting you!
Editor's Note
To say the least, the September edition exceeded my expectations for our second edition. Our new archive is filled with amazing writing about various different things, from Earth's magnetic field to the #SayTheirNames. For The Gen Z Times, September was a month of learning and growth; we would not have grown with our amazing supporters and collaborators. This is a thank you note to all the writers and all our Instagram followers, the ones that I've reached out to and the ones that have reached out to me; our beyond successful September edition would be nothing without you.
Rather than selecting themes for our editions, we've decided to let our articles decide the theme for us: all of our articles represent diversity. Diversity of ideas, representation, and topics. Our editorial addressed a topic very relevant to me, but rarely addressed by other media platforms: how COVID-19 became political in Brazil. Our topics tend to be very political, but we received an amazing STEM article this edition and various ones in the Art & Culture and Prose & Poetry sections, representing our diversity in ideas. I hope you, the reader, has as much fun reading this edition as I did.
- Catarina Vita
Editorial
How Politics Influenced the COVID-19 Situation in Brazil
Catarina Vita
When the COVID-19 pandemic became more known internationally, nations were keen to recognising it as a global issue and helping each other in terms of vaccine and health supplies. Nonetheless, the death and cases tolls grew exponentially, revealing how effective certain measures were; unfortunately, it took thousands of lives so that the British government could recognise that herd immunity could not be applied to the current situation. Failing to abide by international health policies and encouragements, such as strict lockdown measures, Brazil soon became the second in COVID cases and deaths. Instead of a health issue, COVID-19 and its policies became political; for years now, Brazil has been traumatised by the corrupt left and would settle for the right-wing, even though their policies regarding COVID are not the most efficient.
Context
After Brazil was free of its military dictatorship, a politician and the ex-leader of the anti-military faction named Luís Inácio Lula da Silva (or Lula for short) became increasingly popular and became president on his third try. His campaigning promises included looking after the lower social class and improving healthcare and education, so the lower class were in euphoria after Lula became president. One of the biggest standouts from his mandate was how he enhanced the economy: by trading with China and India, that were also economically emerging countries, Brazilian commodities became more valuable and taxes on home appliances lowered. His undeniable charisma and favourable image drove him to interact with leaders from all over the world, such as the Queen of England. This positive situation in Brazil did not remain as Lula's successor, Dilma Rousseff, rose into power and was immediately accused of corruption scandals. After a PowerPoint presentation from a Brazilian legislator, it was revealed that Lula himself also stole public money, traumatising the Brazilian people from any left-wing politician. Dilma's subsequent choices with the economy made the prices for basic items surge and the value of the Brazilian real plummet. A suggestion of impeachment followed Dilma for one year after her second mandate began and, after a vote between deputies, Dilma was impeached. During this process, a far-right deputy named Jair Bolsonaro became popular for advocating for the impeachment as well as his faulty discourse about how the military dictatorship was positive and how gun control laws need to be loosened. A few years later, Bolsonaro was elected president.
Bolsonaro's Response to COVID
Bolsonaro's public image has only become worse as his mandate proceeded. From receiving sanctions for not protecting the Amazon to suffering consequences from the UN for not respecting women and propagating r*pe culture, Bolsonaro became hated from the centre-left but loved from the far-right (Donald Trump.)
Urging to keep the Brazilian economy growing, Bolsonaro's initial response to COVID was that it was just "the little flu" and would not provoke deaths. He has an athletic history, so he wouldn't catch it (in fact, he caught it.) The President undermined the virus and, by consequence, influenced the people to undermine it with him. The widespread of fake news is immense in Brazil, and its own President discoursing about how the virus needs to be undermined influenced the Brazilian people to catch the virus quicker.
The political system in Brazil includes applying ministers for each sector; we have a minister for Women and Family to Economy and Education. The President appoints these ministers and has the right to remove them from their position at any time. Our Minister of Health, Henrique Mandetta, encouraged lockdown measures all over Brazil alongside listening to orientations from the World Health Organization (WHO). One of the biggest issues in Brazil in the light of COVID is the situation is the exponential increase of cases in Indigenous communities; Mandetta strove to implement public health centres for Indigenous people and people without conditions to take care of their health. Bolsonaro publicly condemned strict lockdown measures and the WHO and decided to fire Mandetta in mid-April, resulting in the worsening of the pandemic situation for the lower class.
... and this is how it became a political issue.
People all over Brazil excused Bolsonaro's actions because there "could be worse presidents in power" and that, according to Bolsonaro, "lockdown measures would only make the economy fall." The latter is technically true, however, not imposing lockdown measures guarantees an oversaturation of hospitals and a downfall in Brazil's credibility. Here, not supporting Bolsonaro is synonymous for supporting the corrupt left. Mandetta's successor is Nelson Teich, which was hired by Bolsonaro as they could agree with more loose lockdown measures. As the situation intensified in May, Teich called for strict lockdown measures, which did not please the central government and resulted in another dismissal of another Minister of Health.
A significant factor of Bolsonaro's encouragements to handle the COVID pandemic is the use of hydroxychloroquine, which does not have evidence to cure or help the health of COVID patients. The current Minister of Health and Teich's successor is Eduardo Pazuello. With no medical experience and is a personal military acquaintance of Bolsonaro's, he relentlessly used hydroxychloroquine and did not enforce lockdown, even in the most dangerous areas such as the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Due to these actions, the number of deaths doubled by the minute and, without lockdown measures, countless people were found in the streets while others were sacrificing their lives to bring food to their tables.
What now?
As to September 8, 2020, the number of deaths is decreasing periodically. Nonetheless, mobs of people flooded the beaches of the Southeast region of Brazil and influencers continuously encourage little children to breach quarantine measures because "it's their job." Bolsonaro was charged for genocide and other crimes against humanity in The Hague for mismanaging the pandemic; he can be sentenced to 30 years of incarceration.
Years of repair will not bring back how Brazil was before, but the first step is to certainly remove criminals from office.
Politics
Say Their Names
Julieth Lara and Lexi Tabacu, from the Young Activism Society
Sadness. Anger. Fear. Three words that have circulated society in both real life and online. Three words which have translated into the emotions of others as the deaths of young, innocent people of color continue to rise. Three words which have marked generations, as loved ones and strangers continue to be killed solely because of the color of their skin. These three words have been translated to an even greater saying: Say Their Names.
As the #SayTheirNames movement has gone viral on social media, it is an unfortunate series of events that have created these hashtags to bring awareness to unjust deaths of black, immigrant, indigenous, LGBTQ+ lives that have been taken due to racism embedded in this country. The current movement has taken a well-needed surge after the death of George Floyd, with protests and riots overtaking the US and many other countries, along with a constantly growing number of posts and social media projects that spread awareness. George Floyd was a black man killed by police in Minneapolis, MN, Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, pinned his neck to the ground with his knee. Even as Floyd begged Chauvin to take his knee off, pleading that he could not breathe, Chauvin did not stop. Floyd died shortly after, due to mechanical asphyxia. His death caused outrage, and continues to bring awareness to the prevalent issues in our police and justice system that cause an inherent bias towards BIPOC. From the police to schools to neighbors, racism is present in all institutions. However, as the #SayTheirNames continues as a viral hashtag, it is important to address the circumstances surrounding it: white privilege, police brutality, and oppression.
White privilege. These two words have become a controversy in the fight against racial inequality. Although many white people and others believe white privilege “isn’t real” it is important to face the facts: the color of their skin most likely hasn’t been a burden or hardship for the lives of white people. The color of their skin hasn’t caused them a fear of being attacked or harassed due to the sole nature of their complexion. The color of their skin has representation in all forms of media. As a child, they never had to watch a TV show and cross their fingers to see a character with the same skin color as them. They have seen representation through history books, movies, and more. The color of their skin has protected them from daily racism. The color of their skin hasn’t been a barrier in terms of gaining jobs, being treated unfairly, or facing police brutality. A white man or woman does not have to live with the constant fear for their lives that plagues BIPOC, and especially not fear for their lives at the hands of the people who are meant to be protecting us. A white man or woman does not have to be careful with speaking to a police officer or getting into any minor legal trouble, like getting pulled over, for fear that they will be tossed around throughout the justice system and never make it out alive.
Many argue white people are killed more by police in comparison to black people. However, this concept is entirely based on our population distribution. In the USA, 76.3% of the population is Caucasian, while 13.4% is African American. In a study on police brutality incidents, 52% of police brutality incidents happened towards white people, while 32% of the victims were black; they held a fatality rate 2.8x higher compared to their white counterparts. 2.8x higher, 2.8x more names there are to say. 2.8x more deaths due to the color of their skin. For many, what we see in the media is a statistic, a stranger, however, more strangers are dying. More people of color are dying due to racism, due to unjust police brutality, and due to the unlawful errors in our justice system. These three words, #SayTheirNames, mark a new era, a new era of change in society. An era of recognizing your own (white) privilege, of noticing racism and taking a stand, of supporting your POC friends and family, and of doing more to end the unjust deaths of many. We must say their names, we must use these three words to bring back power to their names, to bring back power to their lives, to make change.
STEM
Earth's Changing Magnetic Field
Sarah Tang, from @brainsproutblog
There exists a magnetic field around Earth that acts like a shield. It protects our planet by repelling and trapping charged particles emitted from the sun, such as fragments from solar winds and coronal mass ejections (clouds of hot plasma and radiation).
However, there are weak spots in the field. In 1958, the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) was discovered as a weak area in Earth’s magnetic field over South America and the South Atlantic Ocean. (NOTE: the SAA does not impact daily life on Earth’s surface)
In the SAA, charged particles from the sun approach closer to the surface than in other areas. The SAA is closely monitored, as the radiation in this region can interfere with data collection processes of satellites that pass through.
Recent observations by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center suggest that the SAA is evolving and changing Earth’s magnetic field, which could greatly impact the work and trajectories of satellites.
A Closer Look Into the Effects of the SAA:
The SAA region contains excess particle radiation, making it hazardous for low-Earth orbit satellites that pass directly through the region.
The excess of high energy protons that are present in the SAA can cause single event upsets (SEU), in which a satellite’s function will glitch (impacting data collection) or experience permanent damage (impacting the satellite’s structure).
The International Space Station (ISS) is one such satellite! Although the astronauts are safe inside, the ISS often experiences instrument glitches and data loss from passing through the SAA.
“Even though the SAA is slow-moving, it is going through some change in morphology, so it’s also important that we keep observing it by having continued missions. Because that’s what helps us make models and predictions.”
Why is the SAA Changing?
Let’s begin by delving into what causes the SAA:
-
The tilt of Earth’s magnetic axis → Earth’s magnetic field isn’t perfectly aligned
-
The fastly-moving flow of molten metal in Earth’s outer core → Earth’s magnetic field isn’t perfectly stable
The moving molten metal in Earth’s outer core is also the primary reason why Earth’s magnetic field exists. The molten metal creates geodynamo, ultimately constructing electric currents that produce the magnetic field.
As Earth’s core motion fluctuates and the molten metals move, the magnetic field changes as well. It is thought that the conditions between the outer core and solid mantle are causing these recent changes in the SAA.
It’s important to note that factors outside of Earth also contribute to the magnetic field, although the majority of the field originates from the core.
Terry Sabaka, geophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Current Research Regarding the Changing SAA:
Research conducted by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center shows that the SAA is growing westward and is further weakening. Additionally, researchers found that the weakest point in the SAA has split into two lobes, creating more challenges for satellite data collection.
Research on the changing SAA is ongoing.
What Now?
As the SAA continues to change, scientists must closely monitor and project the evolution of Earth’s magnetic field to prepare for how its changes will affect satellites and manned space missions.
Currently, researchers at Goddard are using various sources of data to model and predict changes in the magnetic field. Goddard’s research differs from past studies because scientists are modeling the magnetic field for much longer amounts of time.
TL;DW
-
There is a weak spot (the South Atlantic Anomaly or SAA) in Earth’s magnetic field that is moving and becoming weaker.
-
The SAA region contains excess particle radiation, making it hazardous for low-Earth orbit satellites that pass directly through the region.
-
As the SAA continues to change, scientists at NASA/Goddard are closely monitoring and projecting the evolution of Earth’s magnetic field to prepare for how its changes will affect satellites and manned space missions.
“This is similar to how weather forecasts are produced, but we are working with much longer time scales. This is the fundamental difference between what we do at Goddard and most other research groups modeling changes in Earth’s magnetic field.”
Andrew Tangborn, mathematician in Goddard’s Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory
Glossary
-
Coronal mass ejections: a large release of solar plasma from the sun
-
Earth’s magnetic field: a magnetic field surrounding the Earth that protects the planet from space radiation
-
Geodynamo: process by which the earth’s magnetic field is generated, involves motions and currents within the Earth’s liquid outer core
-
Mantle: the layer inside a planet that is above the core and below the crust, generally made of rock or ice
-
Single event upset (SEU): glitches or damage to a satellite’s function due to a single event
-
Solar wind: a stream of charged particles from the sun’s upper atmosphere
-
South Atlantic anomaly (SAA): a weak spot in Earth’s magnetic field over South America and the south Atlantic Ocean
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200817144121.htm
https://www.geographyrealm.com/south-atlantic-anomaly-a-growing-dent-in-the-earths-magnetic-field/
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-researchers-track-slowly-splitting-dent-in-earth-s-magnetic-field
https://news.sky.com/story/nasa-investigates-mysterious-south-atlantic-anomaly-12051548
https://www.space.com/earth-magnetic-field-dent-anomaly.html
https://spaceweatherarchive.com/category/south-atlantic-anomaly/
Read more:
Art & Culture
Tragical Romance, and All? Why You Should Watch "Anne with an E"
Carolina Vilalva
Feminism. Racism. LGBTQ+ rights, and much more. All of those important subjects are portrayed in the series "Anne With an E" in a unique and explanatory way. All those problems that we still pass today all put together but in a XVIII century cenario is unbelievably interesting. Without electricity, technology, cars and a whole lot more stuff, they had to fight for their rights back in the 1800's.
"Anne With an E" is beautiful. That's the best word to describe it. With a lot of awards and over one million signatures for the renewal petition, the series talks about a young orphan who is trying to find love, acceptance and her place in the world. Amybeth McNulty plays Anne Shirley, who with only thirteen years old, had experienced an abusive childhood in orphanages and in houses from people she never knew. In the late 1890s, Anne is mistakenly sent to live with two siblings, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, who live on Prince Edward Island. They were looking for a boy to help them with the housekeeping, and when Anne arrives, she has to prove that she can do anything a boy can do, and more.
Unfortunately, the series was cancelled and we don't have updates for a new season. You can stream seasons 1-3 on Netflix. At first, the creators said the show was canceled because it didn't have a big release audience, but after fans started speaking a lot against the cancellation, the show's producers released their statements about it. Fans created an online petition and it already passed one million signatures in eight months, since we knew that "Anne With an E" would have a cancellation. Today, we know that the reason wasn't because of audience, it was really a problem between CBC (the original broadcaster of the series, in Canada) and Netflix, with the series copyright.
"Anne With an E" made me learn more stuff while watching the series than in one month of school. It helped me through a fase that I was really insecure about myself. I can't even describe the way that I'm grateful for Lucy Maud Montgomery for creating such a captivating story, and I will do my best to help against the cancellation of this wonderful series. If I were you, I would put everything aside and go check out "Anne With an E", you won't regret it.
Creating My Own Social Project at 14
Maria Clara Britto, @colorindovidas_
My relationship with social voluntary work comes from beyond the school borders. My family does many social jobs, with several institutions including here in Salvador, which I am used to seeing since I was a little girl. From this family inspiration, I took an independent initiative, participating in charity projects. When I moved back to Salvador and joined PASB, I met all the beautiful projects the school was involved in and I was completely amazed. After participating in various projects at school with different focuses, I realized that it was my turn to introduce to the PASB community my own community service project. My focus has always been to work with children, especially those with some type of disabilities. With that in mind, I started searching for institutions here in Salvador that embraced this cause. After long research and coming across many wonderful institutions, I found the “Lar Vida”. “Lar Vida” is a non-profit institution that receives children with disabilities that were abandoned by their families, referred by the Juvenile Court. From the first moment that I was able to understand a little more about their project and I completely fell in love with it.
From my first time, I visited the institution, I experienced a very strong connection with the place. After visiting the entire complex, I realized that children there really liked playing with paint and music, but as their budget was too tight to spend on that type of activity they had to prioritize other things such as food, bills, medical assistance, and clothing. I called Ms. Camila Lisboa, PASB arts teacher, and asked her to join me on this journey and she accepted right away! We had a really fun time gathering people, planning fundraisers, creating posters even though this took so much of my time I was so amazed that I was never worried about it. With time more people of different ages started to be part of our project. Kids from elementary all the way to seniors, teachers, and the school staff, everyone was helping how they could, making the difference. This was how the “Coloring Lives” was created, a voluntary social project for children and youth, with the mission of bringing love and joy for life through the art. Currently, the project is already part of the lives of more than 200 children and teenagers. With great pride and happiness, I can say that I am the founder of the social project, Coloring Lives.
Interested in learning more? Check out @colorindovidas_ on Instagram!
Prose and Poetry
To Sadness, My Tormentor
Tola Aluko
TRIGGER WARNING:
D*pression, S*lf h*rm
Do you know what it’s like to want to give up?
Then you make it worse by reminding me I’m not enough
Do you know what it’s like to have no one to talk to?
Because nobody in the world seems to get you
Do you know what it’s like to feel empty?
I wish you would just leave me be.
Sadness, would you cry, if I wasn’t here anymore?
Like you make me cry.
Would you weep tears of blue?
Like my wrists ooze tears of red.
Just when I feel content…
You snap your fingers and let me know that everything’s not okay.
Silver scars on my hips
Salty tears drench my lips
It’s almost like we’re meant to be
Because I can’t escape you
And you can’t escape me
Probably because you live in me
I don’t want to wake up in the morning
I wake up but I don’t want to get up
I make plans but I don’t want to go
I put on a smile
But only for awhile
Because your tide comes back in
I should probably shower and eat
And finish my project - Why doesn’t he love me the same anymore?!?
Well at least, at least my mom’s sober now
I guess things are starting to look up
But once again, you’re the constant reminder that I am not enough!
Because you whisper in my ear
Telling me how I shouldn’t be here
Sadness, you put me in a glass box that is filling up with water
As everyone around me carelessly goes on about their lives
Sadness, you wrap around my neck like a noose
That tightens every time your tide comes in
Sadness, you’re the storm surge of a hurricane that comes out of nowhere
Then draws back out just to strike again
One minute, I don’t feel anything
Then, I feel you
Sadness, you make me feel like I’m losing myself
You give me flashbacks of things I don’t want to remember
I thought the Earth was the worst place to be
But it turns out, it’s you in me
I can’t do this anymore sadness
You’ll have to find somebody else to torment
Do you know what it’s like to lose your voice?
And feel like you no longer have a choice.
So I’ll pick up that razor for the last time,
And win the battle
As your flood comes racing back in to my mind
Author: Jane Nichole
The Devil's Insight
It was the devil's insight!
Ragged around a cross of horns,
my soul, beguiled to thorns,
Charmed I by the beauty of
frowzled norms.
Beneath my ears, I heard a strange but
dulcet voice.
It might have been the devil's insight!
Why do I bow,
when I wish not to vow?
My paths wail in awe,
like a gaze behind a veil!
The eyes hide behind shame,
Yet I'm still puzzled in this maze.
It's the devil's insight!
Clogged I in a shadow of fright
Smacked me out of my might
A must for my heart, just this last time
My frailty on this last tame.
A rest of fame for the devil.
Untitled
Sometimes pain isn't a green
light to success
Bad days don't mean there will
always be better days ahead
Even the blossom petal withers
Be ready for it when it comes
Learn to live the pain, feel the pain
and survive the pain.
Untitled
Beauty through
my eyes
And life by
my scars
Entangled by my
own fears
My flaws weigh
Yearning for a change
A silent wail
Through these tears I
may sail.