Anglophones et anglophiles – Page 35

Mardi Gras – 21 February 2023

21 février 2023

Nicole Gregoire

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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles

Mots-clés: Ash Wednesday, carnaval, fasting, Fat Tuesday, Lent, Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. Also known as Carnival or Carnaval, it’s celebrated in many countries around the world—mainly those with large Roman Catholic populations—on the day before the religious season of Lent begins. Brazil, Venice and New Orleans play host to some of the holiday’s most famous public festivities, drawing thousands of tourists and revelers every year.

When Is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras is traditionally celebrated on “Fat Tuesday,” the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. In many areas, however, Mardi Gras has evolved into a week-long festival.

Mardi Gras 2023 will fall on Tuesday, February 21. Following two years of canceled events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrations in New Orleans resumed in 2022.

What Is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras is a tradition that dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, including the raucous Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia.

When Christianity arrived in Rome, religious leaders decided to incorporate these popular local traditions into the new faith, an easier task than abolishing them altogether. As a result, the excess and debauchery of the Mardi Gras season became a prelude to Lent, the 40 days of fasting and penance between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday.

Along with Christianity, Mardi Gras spread from Rome to other European countries, including France, Germany, Spain and England.

What Does Mardi Gras Mean?

Mardi is the French word for Tuesday, and gras means “fat.” In France, the day before Ash Wednesday came to be known as Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday.”

Traditionally, in the days leading up to Lent, merrymakers would binge on all the rich, fatty foods—meat, eggs, milk, lard and cheese—that remained in their homes, in anticipation of several weeks of eating only fish and different types of fasting.

The word carnival, another common name for the pre-Lenten festivities, also derives from this feasting tradition: in Medieval Latin, carnelevarium means to take away or remove meat, from the Latin carnem for meat.

Source: Text & Image: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/mardi-gras 2è image: Freepik

International Mother Language Day – 21 February 2024

21 février 2023

Nicole Gregoire

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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles

Mots-clés: cultures, education, inclusive societies, multilingual, public life, schooling, transform

Multilingual education – a necessity to transform education

Globally 40 per cent of the population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. But progress is being made in multilingual education with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life.

International Mother Language Day recognizes that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion, and the Sustainable Development Goals’ focus on leaving no one behind. UNESCO encourages and promotes multilingual education based on mother tongue or first language. It is a type of education that begins in the language that the learner masters most and then gradually introduces other languages. This approach enables learners whose mother tongue is different from the language of instruction to bridge the gap between home and school, to discover the school environment in a familiar language, and thus, learn better.

Multilingualism contributes to the development of inclusive societies that allow multiple cultures, worldviews and knowledge systems to coexist and cross-fertilize.

Multilingual education based on mother-tongue facilitates access to and inclusion in learning for population groups that speak non-dominant languages, languages of minority groups and indigenous languages.

The theme of International Mother Language Day celebration 2024 is “Multilingual education is a pillar of intergenerational learning”.

Source: Text & Image: un.org

7th Sunday of Year A – 2023

17 février 2023

Nicole Gregoire

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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles

Mots-clés: 1 Corinthians 3:16-23, aware, home, hope, John 14:23, joy, questioning, relationship with God, surprise, temple of God, wonder

Reading the word of God in the Bible, one can experience all kinds of feelings:

joy and consolation,
hope and anticipation,
wonder and questioning,
regret, perhaps… or helplessness?…

But there are times when the feeling is one of surprise – total and unexpected amazement!
The first lines of today’s 2^nd reading can awaken such a reaction.
Writing to the Corinthians, Paul somehow admonishes them in these words (1 Corinthians 3:16-23):

“Didn’t you realize that you were God’s temple,
and that the Spirit of God was living among you…
The temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.”

These words are truly astonishing.
Just pause for a moment and ask yourself:
If, one day, someone came to you and asked you that very question:
‘Do you realize that YOU are God’s temple’, how would you answer?

I think that, faced with this situation, many people would be taken aback,
possibly unable – or unwilling – to answer!
How many of us, Christians, ARE AWARE of this reality?

A temple is seen as a sacred building since it is the location where worship happens.
It is considered to be a place for ritual celebrations.
In other words: it is reserved for activities related to God.

But, on the eve of his death, Jesus told his apostles (John 14:23):

“If anyone loves me, he(she), will keep my word,
my Father will love him(her),
and we shall come to him(her),
and make our home with him(her).”

With the word ‘home’, Jesus meant more than a building, or a simple location.
Obviously, he had in mind something that goes beyond wood or bricks.
Jesus was speaking of a relationship.

This is what we are called to: a relationship of close proximity with God.

Something amazing, yes, but more still:
something absolutely wonderful that needs to be discovered anew – and lived – day after day…

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/7e-dimanche-de-lannee-a-2023/

Source: Image: Scripture Images

World Human Spirit Day – 17 February

17 février 2023

Nicole Gregoire

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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles

Mots-clés: awareness, human spirit, insight, judgment, méditation, philosopher, pressure, reasoning, understanding

World Human Spirit Day is observed annually on February 17 as a day to encourage mindfulness through meditation; to get us to form the habit of constant reflection as a way to feel content in our pressure-filled society. According to Daniel Helminiak, it’s “a respected philosopher in the space of spirituality, the spirit is the mental function of awareness, insight, understanding, judgment, and other reasoning.” In Christianity, it is emphasized that the human spirit is the real person; the essential part of our existence.

HISTORY OF WORLD HUMAN SPIRIT DAY

World Human Spirit Day was started in 2003 by Michael Levy to serve as the day to promote a human spirit that lives a creative, peaceful, and loving life. The holiday is based on the belief that the human spirit represents a place of peace and tranquility that’s needed as an escape from our pressure-filled society. It aims to encourage mindfulness through meditation to get us to form the habit of constant reflection as a way to feel content in our society.

Throughout the modern era, the question of what the human spirit truly is and how it helps us escape our sometimes unfavorable world has been a question philosophers have tried to answer. The holiday is meant to serve as a recognition of the fact that what we know about our world is limited and superficial. It is a day everyone is encouraged to reflect on their achievements in the world as humans and stay content by contemplating the endless possibilities of even greater achievement as spirits.

The day seeks to help strengthen the connection to our spiritual self as a way to stay grounded even amid societal pressure. World Human Spirit Day is a day to search for contentment from within and to embrace the fact that we do not have all the answers. A day to give some higher power thanks for what we have and are yet to have. And, it is typically observed to promote the value of mental peace and satisfaction in our lives.

Source: Text: https://nationaltoday.com/world-human-spirit-day Image: Unsplash

International Childhood Cancer Day – 15 February

15 février 2023

Nicole Gregoire

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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles

Mots-clés: awareness, cancer, Children, oncologists, survivors, treatments, WHO

HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL CHILDHOOD CANCER DAY

Childhood Cancer International, a network of parent organizations that spans continents, instituted International Childhood Cancer Day to ensure that children with cancer get the best possible care. The day is set aside to raise awareness about childhood cancers and the treatments available for these diseases. Every year, more than 400,000 children, teenagers, and young adults under the age of 20 are diagnosed with cancer. While cancer is one of the leading causes of death from disease among children, the actual number of children who die because of cancer has reduced over the years.

Most cancers have effective treatments and management methods that have increased the survival rate significantly. Childhood cancers require specialized treatment plans developed by pediatric oncologists, and this day helps to publicize the existence of such treatments. International Childhood Cancer Day was also instituted to improve treatment rates and reduce the pain and suffering caused by cancer among children around the globe. While the chances of full recovery for children with cancer can reach 80% in countries that have a high G.D.P., in the middle and lower-income countries, the chances can slip down to 20%.

The I.C.C.D. focuses on the importance of equitable access to treatment for cancer among children who are suffering or are survivors of cancer. It works to ensure that all over the world, children have access to the best possible care, and can overcome the difficulties cancer poses to them and their quality of life. The initiative aims to make childhood cancer a priority in the world. It works in line with the WHO Global Initiative on Childhood Cancer towards a 60% survival rate for children with cancer.

Source: Text & Image: https://nationaltoday.com/international-childhood-cancer-day/

World Radio Day – 13 February 2023

12 février 2023

Nicole Gregoire

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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles

Mots-clés: armed conflicts, decision-making, media, peace, public opinion, radio, reconciliation, tension, UNESCO

The theme for the 12th edition of the World Radio Day, to be celebrated on 13 February 2023, is « Radio and Peace« .

War, as an antonym to peace, signifies an armed conflict between countries or groups within a country, but may also translate into a conflict of media narratives. The narrative can increase tensions or maintain conditions for peace in a given context – for instance weigh in on the rough or smooth conduct of elections, the rejection or integration of returnees, the rise or tempering of nationalistic fervour, etc. In reporting and informing the general public, radio stations shape public opinion and frame a narrative that can influence domestic and international situations and decision-making processes.

Radio can indeed fuel conflict but in reality, professional radio moderates conflict and/or tensions, preventing their escalation or bringing about reconciliation and reconstruction talks. In contexts of distant or immediate tension, relevant programmes and independent news reporting provide the foundation for sustainable democracy and good governance by gathering evidence about what is happening, informing citizens about it in impartial and fact-based terms, explaining what is at stake and brokering dialogue among different groups in society.

“… since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.”

That is the reason why support to independent radio has to be viewed as an integral part of peace and stability. On World Radio Day 2023, UNESCO highlights independent radio as a pillar for conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

Source: Text & Image: https://www.unesco.org/en/days/world-radio

International Epilepsy Day – 13 February 2024

12 février 2023

Nicole Gregoire

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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles

Mots-clés: diagnostic, discrimination, epilepsy, fear, misunderstanding, seizures, treatment

Despite being one of the world’s oldest known medical conditions, public fear and misunderstanding about epilepsy persist, making many people reluctant to talk about it. That reluctance leads to lives lived in the shadows, lack of understanding about individual risk, discrimination in workplaces and communities, and a lack of funding for new therapies research. People with epilepsy die prematurely at a higher rate compared to the general population. The most common cause of death from epilepsy is sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, known as SUDEP. For many people living with epilepsy, the misconceptions and discrimination can be more difficult to overcome than the seizures themselves.

International Epilepsy Day seeks to raise awareness and educate the general public on the true facts about epilepsy and the urgent need for improved treatment, better care, and greater investment in research.

Facts in Tweet-size Bites

65 million people around the world live w/ #epilepsy
3.4+ million people in the U.S. live w/ #epilepsy
1 in 26 people in the U.S. will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime
4 to 10 out of 1,000 people on earth live w/ active #seizures at any one time
150,000 new cases of #epilepsy are diagnosed in the U.S. each year
One-third of people w/ #epilepsy live w/ uncontrolled #seizures because no available treatment works for them
For 6 out of 10 people w/ #epilepsy the cause is unknown
Each year, more than 1 in 1,000 people with epilepsy die from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, known as SUDEP.
4 out of 10 people w/ #epilepsy in the industrialized world do not receive appropriate treatment
8 out of 10 people w/ #epilepsy in developing nations do not receive appropriate treatment

Source: Text & Image: https://www.epilepsy.com/volunteer/spreading-awarness/international-epilepsy-day#

International Darwin Day – 12 February

12 février 2023

Nicole Gregoire

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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles

Mots-clés: Charles Darwin, évolution, humanity, natural history, natural selection, science

This day honors the life and work of English naturalist Charles Darwin. Also known as International Darwin Day, the day is a celebration of science and humanity.

Theory of Evolution

Born in 1809, Charles Darwin revolutionized the field of natural history by putting forth the theory of evolution by natural selection. In his book On the Origins of Species published in 1859, he argued that all present-day life forms on Earth came from a single ancestor and that diversity in the animal and plant kingdom came about due to natural selection, migration, extinction, and genetic mutations.

Celebrated Worldwide

While initially contested, Darwin’s theory of evolution is now widely accepted as fact and theory in the scientific community.

Source: Text: https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/darwin-day Image: Wikipedia

International Day of Women and Girls in Science – 11 February

11 février 2023

Nicole Gregoire

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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles

Mots-clés: climate action, engineering, girls, higher education, mathematics, progress, science, status, technology, Women

Background

A significant gender gap has persisted throughout the years at all levels of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines all over the world. Even though women have made tremendous progress towards increasing their participation in higher education, they are still under-represented in these fields.

Gender equality has always been a core issue for the United Nations. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will make a crucial contribution not only to economic development of the world, but to progress across all the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well.

On 14 March 2011, the Commission on the Status of Women adopted a report at its fifty-fifth session, with agreed conclusions on access and participation of women and girls in education, training and science and technology, and for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work. On 20 December 2013, the General Assembly adopted a resolution on science, technology and innovation for development, in which it recognized that full and equal access to and participation in science, technology and innovation for women and girls of all ages is imperative for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

Did you know?

Women are typically given smaller research grants than their male colleagues and, while they represent 33.3% of all researchers, only 12% of members of national science academies are women.
In cutting edge fields such as artificial intelligence, only one in five professionals (22%) is a woman.
Despite a shortage of skills in most of the technological fields driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution, women still account for only 28% of engineering graduates and 40% of graduates in computer science and informatics.
Female researchers tend to have shorter, less well-paid careers. Their work is underrepresented in high-profile journals and they are often passed over for promotion.

Stories

Women scientists on the forefront of climate action

Over the last few decades, the world’s understanding of climate change has improved exponentially thanks to science, technology and the dedication of some of the world’s top climate scientists.

We pay tribute to the women who champion the science behind climate change.

Source: Text & 2nd Image: https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day 1st Image: Unsplash

6th Sunday of Year A – 2023

10 février 2023

Nicole Gregoire

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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles

Mots-clés: Ben Sira, choice, death, décisions, Ecclesiasticus 15:15-20, freedom, Life, options

You may have overheard a conversation when, suddenly, one of the speakers said:
“It’s a matter of life and death.”
You knew immediately that they were speaking about some serious matter.
In life, there are situations which are that important and we are aware of it.

The 1^st reading of today’s celebration leads us to think of such situations (Ecclesiasticus 15:15-20).
The writer, Ben Sira, says clearly:

“Man has life and death before him;
whichever a man likes better will be given him.”

Some people may think that this arises as a sudden happening and that a choice has to be made instantly.
Most often, it is not so.
The choice is in fact a multiple one, spread over months and years.
Options are offered to us leading to decisions, one after the other.
And… these decisions fashion the person we become.

The options vary in kind and their impact is also different in intensity.
They open up different opportunities…

- - compassion or aggression
  - honesty or deceit
  - faithfulness or betrayal
  - authenticity or corruption
  - courage or cowardice
  - generosity or selfishness
  - forgiveness or revenge

and the list can go on, every time offering a challenge –
the challenge to become a better person, more truly human, more essentially Christ-like, or… the opposite.

LIFE… or DEATH options, this is what they are.
Of course, they lead to a more meaningful and happier life or… the opposite.

The choice remains ours: what we like better will be given to us –
this is the astonishing gift of freedom!

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/6e-dimanche-de-lannee-a-2023/

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.