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Greetings to each and everyone of you.


This section for English-speaking viewers –
and all those enjoying the culture –

has developed over the months and is now offering materials of all kinds:

texts, images, poems, videos, etc.

It will continue to provide you with rich contents week after week.

 

International Missing Children’s Day – 25 May

24 mai 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: best practices, Bring Them Home Campaign, child abduction, disappearances, missing children, parents

Launched in 1998 as a joint venture of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) and the US’s National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the Global 2007_report_child_planeMissing Children’s Network (GMCN) is a network of countries that connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations.

The Network has 22 member countries: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the US.

Every year on May 25, GMCN members pay respects to International Missing Children’s Day, honoring missing and abducted children while celebrating those who have been recovered. Following the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz in New York City, May 25 was established as Missing Children’s Day in the US by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.

In 2001, the tribute spread worldwide. ICMEC coordinates the Help Bring Them Home Campaign in 22 countries, in conjunction with International Missing Children’s Day, to spotlight the issue of child abduction around the world, and to suggest to parents some steps they can take to protect their children.

Source: Text: Wikipedia   Image: USA Government, Report Child Missing

World Bricolage Day – 24 May

23 mai 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Bricolage Course Design, bricolage-'tinkering', growth process, re-evaluation

bricolage-french-word-written-insulation-tape-52833409I have been enamored with the concept of  bricolage for some time now. French for “tinkering”, bricolage is the building of something from what is available.  Sherry Turkle applied this to programming, suggesting less an exhaustive specification than an iterative growth process with re-evaluation loops.

Turkle writes: “The bricoleur resembles the painter who stands back between brushstrokes, looks at the canvas, and only after this contemplation, decides what to do next.”

Source: Text: 30-Day Challenge – Day 24 – Bricolage and Course Design, Apr.9 by Britt; Image: www.dreamstime.com

International Day for Biological Diversity – 22 May

21 mai 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: agriculture, biodiversity, Cancun Mexico, economic sectors, ecosystems, essential services, fisheries, forestry, NGOs, tourism

The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.

Mainstreaming Biodiversity; Sustaining People and their LivelihoodsIDB-2016-logo-En
Biodiversity is the foundation for life and for the essential services provided by ecosystems. It therefore underpins peoples’ livelihoods and sustainable development in all areas of activity, including economic sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism, among others. By halting biodiversity loss, we are investing in people, their lives and their well-being.

The thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 13) to be held in Cancun, Mexico from 4 to 17 December 2016 will focus on the mainstreaming of biodiversity within and across sectors, which is closely linked to this year’s IDB theme.

Source: Text & Image: Convention on Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the foundation for life and for the essential services provided by ecosystems. It therefore underpins peoples’ livelihoods and sustainable development in all areas of activity, including economic sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism, among others. By halting biodiversity loss, we are investing in people, their lives and their well-being.

Source: Text: UN

World Day for Cultural Diversity, for Dialogue and Development – 21 May

20 mai 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: cultural diversity, development, dialogue, fundamentalism, NGOs, segregation, terrorist attacks, UN, UNESCO

worlddaycul-diverWorld Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is annually held on May 21 to help people learn about the importance of cultural diversity and harmony.

Various events are organized to increase the understanding of issues around cultural diversity and development among governments, non-governmental organizations and the public. Many of these include presentations on the progress of implementing the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity.

The General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity in Paris, France, on November 2, 2001. It was the 249th resolution adopted at the 57th session of the United Nations General Conference. Although the declaration was the culmination of years of work, it was adopted in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This reaffirmed the need for intercultural dialogue to prevent segregation and fundamentalism.

The year 2002 was the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage. At the end of that year, on December 20, 2002, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared May 21 to be the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The General Assembly emphasized links between the protection of cultural diversity and the importance of dialogue between civilizations in the modern world. The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development was first observed in 2003.

Source: Text & Image: timeanddate   ©iStockphoto.com/skynesher

Feast of the Holy Trinity, C

19 mai 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Father-Son-Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, Scripture scholars, sun, theologians

There are things we try to describe and we just can’t express what we have in mind, or what we have seen. There are situations we do our best to explain to others and it seems we simply don’t have the words that would make people understand what we want to say.

Of course, this applies especially to… God! Scripture scholars and theologians do their best to tell us who God is, what his nature and his attributes are but even their most profound language falls short of what would need to be said.Huts, www.ceed-trust.orgimagesL0SUB5UL sun, www.stockphotos.ro

A true story from an African country conveys much wisdom in this respect. A group of Christians had gathered to share the gospel on the eve of Trinity Sunday. The person responsible to prepare the meeting soon confessed: « The Holy Trinity, who can explain that? I tried to prepare something to say but I just don’t know what I could say. So, instead, let us practice our hymns for tomorrow. » At this point, the catechist inspired, no doubt, by the Holy Spirit, said to those present:

“I can explain something about the Holy Trinity. » And he went on: « If at mid-day I am in my hut with the door closed (there are no windows in a hut) what do I see? I can see the rays of the sun passing under the door and going everywhere. Then, I know the sun exists and I feel the heat which warms me. This is the Trinity:

– the sun is the Father;
– the rays are the Son whom the Father sends;
– the heat which warms me is the Spirit.”

A prayerful silence followed…

Source: Images: www.stockphotos.ro; www.ceed-trust.org

World IBD Day – 19 May

18 mai 2016
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Crohn's disease, IBD Inflammatory Bowel Disease, medical research, ulcerative colitis

31626_1430216473_World-Ibd-DayWorldwide, five million people live with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, conditions known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). World IBD Day is marked on 19 May each year. World IBD Day is led by patient organisations representing 35 countries on four continents from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, 28 European nations through the umbrella organisation EFCCA, Israel, Japan, New Zealand to the United States of America.

Source: Text: World IBD Day

World IBD day is observed on 19th May every year in all countries and continents. IBD stands for Inflammatory Bowel Disease and on the similar lines this special day is dedicated to the IBD patients and their supporters. All the related organizations join hands to make the day a grand success and raise the underlying issues globally. They try to create more clarity about the subsequent effects of such diseases and their repercussions. There are more than 5 million people across the globe that are affected with such problems. Doctors and professionals organize various seminars to tell the society about the crucial diseases related to IBD and try to make the society healthy, fit and independent. The various research reports from the member countries show that these chronic diseases are spreading with a fast speed.

Source: Text & Image: Altius Directory

World Day of Celiac Disease – 16 May

17 mai 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: autoimmune disease, celiac disease, gluten, protein, symptoms

wheatBelgiumWhat Is Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease is a genetic autoimmune disease which damages the small intestine. The small intestine is part of the gut which digests & absorbs nutrients from food. When the small intestine is damaged, the rate of nutrient absorption from food is reduced. Celiac disease can affect people in many different ways and symptoms vary in severity. Due to the large number of possible symptoms, there are 3 recognized types of celiac disease.

In many cases, where there are no noticeable symptoms, a person has ‘silent coeliac disease’.
People with ‘minor celiac disease’ have minor symptoms. These can include a wide range of symptoms such as indigestion, bloating, weight loss, and mild abdominal pain.

People with ‘major celiac disease’ have severe symptoms which can be of great discomfort. These may include ‘minor celiac disease’ symptoms which are more severe, and other symptoms such as stomach cramps, diarrhea and muscle spasms.
People with celiac disease are sensitive to gluten which triggers these symptoms. Gluten is a protein found in grains such as barley, wheat and rye. Consumption of gluten can affect the whole body.

Source: Text: What health  Image: Gluten Away

World Telecommunications Day – 17 May

16 mai 2016
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: awareness, communication, International Telegraph Union ITU, internet, inventions, satellite, technologies, telephone

world-telecommunications-day-e1447499439563-808x380World Telecommunications Day celebrates the constant evolution of one of the most important factors of our lives: communication. The main goal of World Telecommunications Day (WTD) is to highlight the importance of communication and how information travels across the world. It also aims to increase awareness of how crucial communication is in our lives, and stimulate the development of technologies in the field.

The World Telecommunications Day is in tight connections with the International Telegraph Union (ITU), the committee formed in 1865 to support the emerging communication methods of the time. ITU was present throughout all the great breakthroughs in communication – the invention of the telephone in 1876, the launch of the first satellite in 1957 and, ultimately, the birth of the Internet in the 60s. Even though The International Telegraph Union has since changed its name to International Telecommunications Union, it still remains the most important entity in the field of communications, thus remaining in the spotlight at World Telecommunications Day.

Source: Text & image:daysoftheyear

World Hypertension Day – 14 May

13 mai 2016
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: blood pressure, diabetes, diagnosis, diet, diseases, drugs, hypertension, obesity, treatment

WorldHypertensionDay_SmallThe WHD was first inaugurated in May 2005 and has become an annual event ever since. The purpose of the WHD is to promote public awareness of hypertension and to encourage citizens of all countries to prevent and control this silent killer, the modern epidemic. The theme for World Hypertension Day is Know Your Numbers with a goal of increasing high blood pressure (BP) awareness in all populations around the world.

Hypertension is very common indeed and hence a major public health issue. The prevalence is expected to increase considerably in the coming years. In 2000, the estimated number of adults living with high blood pressure globally was 972 million. This is expected to increase to 1.56 billion by 2025! Lifestyle factors, such as physical inactivity, a salt-rich diet with high processed and fatty foods, and alcohol and tobacco use, are reasons for this increased disease burden, which is spreading at an alarming rate from developed countries to emerging economies, such as India, China and African countries.

Adequate treatment of high blood pressure lowers this cardiovascular risk towards normal levels. However, the biggest problem for controlling hypertension is compliance with treatment. Despite very effective and cost-effective treatments, target blood pressure levels are very rarely reached, even in countries where cost of medication is not an issue. Sadly, many patients still believe that hypertension is a disease that can be ‘cured’, and they stop or reduce medication when their blood pressure levels fall to normal levels. Despite the availability of effective and safe antihypertensive drugs, hypertension and its related risk factors (obesity, high blood lipids, and diabetes mellitus) remain uncontrolled in many patients. One often talks about ‘the rule of the halves’: Only one half of the patients with high blood pressure in a population have been diagnosed, only half of those detected have been treated, and only half of those treated have been adequately treated to a normal blood pressure.

Source: Text & image: International Society of Hypertension

International Nurses Day – 12 May

12 mai 2016
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Crimea, Florence Nightingale, nurses, Nurses Associations, student nurses

images-6
The U.S. celebrates National Nursing Week each year from 6 May to 12 May (the birthday of Florence Nightingale). Canada celebrates National Nursing Week each year during the week that includes May 12, which is Florence Nightingale’s birthday. The Canadian Minister of Health instituted National Nursing Week in Canada in 1985.

In the U.S., National Nurses Week was first observed from October 11–16, 1954 in honor of the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea. President Nixon later proclaimed a « National Nurse Week » in 1974. In 1982, President Reagan signed a proposal officially designating May 6 as « National Recognition Day for Nurses, » now known as National Nurses Day or National RN Recognition Day. In 1990, the American Nurses Association (ANA) expanded the holiday into the current National Nurses Week celebrated from 6 May to 12 May.

images-22In 1997, at the request of the National Student Nurses Association, the ANA designated 8 May as National Student Nurses Day. In 2003, the ANA designated the Wednesday within National Nurses Week as National School Nurse Day. The National Association of School Nurses, however, claims that National School Nurse Day has been recognized since 1972.

Source: Text: Wikipedia; images: shoestring.agency