Questões

Answer question according to TEXT 1 below, adapted from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8606466.stm (accessed on April 7th, 2010) .

TEXT 1

At least 200 people have died in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro after another storm. This is arguably the worst torrential rain for decades, causing flooding and landslides. Our website readers in Rio de Janeiro have been sharing their experiences.

Comment 1 - I’ve never seen such chaos. We weren’t prepared for this, even though we were warned that a big storm was about to come. Newspapers are saying that the reason for the catastrophe is the garbage. Well it may have been. We need to teach recycling at schools and community groups, otherwise we will have more disasters like this. (Lia, Niterói)

Comment 2 - Today I witnessed Rio de Janeiro on the brink of collapse. I ventured out around midday, just as the electric power blacked out in my neighbourhood. Three hours later, looking out of my office window, the city still reminded me of a war zone. “What´ve we done to deserve this?”, I thought. It’s night time now and I haven’t been able to return home. I might do so tomorrow. (José, Rio)

Comment 3 - Worldwide, we are seeing more and more climate instability. The deserts of central Asia are growing, while areas of the US (and now Rio) are drenched. The lakes in Minnesota have never thawed this early, at any time in the recorded record. The icecaps will be history, and islands around the world are disappearing under the surf. The oceans are warming, the coral reefs are dying. How much more evidence do we need of global warming? (João, Brasília)

What does a Theatrical Company Manager do?

Thematic Discussion on Nuclear Weapons

    The United States remains committed to the goal of nuclear disarmament, and to seeking to create conditions toward that end. And history makes clear that important progress can be made when security conditions allow. The easing of Cold War rivalries allowed the United States and Russia to make significant steps toward the shared dream of eventual nuclear disarmament after decades in which such movement was impossible. Disarmament success is predicated on patience, attention to detail, effective verification, and patient attention to the challenges of effecting the changes in the security environment that are necessary for progress. This last element is critical, considering the crucial role that nuclear deterrence plays in preserving and protecting international peace and security, and the potentially catastrophic consequences were deterrence’s restraining effect to be removed while it still remains necessary.

    The “Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons” violates all these tenets. Its obligations are longstanding worded, imprecise, vaguely worded and sometimes internally contradictory, while offering only an empty shell for verification. Worse, it is fundamentally at odds with today’s security challenges. It is not simply an unproductive instrument; it is likely to be a counterproductive one, with the potential to cause lasting harm to the nonproliferation regime and to the cause of disarmament alike.

    The ban treaty is based on the premise that addressing crucial international security issues is not necessary for disarmament. Ban treaty proponents would have us believe that we can do away with nuclear deterrence despite - to cite just one example - the danger posed by North Korea’s relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons and associated delivery systems, which stand in flagrant violation of international law.

     Furthermore, the Treaty does not contain a credible verification mechanism, demurring on the issue almost entirely. It does run counter to decades of progress in nonproliferation verification by endorsing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement as its standard for safeguarding nuclear material.

    Finally, the ban treaty has the potential to do real damage to the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in other ways. It exacerbates political tensions on disarmament, dividing states into overly-simplified camps of “nuclear weapons supporters” and “nuclear weapons banners,” rather than recognizing shared interests – especially on the challenges involved in creating the conditions that would make possible further disarmament progress. Reinforcing this false dichotomy and worsening the world’s polarization on disarmament will make further progress within the institutions that have been vehicles for success, such as the NPT review process, significantly more difficult.

    Inspired by the NPT Preamble’s acknowledgement of the need to ease international tension and strengthen trust between States in order to facilitate disarmament, the United States stands ready to work with others on effective measures to create improved conditions for nuclear disarmament. This work is focused on overcoming technical challenges to make substantive progress when the security conditions improve. We also continue our longstanding work to support and strengthen the global nonproliferation regime against the many challenges it faces today, for who could deny that there can be no way to envision today’s nuclear weapons possessors ever putting down such tools without rock-solid assurances that no one else will take them up?

    There are no shortcuts to nuclear disarmament. Unrealistic attempts to skip to the finish line have the potential to undermine the institutions and standards we have worked so hard to build. Our collective experience demonstrates that inclusiveness and the search for consensus can lead to progress, while polarization is a recipe for failure. We urge all states to work with us in searching for common solutions to collective problems, pursuing a more secure world.

The condition, where ovaries don't regularly release eggs, produce high levels of 'male' hormones and cause polycystic ovaries, is said to affect one in 10 UK women.

And seven in 10 were not aware that excessive hair growth, infertility (53 per cent) and irregular periods (46 per cent) were symptoms of the condition.

And 72 per cent of women experience at least one of the signs without necessarily knowing it could be linked to the disorder, with weight gain (24 per cent), acne or oily skin (17 per cent) and excess hair growth (10 per cent) most common.

As a result, 57 per cent wish there was more awareness of polycystic ovary syndrome, to stop it being such a taboo subject.

Chloé Fallon, beauty expert for Philips Lumea IPL hair removal devices, which commissioned the research to support PCOS Awareness Month this September, said: "This is a remarkably common condition that there's not enough awareness of.       

"Instead, lots of women are left struggling to deal with a wide range of symptoms that can really impact their health and their confidence on a daily basis." 

The study also found 76 per cent of all adults believe men should be more informed about women's health issues such as PCOS.

And 14 per cent of the women polled have experienced excessive hair growth on the face, chest or abdomen.

Of these, 25 per cent claim this affected their day-to-day life 'very significantly', while only 17 per cent weren't affected at all.

Women who were affected felt constantly worried about their appearance (58 per cent), afraid of judgement from colleagues (32 per cent) or unable to wear certain clothes (21 per cent).

While 29 per cent avoided social situations where possible, and 16 per cent stopped dating, according to the OnePoll.com figures.

A huge 95 per cent of women attempted hair removal themselves, whether by shaving, plucking or using a hair removal cream.

And 47 per cent felt very self-conscious about the issue while they were affected.

Philips Lumea IPL hair removal devices, which claims its intense pulsed light technology products can reduce hair regrowth for up to 12 months, has teamed with social media content creator, Zoe Antonia to share her story the condition.         

She said: "My PCOS journey started at 17, with a few rogue chin hairs, raging cystic acne and irregular periods which got diagnosed as PCOS.

"My body and facial hair growth made me feel so self-conscious as a teen and I often questioned whether there was something wrong with me.

"However, along the way I learnt to accept this part of me and sharing this journey online I found out that many other women struggle with similar symptoms to me, and sharing such raw unfiltered images online became a source of strength and helped me to build confidence outside of my looks.

 "Alongside various nutrition and lifestyle changes I've made to reduce hair growth, using my IPL hair removal device has helped me to significantly reduce my hair re-growth, especially on areas like my lower belly, upper lip and chin area.

Chloé Fallon added: "Topics around women's health like PCOS, including the symptoms and misconceptions are important discussions to have, and ones we hope in the near future people will feel more confident openly talking about without judgement, like Zoe is able to with her followers."

Taking the article above as a reference, judge the following item.

Four in ten Brits have never heard of a condition that plagues millions and can leave sufferers infertile | The Sun.

What are the biggest Windows 10 problems Microsoft needs to fix?

by Edward Chester

03 July 2015

      Windows 10 is shaping up to be a good upgrade over both Windows 7 and Windows 8, but with the release date of 29 July mere weeks away, there are still some issues that need sorting.

      So, while there’s still just about time, here are some of the biggest Windows 10 problems that we’re hoping Microsoft will fix before the Windows 10 Technical Preview is closed and the final version is released to users.

      1. Tabs in File Explorer

      One of the longest-running requested features for a new Windows is simply to allow the File Explorer to have tabs. Just as web browsers can have multiple tabs open at the same time but all contained in a neat single-windowed view, we want the same thing for File Explorer.

      It seems like it should be a simple thing to add, but seemingly Microsoft is against the idea, as it's already made considerable adjustments to File Explorer in Windows 10 without including this feature.

      2. Finish updating icons

      Windows 8 saw a new, more sharp-lined, high-contrast style brought to Windows, but it didn’t do a very good job of maintaining consistency throughout the OS, with many features still using the old style. Windows 10 has improved this, tweaking the majority of system icons and features to fit in with the new look. ...I... , the task still isn’t complete, and while it doesn’t make a huge difference to the day-to-day satisfaction of using your computer, it does speak to the apparent difference in philosophy between Apple and Microsoft.

      When the former overhauled the look of iOS, it did so in a much more complete manner than Microsoft has managed over two major iterations of Windows.

      3. Stability issues

      The most obvious issue that Microsoft needs to address is simply making sure it really does solve any further performance and stability issues in Windows 10. While our experience has largely been smooth, we've nonetheless had moments of the system completely falling over while doing nothing particularly challenging, and there are many other reports of instability.

      Microsoft certainly can’t be complacent when it comes to core stability. The company does need to ensure that what customers are buying at least works reliably out of the box.

      (…)

                                               (Adapted from: http://www.trustedreviews.com)