Questões de Concurso

Reality television is a genre of television programming which, it is claimed, presents unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and features ordinary people rather than professional actors. It could be described as a form of artificial or “heightened” documentary. Although the genre has existed in some form or another since the early years of television, the current explosion of popularity dates from around 2000.

Reality television covers a wide range of television programming formats, _____________game or quiz shows which resemble the frantic, often demeaning programmes produced in Japan _____________ the 1980s and 1990s (a modern example is Gaki no tsukai), _____________surveillance-focused productions such __________ Big Brother.

Critics say that the term “reality television” is somewhat of a misnomer and that such shows frequently portray a modified and highly influenced form of reality, with participants put in exotic locations or abnormal situations, sometimes coached to act in certain ways by off-screen handlers, and with events on screen manipulated through editing and other post-production techniques.

Part of reality television’s appeal is due to its ability to place ordinary people in extraordinary situations. For example, on the ABC show, The Bachelor, an eligible male dates a dozen women simultaneously, travelling on extraordinary dates to scenic locales. Reality television also has the potential to turn its participants into national celebrities, outwardly in talent and performance programs such as Pop Idol, though frequently Survivor and Big Brother participants also reach some degree of celebrity.

Some commentators have said that the name “reality television” is an inaccurate description for several styles of program included in the genre. In competition-based programs such as Big Brother and Survivor, and other special-living-environment shows like The Real World, the producers design the format of the show and control the day-to-day activities and the environment, creating a completely fabricated world in which the competition plays out. Producers specifically select the participants, and use carefully designed scenarios, challenges, events, and settings to encourage particular behaviours and conflicts. Mark Burnett, creator of Survivor and other reality shows, has agreed with this assessment, and avoids the word “reality” to describe his shows; he has said, “I tell good stories. It really is not reality TV. It really is unscripted drama.

(Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bizarre-story-vasa-ship-keeps-giving-180964328/ – text especially adapted for this test). 

Increased public health spending must continue to improve hardest-hit primary care services such as routine immunization programs, says PAHO Director.

Washington, DC, November 10, 2021 (PAHO) – With countries in the Americas reporting severe disruptions in essential primary health care services, urgent investment is key to improving health systems continuously weakened by the pandemic, said Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne.

With cases rising in some parts of the region following a two-month decline, it is vital that countries remain vigilant and prioritize public spending in heath so that no one is left behind.

“Few countries invest as much public spending in their health services as they should, leaving them prone to shortages in health personnel and essential supplies.”

With the pandemic siphoning off financial and human resources, many countries have reported interruptions in vital areas, such as routine immunization programs, support for chronic conditions and mental- and reproductive health services. 

Despite these disruptions, public investment in health has risen in many countries to ramp up ICU capacity, increase hospital services, and deploy COVID-19 vaccines. But these increases cannot be a short-term trend, the Director said.

All countries should increase public expenditures in their health systems to the recommended 6% of national GDP or higher and should ensure that 30% of this funding goes to first level care.

“Primary care, as you have heard us say over and over again, is the backbone of our health systems,” Dr. Etienne said, and more important than ever. “It’s at the primary care level that COVID testing, contact tracking and tracing and immunizations take place.”

As economies remain strained, countries face difficult choices about how to spend limited funds. “We cannot forget that health is an investment, not an expense,” the Director said. “As we learned with COVID-19, health is at the core of vibrant societies. It keeps people working, kids in schools, companies productive and economies growing.”

Turning to the COVID-19 situation in the region, Dr. Etienne said that in the past week countries reported 700,000 new COVID infections and 13,000 deaths.

Several countries, including parts of Colombia and Bolivia and the Southern Cone countries, are seeing upward trends after relaxing public health measures.

In the Caribbean, Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico have reported a drop in new infections while cases are rising in the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. High numbers of cases are also being seen in the Cayman Islands and Dominica.

Vaccination rates, however, continue to pick up pace, reaching an overall coverage of 48% in Latin America and the Caribbean.

PAHO continues to work with manufacturers to secure additional doses, the Director added. The organization has signed supply agreements with three manufacturers of WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) vaccines and is in final negotiations with a fourth supplier of mRNA vaccines.

Available at: https://www.paho.org/en/news/10-11-2021-investment-primary-health-care-urgentlyneeded-ensure-covid-19-recovery-americas