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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.

 

World Parkinson’s Disease Day – 11 April

10 avril 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: awareness, illness, James Parkinson, memory problems, Parkinson's disease, red tulip symbol, suffering

Pdtulip-aware3-72dpiDr. Parkinson first described the disease in “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy”, he described a pattern of lessened muscular power, involuntary tremulous motion, even if these are supported. There is at tendency to bend the body forwards, and to involuntarily switch from a walking to a running pace, while the sense and intellect deteriorate.

One of the prominent symbols of Parkinson’s disease is the red tulip, and this was established at the 9th World Parkinson’s disease Day at the Luxembourg Conference. The story of the Red Tulip can be tied back to J.W.S. Van der Wereld, a Dutch Horticulturalist who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He had successfully generated a Red and White Tulip, and named it in honor of the man who named his medical condition.

Many people do not understand what Parkinson’s is, or are unaware of how to identify it. In the interest of promoting awareness of this disease, a simplified description follows. It is a disorder that results in the degeneration of the central nervous system, and directly impacts those that nerves that handle motor functions for the body as a whole. As the disease advances, it becomes apparent from the slowness of their body, and the increasing stiffness of their limbs that there is a developing problem. Their limbs will begin to shake uncontrollably as it gets further on, and eventually an entire scope of additional symptoms will develop as more and more motor functions are impacted. Sufferers are often tired, and memory problems become more apparent as time goes on.

Whatever you do, remember that this day is dedicated to an open awareness of this disease, and to help support those groups and organizations that are intent on eradicating or controlling this illness.

Source: Text: timeanddate.com; Image: wikiwand.com

3rd Sunday of Easter, C

7 avril 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 153 fish catch, Adam, fishermen, Gn.2:19, God's concern, Jesus, Jn.21:3, Jn.21:9-10, Lc.1:32, Mary Mother of God, Risen Lord

How are you doing?
How are things with you?
Are you managing all right?
How are you faring?

So many expressions that we hear repeatedly – expressions of interest in another person, expressions of concern about what is happening to him or her.
They manifest to others that we care for their well-being, we may even worry somehow about their welfare.

stchrysostoms.wordress.com

This is the language that the ‘man-on-the-shore’ uses to greet the group of fishermen getting closer to the lakeshore. “Friends, have you caught anything?” The faces surely give the answer as well as the lips: “No.” So the stranger – so he appears – adds: “Throw the net out to starboard and you’ll find something” (Jn.21:3).

The story is well-known to us including the catch of 153 fish. Human concern, so it seems, has provided what every fisherman dreams of! More still, God’s concern expressed in the of the Risen Lord slowly recognised as the Master.

Whenever I read this gospel text, I marvel at many aspects of it but there is one that especially retains my attention: “As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there, and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught’.”(Jn.21:9-10).
Jesus had already prepared breakfast for his apostles – everything was there ready and yet… he asks them to contribute something.

This is what I call: ‘God’s method’, yes, God’s way of doing – from the first chapters of Genesis (Gn.2:19) when God tells the newly-created man to name the animals, to the moment of the Annunciation (Lc.1:32) when God asks Mary, a woman of our race, to be the mother of his Son – God wants us to collaborate with him. He wants us – poor, weak, unreliable though we may be – to take part in his plan to make the world a better place, that is to save it, literally!

And in this ‘year of grace’ 2016, I do not see God’s method having changed… only his collaborators have… looking very much like you and me!

Source: Image: stchrysostoms.wordpress.com

World Health Day – 7 April

6 avril 2016
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: awareness, diabetes, diagnose treat and care, diseases, health, medicines, polio eradication, smallpox, WHO

april-7-wishing-you-good-health-world-health-day
Beat diabetes: Scale up prevention, strengthen care, and enhance surveillance
The main goals of the World Health Day 2016 campaign are to increase awareness about the rise in diabetes, and its staggering burden and consequences, in particular in low- and middle-income countries; and to trigger a set of specific, effective and affordable actions to tackle diabetes. These will include steps to prevent diabetes and diagnose, treat and care for people with diabetes.

Source: Text & Image: WHO website

World Health Day established in 1950,  this event has a theme each year to draw attention to a current world health issue. Themes throughout the years have varied, but always covered important issues of the day, covering everything from the Global Polio Eradication, staying active while aging, even road safety. All of these issues were deemed to be important enough to global health that they merited an occasion of their very own on this date.

The World Health Organization has been involved in mobilizing many health efforts the world over. Describing what medicines are essential for public health, and which diseases to give a particular focus to. The movement to eradicate smallpox started in 1958, initiated by pressure from Viktor Zhdanov, the Deputy Minister of Health for the then USSR. In 1979, the WHO declared that smallpox had in fact been eradicated, making it the first disease in history to be eliminated by the dedicated efforts of humans.

Source: Text: Days of the Year

 

International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action – 4 April

3 avril 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: explosives, health, humanitarian action, landmines, safety, UN, war, weapons

mine-action-2016« On this International Day, let us work together to advance the goal of a world free of the threat of mines and explosive remnants of war. » Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

2016 Theme: “Mine Action is Humanitarian Action”
On 8 December 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

It called for continued efforts by States, with the assistance of the United Nations and relevant organizations, to foster the establishment and development of national mine-action capacities in countries where mines and explosive remnants of war constitute a serious threat to the safety, health and lives of the civilian population, or an impediment to social and economic development at the national and local levels.

2016 Theme
Mine action is humanitarian action because mine action saves lives. Mine action ensures that landmines and explosive hazards in war-torn areas are found and destroyed, making possible the delivery of humanitarian assistance — so that people and supplies reach those most in need. UNMAS coordinates teams to clear roads and runways of explosives, to block off weapons contaminated areas, and to train local people to demine and dispose of explosives. Our work is a crucial first step in the vital humanitarian effort that follows.

Source: Texte: UN website  Image: Mine action saves lives. UNMAS/Christian Lamontagne_PVP

World Autism Day – 2 April

1 avril 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: autism, disability, human diversity, inclusion, inequality, neuro-diversity, sustainable development goals SDG, UN

images-42016 Theme: « Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and Neurodiversity »

Autism and other forms of disability are part of the human experience that contributes to human diversity. As such, the United Nations has emphasized the need to mainstream disability in the Organization’s development agenda. Mainstreaming disability requires an integral approach in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres, so that inequality is not perpetuated.

In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the ambitious new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets that promise to leave no one behind.

While all SDGs are universally applicable, disability and persons with disabilities are explicitly referenced in the following goals: 4) Quality Education; 8) Decent Work and Economic Growth; 10) Reduced Inequalities; 11) Sustainable Cities and Communities; and 17) Partnerships for the Goals.

This year’s observance will look ahead to 2030 and reflect on the new SDGs and their implications for improving the lives of people with autism.

 

Source: Text: UN website; Image: becausereading.com

2nd Sunday of Easter, C

31 mars 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: acceptance, forgiveness, Jn.20:19-31, proof of Jesus' resurrection, Thomas the apostle

It may have happened to many of us, the experience of missing an important occasion. We did not know it would take place. It was not planned, we had not expected that a person would come at that moment – but he did and we missed his arrival. Of course, we would have liked to be there but… But did the person REALLY come, or… no, it can’t be!…

This was the situation of Thomas, Thomas the apostle. His character is well-known to us, at least one aspect of it! The Thomas who will not believe without proofs. Thomas who is not easily convinced of things that are just too much to believe. He will not be ‘taken for a ride’, as the popular expression goes! He is not that gullible! His friends tell him that a man who died a few days before has been visiting them – no, this can’t be. The others want him to believe that, unexpectedly, doors closed, all of a sudden, their Master who was crucified has… catholico.wordpress.comappeared, yes, appeared from… nowhere!

His position is clear: he cannot give faith to that… that story of theirs. He will believe it only if he can make sure that it is true, that it is REAL. He needs a proof – THE proof which will convince him such as touching, yes, putting his fingers into the wounds of Jesus, placing his hand where the spear of the soldier entered the side of Jesus’ body.

One day passed, two days, more days followed and then… the unexpected happened again but this time Thomas was present. Not only was he there but he was addressed personally: “Thomas, put your finger… give me your hand… put it into my side…” It was exactly as Thomas had asked for. And then, the words are spoken: “Doubt no longer but believe” (Jn.20:27).

I close the Bible, close my eyes and open my heart, open that secret place where my multi-faceted doubt is rooted, deep, deep within… Doubt that I am accepted by God as I am. Doubt that I am forgiven and will be forgiven as often as I return to him. Doubt that he walks with me on the paths of my daily experience. Doubt that he will enable me to become what he wants me to become. Doubts, so many of them…

What can I do, what can I say? The words come of themselves – the very words pronounced long ago: “My Lord and my God!” (Jn.20:28). There is really no need to add anything more…

Source: Image: pinterest.com

World Bipolar Day – 30 March

29 mars 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: bipolar disorders, Dr. PIchet Udomratn, education, ignorance, mental illnesses, self-esteem, stigma, symptoms, Vincent Van Gogh, WBD

1620674_211997655668182_2093232841_nWorld Bipolar Day (WBD) will be celebrated each year on March 30th, the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh, who was posthumously diagnosed as probably having bipolar disorder. The vision of WBD is to bring world awareness to bipolar disorders and eliminate social stigma. Through international collaboration the goal of World Bipolar Day is to bring the world population information about bipolar disorders that will educate and improve sensitivity towards the illness.

Source: Text & Picture: The International Society for Bipolar Disorders

Why a World Bipolar Day?
World Diabetes Day, World Cancer Day, and even World Egg Day, and now, drum roll please, World Bipolar Day (WBD). WBD is a day to bring about awareness of bipolar disorder. It is the brainchild of Dr. Pichet Udomratn, a member of the Asian Network of Bipolar Disorder (ANBD) who collaborated with International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF) and International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) to bring his idea to fruition.

There are 450 million people worldwide with mental illness. Of those it is estimated that the global prevalence of bipolar disorder is between 1 and 2 percent and has been said to be as high as 5 percent, which is three times all the diabetes and 10 times all the cancers combined. Why then do we hear so much in the news, on television, and in conversations about other diseases like diabetes and cancer, and rarely anything about bipolar?

Mental illnesses have historically been misunderstood, feared and therefore stigmatized. The stigma is due to a lack of education, mis-education, false information, ignorance, or a need to feel superior. Its effects are especially painful and damaging to one’s self-esteem. It leaves people with mental illnesses feeling like outcasts from society. Whether the perceived stigma is real or not, it is the subjective interpretation that affects the person’s feelings of belonging. Like most groups who are stigmatized against, there are many myths surrounding mental illness.

Dispelling myths, teaching the signs and symptoms, sharing resources, and pointing out healthy living techniques will be imparted for all to use. WBD is not about “them,” it’s for everyone. We all know someone. Join us!

Source: Text: Muffy Walker, Mental Health Professional, Advocate, Mother and Traveler, http://www.twitter.com/IntlBipolar, Huffpost Healthy Living

Easter Sunday, C

26 mars 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 1 Cor.1:25, dram of, German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, God is alive, God is dead, hope for, Jesus' resurrection, miracle, Mt.18:3, proof

time-is-god-coming-back-to-life_friedrich-nietzscheTime-is-god-dead-Friedrich_Nietzsche, redone“God is dead” – the idea has been proclaimed already in 1882 by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

In fact, this statement could have been voiced – in all truth – on the first ‘Good Friday’, on that day when Jesus was crucified and died on the cross. In Jesus, God-made-man, had died as all human beings do.
And some 40 hours or so later, someone could have proclaimed – again in all truth: GOD IS ALIVE – for this is what Jesus’ resurrection is about!

The simple, astonishing, amazing, staggering truth that GOD IS ALIVE in our midst – this is what we celebrate at Easter.
Who can believe this? Precisely, only those who have… faith.

No miracle is convincing enough for anyone who is not ready to accept this.crosswalk.com
No sign is obvious enough for anyone who does not want to see.
No proof is satisfactory for anyone who wants to entertain doubts.
No argument is conclusive enough for anyone who is not ready to make the leap… of faith!

You ask: Is it not irrational? The Corinthians thought so and were told: “God’s foolishness is wiser that human wisdom” (1 Cor.1:25).
You wonder: Is it not childish? Long ago, we have been reminded: “Unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt.18:3).

The texts telling us of the resurrection of Jesus can remain stories relating some event that happened in the past and… belongs there!
Or, they can provide us with the moment that becomes ‘a point of no return’ – the decision of committing ourselves to Him who opens up to us a life beyond all we could dream of, or hope for…

Source: Images: www.age-of-the-sage.org         crosswalk.com