Questões de Concurso

     Aside from the difficulties of operating a decidedly multinational staff organization, once it is formed, the problem of reconciling the principle of equitable geographical distribution of recruits with that of “securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity” is a formidable one. This delicate task was politically imposed upon the League of Nations secretary-general, and is constitutionally required of his counterpart in the United Nations.

    For better or for worse, recruitment policy cannot be based exclusively upon the criterion of the individual’s personal qualifications; in the field of international employment, the relevant irrelevancy is not “whom do you know” but “where are you from?” From a strictly administrative point of view, there is some positive value in securing broad nationality distribution, even at the expense of sheer quality; for some purposes, a slightly incompetent man’s nationality may make him more useful than a more expert civil servant of inappropriate nationality.

    For the most part, however, the Charter principle of geographical distribution is a concession to political necessity. It licenses a kind of international spoils system in which states seek to nourish their national self-esteem by securing an adequate quota of international jobs for their citizens. Ironically, perhaps, because it is politically necessary it is also politically and administratively desirable; what shall it profit an international organization to maintain its administrative purity and lose its own members or their political support?

Inis L. and Claude Jr. Swords into Plowshares: The Problems and Progress of International Organization. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984, pp. 196-197 (adapted). 

    This book wants to show the newcomer the lie of the land without confusing him with details. In writing it I thought first and foremost of readers in their teens. But I have never believed that books for young people should differ from books for adults except for the fact that they must reckon with the most exacting class of critics, critics who are quick to detect and resent any trace of pretentious jargon or bogus sentiment. I know from experience that these are the vices which may render people suspicious of all writings. I have striven to use plain language even at the risk of sounding casual or unprofessional. I hope that no reader will attribute my decision to get along with a minimum of the art historian’s conventional terms to any desire on my part of ‘talking down’ to him. Apart from this decision, I have tried to follow a number of more specific self-imposed rules, such as limiting myself to real works of art and cutting out anything which might merely be interesting as a specimen of taste or fashion. This decision entailed a considerable sacrifice of literary effects. Praise is so much duller than criticism, and the inclusion of some amusing monstrosities might have offered some light relief. Thus, while I do not claim that all the works illustrated represent the highest standard of perfection, I did make an effort not to include anything which I considered to be without a peculiar merit of its own.

    A second rule also demanded a little self-denial. I vowed to resist any temptation to be original in my selection, lest the well-known masterpieces be crowded out by my own personal favourites. This book, after all, is not intended merely as an anthology of beautiful things; it is meant for those who look for bearings in a new field, and for them the familiar appearance of apparently ‘hackneyed’ examples may serve as welcome landmarks.

    One more rule I have followed. When in doubt I have always preferred to discuss a work which I had seen in the original rather than one I knew only from photographs. I should have liked to make this an absolute rule, but I did not want the reader to be penalized by the accidents of travel restrictions which sometimes dog the life of the art-lover.

E. H. Gombrich. The Story of Art. Phaidon, New York – London: 1995, p. 7-8 (adapted).

   Despite the tricky and life-threatening relationship between Paleolithic humans and the megafauna that comprised so much of their environment, twentieth-century scholars tended to claim cave art as evidence of an unalloyed triumph for our species. It was a “great spiritual symbol,” of a time when “man had just emerged from a purely zoological existence, when instead of being dominated by animals, he began to dominate them.” But the child-like and highly stylized stick figures found in caves do not radiate triumph. By the standards of our own time, they are excessively self-effacing and, compared to the animals portrayed around them, pathetically weak.

   While twentieth-century archeologists tended to solemnize prehistoric art as “magico-religious” or “shamanic,” today’s more secular viewers sometimes detect a vein of sheer silliness. India’s Mesolithic rock art portrays few human stick figures; those that are portrayed have been described by modern viewers as “comical,” “animalized” and “grotesque.” As Judith Thurman wrote about the artists, “despite their penchant for naturalism, rarely did they choose to depict human beings, and then did so with a crudeness that smacks of mockery.”

   But who are they mocking, other than themselves and, by extension, their distant descendants, ourselves? Of course, our reactions to Paleolithic art may bear no connection to the intentions or feelings of the artists. Yet there are reasons to believe that Paleolithic people had a sense of humor not all that dissimilar from our own.

Barbara Ehrenreich. The Humanoid Stain. Later on. Internet: (adapted).

O texto seguinte servirá de base para responder à questão.

(1º§) The unlikely awards season juggernaut Everything Everywhere All at Once marched on at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, and even gathered steam with wins not just for best ensemble, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan but also for Jamie Lee Curtis. (...)

(2º§) Though some have seen best actress as a toss up between Yeoh and BAFTA winner Cate Blanchett (Tár), Yeoh again took home the award for best female lead performance. "This is not just for me," said Yeoh, the first Asian actress to win the SAG Award for female lead. "It's for every little girl that looks like me." Quan, the former child star, also won for best supporting male actor. The Everything Everywhere All at Once co-star had left acting for years after auditions dried up. He's also the first Asian to win best male supporting actor at the SAG Awards.

STRAUSS, J. Everything Everywhere All at Once? dominates at SAG Awards. El País, 2023 (adaptado). Disponível em: https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-02-27/everything-everywhere-all -at-once-dominates-at-sag-awards.html. Acesso em 20 de julho de 2024.

Some 32,521 under-18s were referred for emergency care at mental health services in 2022 to 2023, up from 21,242 in 2019 to 2020.

Doctors at the Royal College of Psychiatrists said the shocking numbers "cannot become the new norm".

The college said many of these under-18s have suffered worsening mental health while on NHS waiting lists for treatment.

Dr Elaine Lockhart, chair of the college's child and adolescent faculty, said: "It's unacceptable that so many children and young people are reaching crisis point before they are able to access care.

"Severe mental illness is not just an adult problem. The need for specialist mental health services for children and young people is growing all the time.

"The evidence shows us that children who receive support quickly are less likely to develop long-term conditions, that negatively affect their education, social development and health in later life.

"Government and integrated care boards must commit to reducing the rate of mental illness among children by setting an achievable target.

"This needs to be backed by an expansion of the mental health workforce and additional funding for services.

"Investing in children's mental health will ultimately free up NHS time and resources, while ensuring the country has a healthy and productive population in the years to come."

The college said around half of mental health conditions arise before the age of 14 and three-quarters before the age of 24.

Data shows under-18s who are waiting for follow-up after a GP referral for mental health problems have already waited on average five months and, in the worst case, almost two years.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists said last year's Government announcement of an extra £5million to improve access to existing early support hubs was welcome. But it said it predicts an extra £125 to £205million is needed to establish hubs in every local authority, with running costs of at least £114m per year.

It comes as the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) published a statement outlining the "changing role" for paediatricians in being involved in identifying and helping children with poor mental health.

RCPCH officer for mental health Dr Karen Street said: "The entire children's workforce has a role to play in tackling the current crisis in children's mental health but as paediatricians we are particularly well placed to make a difference.

"Research shows paediatricians are the most trusted profession for secondary school children, across all ethnicities and backgrounds and that children see doctors as a key group to support their mental health.

"We know that paediatric settings and emergency departments are not ideal for children and young people experiencing a crisis in their mental health, but they cannot be left without support.

"If we are ever to get out of this dire situation then we need meaningful support for health services and staff, as well as child focused polices that can improve the physical, emotional, social and educational wellbeing of young people.

"The responsibility to tackle this growing mental health emergency cannot be left to healthcare professionals alone."

Liberal Democrat health and social care spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: "This devastating explosion of mental ill health among children should be a wake-up call for the government.

"Conservative ministers have neglected children's mental health during and after the pandemic, leaving mental health services and families in crisis.

"We have seen a litany of broken promises from this government including the failure to deliver maximum waiting times for children, ending out of area placements or reforming the Mental Health Act."

https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/25760424/children-mental-health-crisis -soars/