Recently, there has been an increase of interest in thrifting, particularly to make an effort in curbing detrimental damage to our environment. But how can buying someone else’s unused items benefit the world? Unfortunately, the resources put into the production of garments make a significant and direct impact on our environment in ways which have been completely disregarded. Currently, more than 400 gallons of water are used to produce the cotton of just one t-shirt. On top of that, it can take 200 years or more for a piece of clothing to fully disintegrate in a landfill. In the process, greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals are released into the air and ground, further diminishing the quality of our air and soil.

Down the rabbit hole of fast fashion
After discovering the awful impacts fashion can have on the earth, it is natural to ask yourselves
why does this keep happening?
Fast fashion describes the mass-production of clothing items where most commonly, these are replicas of high in demand pieces which are set to become the trend for the coming season. This way, customers can have the pleasure of wearing in-vogue garments, but at what price? As attractive the low prices and trendy designs may be, there are several consequences for succumbing to fast fashion. Here is a brief overview:

1. Supporting inhumane working conditions: workers have little to no rights, are not
   paid a living wage (that is the bare minimum to sustain a family) whilst they suffer
   through 16 hours of labour with no proper ventilation and unstable buildings. In addition,
   child labour is also common with around 160 million children coming from poor families
   are forced to work.
2. Allowing the usage of toxic substances: about 11 chemicals used to make clothes
   can be harmful to our body and about 63% of items tested from fashion brands
   contained hazardous chemicals. Some studies have also shown that chemicals found in
   a child’s pyjamas can be traced in their urine for up to 5 days after wearing the pyjamas
   for one night.
3. Detrimental environmental impact: 20% of industrial water pollution comes from textile treatment and dyes, 1.5 trillion litres of water are used by the fashion industry every year, 190,000 tons of textile microplastic fibres are released into the ocean each year making their way into our food chain. Clothing is not made to last which leads to about 1 garbage truck of textiles being wasted per second. As mentioned previously, synthetic fibres can take up to 200 years to decompose. Furthermore, fossil fuels are used to produce synthetic fibres which are now used in the majority of our clothes. Overall, this industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions.

There are further consequences that are harming our environment and ourselves in the process. The above is simply a taste of what fast fashion is capable of and will surely encourage you to dig deeper into this topic.

How you can help
Now that you are aware of the problem, it is time to be introduced to one of the solutions: thrifting! As explained briefly above, thrifting has numerous benefits which not only benefit the environment, but it goes against the concepts fast fashion stands for. By choosing to buy more clothes from thrift stores, you are choosing to:

• Give garments a second chance: one of the downsides of fast fashion is that as soon as certain pieces are out of style, they are discarded and never worn again. Instead, if they are donated to a thrift shop, someone else might come along and decide to style it in their own way. It can also give rise to custom pieces of clothing as alterations are made to items bought according to an individual’s liking.
• Avoid buying mass-produced items: by doing so, you are actively encouraging fast fashion giants to move away from their unsustainable practices and start applying changes to their business in such a way which safeguards their workers’ wellbeing and the environment.

• Reduce pollution altogether: as mentioned previously, donating unwanted clothes to thrift shops will spare the sea and air from further pollution since a piece of clothing will be reused for generations. Also, even if a piece of clothing seems to be ‘out of style’ or might be deteriorating, it can be repurposed using basic sewing skills! Help out local businesses and charities: during the pandemic, our local businesses and charities have seen a decline in donations. One way in which this financial burden can be relieved is to frequently visit thrift shops around Malta that also support your favourite charities. In addition, buying handmade items from local tailors is another great initiative one can take towards a greener way of living.

Finally, items on display at thrift shops are in magnificent condition and sometimes, you may even find popular branded items. They usually come at much cheaper prices compared to their original value and unlike fast fashion, you will not harm the environment. Not to mention, donating your clothes to thrift shops also helps the environment and is completely free!

If you would like to start thrifting but have no clue where to start from, may I invite you to a Thrift Shop at KSU Salott organised by SCubed! It is going to be held on the 8th of April from 11am to 5pm. Come and have a look to take your first steps in aid of the environment!

The post Thrifting: Saving the planet and your wallet | S-Cubed appeared first on The Third Eye.

Written by Michela Aquilina

Our primitive ancestors made use of a variety of animals in order to suit their day-to-day needs. As times evolved, humans developed the ability to dedicate more time for themselves.

They needed to fill up their time with alternate means. And thus, the concept of entertainment was born. This was all well and good, until we started to involve animals in our need for entertainment.

“Animals that Amaze!”

Back in 1831, Henri Martin in Germany entered a cage with a tiger and changed the entertainment industry forever. Wild animals became a prop for amusement. An American trainer, Isaac Van Amburgh followed in his footsteps by introducing trained animals including tigers, leopards, lambs, and lions to the stage.

More light has been shed on the welfare of these animals in recent years. We now know how they are being treated behind the curtains, as well as during their own acts. For instance, animals such as tigers naturally fear fire, but they are still forced to jump through fire hoops in some circuses. They regularly suffer from burns while doing so. Moreover, trainers still use whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bull hooks and other painful tools of the trade to force animals to perform.

Travelling Amusements

Behind closed doors, the situation obviously worsens. Animals starring in circuses are housed in small traveling crates. Such confinement has harmful psychological effects on them. You can notices these effects by unnatural behaviour such as repeated swaying, and pacing. The lack of exercise and long hours standing on hard surfaces are major contributors to foot infections and arthritis; a leading causes of death among captive elephants.

The introduction of animal-free circuses became a growing public demand, which promote the thrills, chills, and excitement of the circus minus the exploitation of wildlife. There is an animal-free circus to suit every taste, which consist of acts done by professional, talented humans. You can catch a show in old-fashioned big tops, in parks, and thoroughly modern productions in large venues.

“Conservation not Deprivation”

According to the National Geographic Society, zoos are places where wild animals are kept for public display. Zoos claim to save and conserve wildlife and they are often referred to as sophisticated breeding centres, where endangered species may be protected and studied. However, despite this, according to an article written by Zoe Rosenberger back in 2019 for Sentiment Media, animals which are held in captivity – in zoos in particular – have reduced commodities and are found in inadequate conditions.

Zoos engage in animal exploitation by earning off the attention and conservation donations they receive from visitors while providing a low quality of life for the caged animals. Due to these stressful conditions, animals even die prematurely in zoos, rather than being left running free in their natural environment. It was even estimated that African elephants in the wild live more than three times as long as those kept in zoos. Moreover, 40% of lion cubs die before one month of age in zoos, while in the wild, only 30% of cubs are thought to die before they are six months old and at least a third of those deaths are due to factors which are absent in zoos, like predation.

“Happy Fish, Happy People”

Like zoos, aquaria and marine parks are also a growing concern for the wellbeing of captive marine animals. Places like SeaWorld are part of a growing entertainment industry which feeds off the maltreatment of intelligent and extraordinary animals. They are living in ponds of water, when they were made to live in the open sea, making up more than 70% of the Earth’s surface. Orcas and other dolphins in the wild live in enormous, complicated social groupings and travel vast miles in the open ocean every day. They are only allowed to swim in endless loops inside tanks that are the equivalent of bathtubs in captivity, depriving them of almost any natural behaviour. What happens then?

This forced change of habitat and natural instincts can result in serious physiological problems such as attacking other orcas or dolphins, or even humans. When trainers impose learning and performance of meaningless tricks to entertain a clueless crowd, there’s bound to be a reaction! It stems from a lack of understanding of the pain and suffering these animals go through on a daily basis.

A Call for Action

A famous orca, named Tilikum, was experiencing physiological problems that developed during its time in captivity. Tilikum lashed out and killed SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau and two other people. The death of Tilikum made a significant impact on the world of animal captivity, with organisations like PETA urging SeaWorld to ban breeding and in turn send animals to wildlife sanctuaries.

As the poet and author, Alice Walker once said; “The animals of this world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans.” Animals were not put on this earth to live in a cage, suffer, and be torn from their families and habitat. Whether they be in movies, zoos, circuses, or bullfighting rings, we continue to use animals as sources of entertainment. Through appropriate management and care provided by NGOs and governments all over the world, this urgent problem can be addressed to give these animals the life they were meant to have, a life which is wild and free.

Is there place for zoos in Malta? Read here to find out.

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Written by Julia Balzan

Have you ever heard of the World Space Party? Had it not been for the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent pandemic, space enthusiasts would have been preparing for Yuri’s Night – an annual project celebrating the feats of space exploration. Yuri’s Night celebrations range from raves and parties to Q&A sessions and symposia. Spread across 30 countries, this event commemorates Yuri Gagarin, the first human to journey to space on April 12, 1981. Also, the launch of STS-1, the first space shuttle on April 12, 1981.

Every year, this worldwide event showcases all the ways that the pursuit of the final frontier unites all of humanity.

Mars 2020 Mission

Perhaps the latest scientific endeavour which has seen the world come together in anticipation is the ongoing Mars 2020 mission. The mission, which is being carried out by NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, consists of the Perseverance Rover and, most notably, the Ingenuity helicopter drone. They were launched on the 30th of July, 2020 and landed on Mars 18th of February, 2021. The major objective of the Perseverance Rover is to investigate the astrobiology on Mars and hopefully answer the question of whether life has ever existed on the Red Planet. 

The Perseverance Rover

The landing site for the Perseverance rover, the Jezero Crater, is the perfect candidate to carry out this mission’s main target goals. The Jezero Crater refers to a specific depression on Mars’ surface which once hosted a lake, marked by two clear inflow and outflow channels on either side of the crater, indicating that it was once filled with water. The crater also hosts one of the most immaculately preserved deltaic deposits found on Mars. This, along with the diverse mineralogy present at the site, create the ideal environment for finding traces of ancient microbial life on Mars, billions of years after their extinction.

The Perseverance Rover is similar to the Curiosity Rover (MSL mission, 2011) in many ways, but it has a number of important engineering and instrumental differences which set it apart and help it to search for specific biosignatures on Mars which Curiosity and other previous rovers could not identify. Notably, Perseverance will be the first rover that will collect and cache Martian rock and dust samples to be sent back to Earth. Additionally, Perseverance carries microphone technology, therefore equipping researchers working on the project with auditory perception. Previously, cameras have supplied sight, robotic hands and feet have given us touch, and chemical sensors have replicated smell and taste, thus making hearing the last of the five external human senses yet to be employed on Mars.

Ingenuity

Perseverance carried on her belly a helicopter drone, Ingenuity, which is by far the greatest and most exciting experiment of the mission. In the coming days, it is scheduled to attempt the first powered flight on another planet, possibly achieving what has been described as a “Wright Brothers moment” in planet exploration. On April 3rd, Perseverance arrived at the “airfield” where Ingenuity will attempt its first flight and has since deployed the rotorcraft to the surface of Mars. Should its test flight campaign, which will last 30 Martian days (31 Earth days), be successful, Ingenuity could pave the way for human exploration on Mars.

Engineering Ingenuity in such a way that it could perform its fundamental objective (flight) was no easy task, as engineers had to account for the fact that the atmosphere on Mars is 1% that on Earth, and as such, a helicopter drone that would lift off on Earth would most likely not have enough power to do so on Mars. Hence, all test flights on Earth had to be conducted in a controlled environment to match conditions on Mars as closely as possible. The result is an extremely lightweight drone with four carbon-fiber blades, constructed into two rotors which spin in opposite directions at about 2,400 rpm, and carries with it no additional scientific instruments to support Perseverance.

Trip to Mars

Ingenuity is scheduled to lift off at 12:30pm local Mars solar time (roughly 4:54am Malta time, 14th April), with NASA set to livestream the test flight and data at 9:30am on the same day, coincidentally the day that Yuri’s Night is celebrated. Ingenuity’s flight will only last 90 seconds, as it flies to a height of 10 feet, hover, and then land. However, the outcome will determine the fate of the entire mission, bringing us a step closer to understanding our place in the universe. Will you be watching?

More articles from S-Cubed here!

The post Yuri’s Night and Ingenuity: Worldwide Celebrations and the First Powered Flight on Mars | S-Cubed appeared first on The Third Eye.

Written by Raisa Grech

Did you know…

That some people can taste colours and shapes? That all human brains start off as female in the womb? Or that the number of synapses in the brain might either equate to or exceed the numbers of stars in the galaxy?  What about the fact that brain information can travel up to 268 miles per hour?

The human brain is considered the most complex machine in the world.  Nonetheless, as with most things, the wonders of the brain still have their downfalls.  On average, 1 in every 4 people is affected by a brain disease, in a given year.  Brain disease is a general term and can refer to various forms of diseases including, Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, epilepsy, transient ischemic attack, and mental disorders.

What is PET?

In the 1950s, scientists could examine brains only after death, but new imaging procedures have enabled scientists to study the brain in living animals, including humans. One of the most extensively used techniques is the Positron Emission Tomography (PET). This technique can be used whilst the patient is awake and can thus study the relationship between the physiological alterations and behavioural ones. This is relatively safe to use in humans since it uses just a few micrograms of short-lived radioisotopes.  It functions by making use of a positron, which has a positive charge and the same mass as an electron.

Unstable isotopes are generated, which become stable again after a proton breaks down and dissipates the energy. The positron eventually meets an electron, which emits two gamma rays. Detectors then precisely record the position of these rays. Usually, PET scan results have a general colour scheme. Warm colours like red and orange indicate high activity whilst blue and violet indicate low activity.  The difference in brain activity from one location to another is a clear sign of the brain damage the patient is experiencing, with the range of damage on the brain not being the same for each disease.

PET gives better contrast and spatial resolution when compared to other techniques. For example, Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), is another technique but less expensive.  SPECT shows how organs, in this case, the brain, work. Other techniques that may be used for investigating the brain are Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This examines structural changes in the brain. There is also Electroencephalography (EEG) which is used to record the electrical activity of the brain. 

With the help of these imaging procedures, scientists have just begun to understand what a mental illness is. 

One common misconception is that mental illness is not actually a disease. This is because spotting the symptoms is not always an easy task. The truth, however, is that mental illness has a biological basis, just like every other disease. In fact, early detection and early intervention are the best way to go. Mental health professionals can diagnose a patient with the help of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), published by the American Psychiatric Association. Some examples include mood disorders such as depression, psychotic disorders like schizophrenia, eating disorders like anorexia, personality and anxiety disorders as well as addiction disorders such as substance abuse.

Since the gravity of the illness may vary from one person to another, treatment is not a “one size fits all”, but rather needs to be tailored to individual brains, instead of ticking off a list of symptoms.  The road to understanding patients suffering from mental illness is still a work in progress.

Celebrating Brain Awareness Week

Such advancements related to brain research and treatment are celebrated yearly and globally during Brain Awareness Week (BAW), usually held around mid-March.  In 2021 BAW will be celebrated from the 15^th to the 21^st of March. The initial BAW dates back to 1996, where 160 organisations from the United States were brought together by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives (DABI) to discuss current research improvements.  

A webinar with the theme of “The Human Brain on Film” will still be held on the 16th of March at 7pm by ĊineXjenza, which is run by S-Cubed, the Malta Chamber of Scientists, with the support of Spazju Kreattiv and Tiskopri.  ĊineXjenza has invited three speakers, each of whom will be giving a short virtual presentation followed by an open discussion, where member audiences will be allowed to voice their opinions or even ask neuroscience-related questions to the expert panel. 

For more information, you can access the event page here. Tickets for this event are free of charge and can be booked here!

Check out S-Cubed’s previous article here!

The post Brain Awareness: The Science Behind Detecting Brain Diseases | S-Cubed appeared first on The Third Eye.

Written by Rachel Attard Chase

The annual Nobel prizes celebrate, in part, the very best of the latest research and discoveries in physics and chemistry. With previous winners, including household names Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, there is no doubt about the prestige which comes with winning such an award. This year saw 5 laureates across the two fields, with three winning the physics prize and two claiming the chemistry one.

Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel, and Andrea Ghez were this year’s winners in physics. Penrose claimed half the prize for his discovery that the formation of black holes is a “robust prediction of the general theory of relativity”. Genzel and Ghez split the remaining half for their discovery of a “supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy.” It also worthy of mention that Ghez is the fourth woman to have won this award.

Bringing Einstein’s Theories to Life

Einstein himself, the man whose theories of relativity Roger Penrose worked on, did not believe in the existence of black holes. However, a decade after Einstein’s death Penrose was able to show that black holes can indeed form and even described their properties. For many years, solutions to Einstein’s theory were considered to be speculative, but Penrose was the first to find a realistic one.

It is not possible to see into a black hole. But one can still discover its properties, by studying the huge gravity and how it effects surrounding stars. Since the 1990s both Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez were leading a team of astronomers. Their focus? An area in the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. Using stars and their orbits to guide them, the two uncovered an invisible, astoundingly heavy and condensed mass that is making these stars swing around rapidly. This is the most persuasive evidence that such an object exists. It’s the one solution to what the object could be is indeed a supermassive black hole. Both teams developed and built special equipment in order to pierce through all the cosmic dust and see the centre of the Milky Way.

It’s all relative…

While these advances have proved very important in understanding our universe, there is still a way to go. Despite Penrose revealing that the general theory of relativity proves the existence of black holes, the theory does not hold when considering an ‘infinitely strong gravity of singularity’. Genzel and Ghez’s work will now greatly aid in the future understanding of more strange predictions of the general theory of relativity.

New Ways of Doing Science

The two winners of chemistry were Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna. They made history by being the first two women to win the prize together for their revolutionary new method in genome editing. This discovery is said to be one of the ‘sharpest tools’ in gene technology’s toolbox and is called the CRISPR or Cas9 genetic scissors.

What does this new method mean for science? Gene functions can now be studied more easily. Plants can now be given specific qualities that will help them survive better in their changing climates. Its medicinal value is very high , with contributions to not only immunotherapies for cancer but even the potential to cure inherited diseases. Trials are in fact taking place. New techniques for fixing genes in organs such as the brain are also in development.

Keeping Ethics in Mind

However, as with all technology, there is the opportunity for abuse. Ethical issues come hand in hand with many advances in science, and anything involving genes is no exception. The genetic scissors could be used to genetically modify embryos.

Although there are laws and rules which are in place to control the use of genetic engineering, any experiment that will involve humans or animals has to be allowed by ethical committees first. Nonetheless, this is still certainly a tool which could help in solving several problems that humanity faces.

The post The 2020 Nobel Prizes in Physics & Chemistry | S-Cubed appeared first on The Third Eye.

Written by Emma Xuereb

What is access to information?

This is the right to create or make use of information and the ability to share and express it in whatever form desired. Access to information is what allows one to educate oneself as well as the people around them. This powerful tool is what makes an individual capable of addressing the challenges that they face. Essentially, having this luxury is what brings development. It brings progress. Most importantly, it is a source that interconnects each and every person through common opinions and interests resulting in the formation of friendships, societies, organisations, and communities.

Thankfully, as countries are becoming more developed, access to information is becoming less of a luxury and more of a right.

What are ‘Right to Information’ (RTI) laws and why are they so important?

Every citizen has freedom of speech and expression and ultimately, one can neither speak nor express without information. RTI laws are what make it a legal right to request information. They lead to more open, accountable, and inclusive governments and enable fair access to information. The ideal and most effective legislation obliges governments to provide regular and reliable documents as a standard procedure, without citizens actually having to request the data themselves. Instead of releasing information as a last resort, governments must justify when they withhold information. This will facilitate the reception of appropriate and relevant information as well as highlight the significance of a transparent government.

Access to information results in transparency which is a key to holding organisations and governments accountable. Thus, having RTI laws is fundamental in order to fight corruption and shed light on what is presently occurring in the world. The act is a fundamental foundation for the functioning of any democracy.

Globally, approximately 120 countries have adopted RTI laws. In some countries, these laws are implemented amazingly, while in others, the laws either don’t exist or need significant improvements.

Why is just having a law not enough?

Many laws are either poorly implemented or poorly promoted, resulting in even strong laws being ineffective.  Many RTI laws may not lead to more informed populations simply since some citizens are not even aware that they have a right to request information or are not informed on how to make requests and appeals when seeking data.

Furthermore, there are countries that have RTI laws yet have bureaucracy. For instance, Nepal and Vietnam ask information seekers to provide their name, address, and even the reason for their request to information. Naturally, being intimidating, this may discourage people from exercising their right to information.

In addition to this, RTI systems can only be effective if citizens can freely use the obtained information. If countries have restrictions on freedom of expression and media, citizens who share information on public platforms face intimidation through both verbal and physical attacks. India and Slovakia are examples of two countries that have had citizens murdered following their information requests.

How do RTI laws empower citizens?

All countries can strive to be better and surpass the obstacles they are faced with. This has been shown by the Maldives voters who encountered a political crisis in 2018. They threw out a president, Abdulla Yameen, who jailed opposition politicians and repressed media freedom.

Sri Lanka, has also been fighting to promote the right to information for years, and fortunately, in 2016 they finally enacted its RTI Act. This allows more awareness and involvement in the decision-making of the country and allows them to exercise active citizenship. The Sri Lankan government, to increase the citizens’ knowledge of their new rights, launched awareness campaigns, and broadcasted a television program that discusses RTI cases and activism. This incredible initiative is what fortified the link between the right to information and empowering citizens to exercise it. The Sri Lankan government not only implemented RTI laws but also ensured that citizens are capable of requesting information, as it should be.

The importance of access to information in the time of COVID-19

The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) stated that governments are obliged to communicate with their citizens when it comes to important decisions during COVID-19. They must hold press conferences and communicate to the public through the media, not only due to their obligations to the RTI Act, but for the public interest.

In a webinar the CLD hosted, they were asked about Twitter’s, and other similar platforms’, policies to handle misguided COVID-19 related posts. The main issue with tech companies deleting content that is incoherent with that of the authorised public health information is that fake news can be viewed as freedom of expression. Conversely, the idea that official sources cannot be questioned in this area, limits freedom of expression as individuals are not being allowed to disagree with what the government is saying.

During this time, governments are being left with no choice other than to make important and unprecedented decisions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. These decisions are vital to public health and can impact human rights and the economic success of countries around the world. As a result, the world is seeing a decline in accountability mechanisms as these decisions are being made by governments at exceptional speed. Courts, parliaments, and oversight bodies are closing or restructuring due to the pandemic, thus many mechanisms for accountability that citizens naturally rely on, are shutting down entirely. This drastic change in power implies an impactful societal shift, as criticising authority is something that is now not expected. This resulted in accountability suffering and human rights voices drowning amongst these strict regulations.

The reduction in the public’s right to know about government activity is counterproductive in combating the COVID-19 outbreak. Access to information is vital for the public to know how to distinguish between reliable sources and fake news. During the current crisis, journalists and media organisations’ right to information should be even more valuable now than before. The public has the right to know what policies are being made to combat the spread of the virus and how they can, as citizens, engage and participate in those decisions. As stated by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “This is a time when, more than ever, governments need to be open and transparent, responsive and accountable to the people they are seeking to protect.”

The impact of ‘Access to Information’ being restricted

In Serbia, a day after their parliamentary elections, an article questioning the credibility of the data on the number of infected and deceased persons as a result of COVID-19 was released. The shocked public concluded that official data was concealed in order for the elections to be held and have a good turnout. The vitality of access to the correct information was illustrated through a graph, comparing the Information System database and official data. This suggested that Serbian citizens have been receiving false information for a month which highlights that clear criteria were being violated.

Freedom House is an NGO that conducts research on democracy. Freedom of speech along with media freedom plays a great role in assessing how democratic a country is and thus, it was inevitable that in the NGO’S latest report they concluded that Serbia, together with Montenegro and Hungary, can no longer be regarded as a democracy. The pandemic simply highlighted the government’s negative approach towards the media, including its attempt to control information flow as well as its malevolence towards independent media outlets.

In addition to this, Serbian citizens were deprived of access to information once again when despite the government holding daily press conferences devoted to the coronavirus crisis, overtime restrictions were introduced in order to limit the number present in the room until finally, the Crisis Team thought it best to ban journalists from the press conferences altogether. Reasons for this extreme action included that some newsrooms had been infected with the virus. Journalists, as a result, were expected to submit questions via email, allowing some to be left unacknowledged. 

Whilst pro-government media amplified conspiracy theories, such as the coronavirus being “the fraud of the century”, independent media in Serbia had been trying to establish whether the country was equipped for the arrival of a pandemic. Institutions asked to respond to such questions simply ignored numerous requests and it became the norm for government officials to respond only to questions posed by pro-government media. This withholding of information was further extended by other non-COVID-19-related questions being ignored, the reason being that the state of emergency was their main priority.

‘Access to Information’ and the role of citizens

Information is something that we all should have access to as it puts each and every individual a step forward and ultimately, the world as a whole forward. Furthermore, those who do have access to information should play their part in society and spread more awareness, fight for everyone to have this right, and most importantly always speak the truth and be a transparent citizen. With access to information comes great power, and no one should ever take advantage of this luxury but instead respect it and use it responsibly.

“RTI is about the act of questioning itself. About resetting the historical power imbalance between the elected and the electors, the powerful and the powerless. It’s about legitimizing the questioner.”

Sankhitha Gunaratne

The post International Day for Universal Access to Information | S-Cubed appeared first on The Third Eye.

As per the organisation’s statutory requirements, following the AGM, the first meeting of the newly elected Executive Board was held this Sunday to assign the roles of all appointed. Rachel Attard Chase was confirmed as President for the coming term with Julia Balzan’s support as Vice President. The new team has an overwhelming majority of women (9 out of 13), a promising sign for representation of women in science. The full list of roles is as follows:

• President – Rachel Attard Chase
• Vice-President – Julia Balzan
• Secretary General – Sarah Anne Casha
• Financial Controller – Mikela Mejlaq
• Public Relations Officer – Martina Mangion
• Education Officer – Emma Xuereb
• Social Policy Officer – Daniel White
• Science Communication Officer – Raisa Grech
• Environmental Officer – Benjamin Grech
• Leisure Officers – Micole Miceli and Isaac Grixti
• International Officer – Owen Cuschieri
• Internal Secretary – Nicole Borg

The Third Eye got in touch with Attard Chase to share her thoughts as the new President looking forward to the new term.

Having spent a year as secretary general, I’ve worked closely with the former president and have learnt leadership skills necessary to take on the role. At the same time, I know I still have more to learn.

In the coming year, Attard Chase hopes to show how S-Cubed helps any student that comes in touch with the organisation, let alone be a part of it.

It is an experience which will help cultivate important skills in the entire team.

The post Rachel Attard Chase to lead S-Cubed for 20/21 appeared first on The Third Eye.

Written by Noelle Micallef

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of so many people around the world. The practice of self-isolation and social distancing has been implemented across various continents and has changed our professional lives as well as our social lives, overnight.

What is less obvious to most is the impact this pandemic and many people self-isolating has left on our environment, both good and bad. The situation can be compared to a balance scale, the good and the bad are in constant battle. Air quality has improved and there is less traffic, therefore, less pollution. In contrast, panic-buyers are booming and the mountains of waste are increasing.

The drastic change in emissions

The most blatant change came due to the fact that cars have drastically reduced from our roads, as well as the minimization of air travel, creating a large decrease in air pollution and an increase in overall air quality. Malta recorded a 70% decrease in air pollution in the past month, while China has seen 25% fewer emissions since the start of 2020. Six of the largest power plants in China have also recorded a decrease in coal use by around 40% since 2019. Unfortunately, the impact of this pandemic is not only positive, as some aspects are being overlooked.

Since many people are staying at home, as they rightly should, there will undoubtedly be a surge in water and electricity consumption. So if we do not think consciously our power stations would need to burn more fossil fuels, as well as contribute to higher water and electricity bills, and in difficult times like these, nobody needs.

Simple measures can be used to avoid access consumption, such as opting for showers instead of baths, making sure that all unnecessary lights are turned off, using heat only when necessary and turning off plus unplugging appliances that are not in use such as laptops and mobile chargers.

Waste, waste and more waste!

Another big contributor is the, so-called, ‘panic buying’. Since people aren’t really focused on shopping consciously but are more focused on hoarding, this results in excess food waste and plastic waste. To avoid such waste is to make small and simple changes, such as opting for bars of soap instead of liquid soap in plastic bottles. The best way is to plan your meals ahead of time, so if for example. Do your shopping once a week, Instead of buying a variety of food without a clear idea of what you will be cooking, plan out your meals for the week. This avoids shortages of certain necessary products. Not only will the environment benefit from this but your bank account will thank you as well.

When this dark period in our lives passes, we should be more conscious of our carbon footprint. As during times like these, we realise that, for example, certain tasks can be done from home, saving you from having to take your car out and add to pollution. It will teach us how to not take things for granted and let them go to waste, so do try to keep the planning ahead going. At the end of the day, our outside environment is what we will look the most forward to, once we leave our houses. But for now, we need to make sacrifices for those vulnerable in our society and stay safe, by remaining at home.

cover image: source

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Following the AGM last Tuesday and the elections of Friday, today, the Executive Board of S-Cubed for 2019/20 was elected. The full list of roles is as follows:

• President – James W. Caruana
• Vice President – Mariah Zammit
• Secretary General – Rachel Attard Chase
• Internal Secretary – Matthew Camilleri
• Financial Controller – Rebekah Caruana
• Public Relations Officer – Francesca Camilleri
• Leisure Officers – Owen Cuschieri and Matteo Giorgino
• Education Officer – Stephanie Buttigieg
• Science Communication Officer – Gianni Ciappara
• Social Policy Officer – Justin Cauchi
• International Officer – Martina Busuttil
• Environmental Officer- Noelle Micallef

James Caruana gave his statement having been elected as S-Cubed’s President looking forward to another productive year.

“My goal is to advocate the principles which past executive members have shaped so strongly,” Caruana said, “whilst also finding alternative ways to strengthen and develop them to an even further extent.”

I intend to do all this whilst reciprocating the positive attitude which has been a trademark of the organisation.

“This year, our aim is to help increase the organisation’s exposure and build upon the foundation that the previous executive board has constructed,” Caruana continued, “ultimately leading to more opportunities and a greater level of participation by our student body.”

This year S-Cubed also added the new role of Environmental Officer which reflects how their main priorities for the upcoming term to raise new questions, possibilities and regard old problems from a new angle. “The role will address environmental issues in a scientific manner while also promoting environmental awareness on campus and the general public,” Caruana said.

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