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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.

 

Feast of Christ the King of the Universe, Year C – 2022

18 novembre 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: disciples, glory, John 12:13, John 14:6, John 6:14, king, Luke 23:35-43, mocking, universe

   

 

 

 

 

There was the day when, after multiplying the loaves, Jesus escaped from the people who wanted to make him king (John 6:14).

On another day, he entered Jerusalem, sitting on a donkey acclaimed by the crowd as “the king of Israel” (John 12:13).
A moment of glory that lasted precisely that… a moment, a few hours of a day.

And there was the event described in today’s gospel (Luke 23:35-43).
It is worth pondering that for this solemn celebration, the gospel text presented to our meditation is the one where we find:

    • People watching…
    • Leaders jeering at him…
    • Soldiers mocking him…
    • One of the criminals hanging beside abusing him…

Him – the one whose inscription on the cross pointed to as: “King of the Jews”.

The solemn celebration of today, mentioned above, is that of the Feast of “Christ, King of the Universe”.
And in this, our universe, there are:

    • those who do not know him…
    • those who do not recognize him for who he is…
    • those who do not believe in him…
    • those who pass by him, unconcerned…
    • those who think his message is not relevant…
    • those who laugh at such a king…
    • those who doubt…
    • those who wonder…

And there are also those who…
Yes, they are there too, those who have accepted to be counted among his friends and disciples.
Those for whom he is truly “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6),
and who are ready to walk with him until the end…

Of course, each one chooses for himself, or herself, to which group one belongs…

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-du-christ-roi-de-lunivers-annee-c-2022/

 

Source: Images: Church of Jesus Christ  Jesus.net

 

International Students’ Day

17 novembre 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: concentration camps, multiculturalism, students, World War ll
The date of 17th November was chosen to be the International Students’ Day due to the events that unfolded in Prague during World War II.
Nine students were executed without trail in concentration camps on the 17th November 1939. Nowadays, November 17 marks a celebration of multiculturalism of international students.
Source: Text & Image: www.eusa.eu

33rd Sunday of Year C – 2022

11 novembre 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: discouragement, efforts, endurance, honesty, injustices, Luke 21:5-19, persévérance, stand firm, struggle

Some people would say that the text of today’s gospel is quite shocking (Luke 21:5-19).
For them, two words may summarize the scenes we are given to witness: abomination and desolation.
It is a rather accurate perception of the ‘mood’ of this text.
The detailed description of events to take place – or taking place – in our world has something frightening about it.

Having read the text to the end, it may be good to remain there, at the end… the last verse giving us a message that is most important (verse 19).
Different versions of this verse give an interesting perspective, telling us:

“Stand firm, and you will win life”.  (New International Version
“Your endurance will win you your lives”. (Jerusalem Bible)
“By your perseverance you shall possess your souls”. (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)

In fact, what we are told is that:

  • We should not give up trying to overcome the problems and difficulties of life.
  • We should not give in to discouragement and despair.
  • We should not give way to the temptation of abandoning the struggle for good to win over evil.

Someone has coined a new expression to qualify this endurance and called it ‘stick-to-itness’!
 
Stick to the fight against injustice and pursue the path of honesty.
Stick to the resolution of siding with the poor and those deprived of their rights.
Stick to the struggle you started always to choose the way of peace and reconciliation.

Would this not be a way to avoid disputes and injustices, recrimination and discrimination, violence and wars?
I like to believe that it is worth trying… it has a gospel felling about it…

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/33e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: Scripture Images  

World Science Day for Peace and Development – 10 November

10 novembre 2022
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: development, energy, médecine, peace, planet, science, society

Celebrated every 10 November, World Science Day for Peace and Development highlights the significant role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues. It also underlines the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives.

By linking science more closely with society, World Science Day for Peace and Development aims to ensure that citizens are kept informed of developments in science. It also underscores the role scientists play in broadening our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home and in making our societies more sustainable.

‘The applications of basic sciences are vital for advances in medicine, industry, agriculture, water resources, energy planning, environment, communications and culture’, affirmed the United Nations General Assembly on 2 December 2021, when it endorsed the proposal for an International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development. World Science Day is contributing to the Year in 2022 by celebrating this theme.

‘We need more basic science to achieve The 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals’, the United Nations General Assembly noted in December 2021. It is true that the share of domestic research expenditure devoted to basic sciences varies widely from one country to another. According to data from the UNESCO Science Report 2021 for 86 countries, some devote less than 10% of their research expenditure to basic sciences and others more than 30%.

Having a capacity in basic sciences is in the interests of both developed and developing countries, given the potential for applications to foster sustainable development and raise standards of living. For example, a growing number of people around the world suffer from diabetes. Thanks to laboratory studies of the ways in which genes can be manipulated to make specific protein molecules, scientists are able to engineer genetically a common bacterium, Escherichia coli, to produce synthetic human insulin.

 

Source: Text: https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-science-day    Image: news 18.com

 

World Radiography Day – 8 November

8 novembre 2022
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: diagnostics, doctors, health care, radiography, radiology, scan, x-ray

 On November 8th, World Radiography Day marks the anniversary of the discovery of the X-ray. The day also recognizes the important role that radiographers and radiologists play in the health care industry.

The first thing a doctor does when a patient breaks a bone is order an X-ray. This kind of medical imaging allows healthcare professionals to see what is going on inside the body. The painless diagnostic test uses a form of electromagnetic radiation that passes through objects.

Besides bone fractures, X-rays also detects:

  • Tumors
  • Enlarged heart
  • Blood vessel blockages
  • Fluid in lungs
  • Dislocated joints
  • Internal infections
  • Osteoporosis
  • Tooth decay
  • Foreign objects in the body

The benefits of X-rays include being completely non-invasive and taking only a few minutes to complete. Doctors like X-rays because the results can be seen almost immediately. Radiographers perform X-rays and once the test is performed, the results are analyzed by a radiologist. The radiologist then passes that information to the doctor. In some instances, radiographers need to use other kinds of medical imaging tests to diagnose a problem. These might include a CT Scan, MRI, fluoroscopy, mammography, or ultrasound.

Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen, a German mechanical engineer and physicist, discovered X-rays in 1895. He received the first Nobel Prize in physics in 1901 for his discovery. The Polish-born physicist Marie Curie helped advance the X-ray using radium, an element she discovered. In the early 1900s, hospitals were already using X-ray technology. By the 1930s, X-rays were a routine part of patient diagnostics. Today, around 3.6 million diagnostic tests that use radiation in medical imaging are performed each year. Up to 80 percent of diagnostic problems are resolved with the help of X-rays.

 

Source: Text & Image: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/world-radiography-day-november-8/

World Paper Free Day – 6 November

6 novembre 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: environment, equipment, image management, information, maintenance, paper, technologies, trees

World Paper Free Day is an annual campaign that aims to reduce the amount of paper generated by people in their everyday work and personal life. It was launched by the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM).

AIIM is a non-profit organization that provides standards. market research, education, and certification for information professionals. It launched World Paper Free Day in order to raise awareness of huge amount of paper used in vain and to promote paperless technologies.

World Paper Free Day used to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in October, but AIIM has recently moved it to a fixed date, November 6. On this day, businesses and people are encouraged to stop using paper for one day in order to stop being so reliant on paper.

According to research, the average office worker uses about four dozens sheets of paper per day, of which about half is considered waste. Despite all modern technology, a lot of businesses still have traditional-based filing systems which require considerable space, equipment and maintenance. AIIM encourages such businesses to participate in World Paper Free Day to see the benefits of a paperless office.

Going paperless helps businesses save space and money, boost productivity and keep information more secure while also making sharing it easier. Besides, paperless offices help the environment: the less paper we use, the less trees are chopped down to make it.

 

Source: Text: https://anydayguide.com/calendar/3199     Image: myespanolanow.com

World Tsunami Awareness Day – 5 November

5 novembre 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: awareness, earthquake, natural disasters, tidal waves, tsunami

Every year on November 5th, countries around the world observe World Tsunami Awareness Day. This day raises tsunami awareness and shares innovative approaches to risk reduction.

Tsunamis are rare, but when they do occur, they can be very destructive. Tsunamis are considered one of the deadliest types of natural disasters. The Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 claimed 227,000 lives in 14 countries. In the last 100 years, 58 tsunamis have caused more than 260,000 lives. Tsunamis are most common in the Pacific Ocean and Indonesia. However, many other countries are at a high risk of experiencing tsunamis. These countries include:

 

  • Chile and Peru
  • West Coast of the United States
  • Japan
  • New Zealand
  • India
  • Italy
  • Morocco
  • Portugal

An earthquake must occur before a tsunami. It’s the seismic activity from an earthquake that causes a series of eruptions in the ocean waters. These eruptions become giant waves. When these waves travel inland, they build up to higher and higher heights. The highest tsunami wave ever recorded was 100 feet high. This occurred in Alaska’s Lituya Bay in 1958. Because this area is sparsely populated, only five deaths were recorded. Besides achieving great heights, waves from tsunamis also travel quickly. During the Indian Ocean tsunami, the waves traveled 500 miles per hour.

Once a person has survived the earthquake preceding the tsunami, they must also survive the tidal wave that hits, and then the flooding that follows. When a tsunami warning is issued, it’s imperative to get to high ground or as far inland as possible.

 

Source: Text: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/world-tsunami-awareness-day-november-5/   Image: freepik.com

32nd Sunday of Year C – 2022

4 novembre 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 2 Maccabees 7:9-14, belief, choice, everlasting life, Luke 20:27-38, resurrection, Sadducees

In today’s gospel text, we see a group of Sadducees and we are told that they “say there is no resurrection.”
They want to set a trap for Jesus to say something which will lead them to challenge his teaching.
So, thinking themselves clever, they make up a story – a story that could make people laugh but…
it is about an important matter: the resurrection of the dead.

Jesus’ answer will soon have them speechless.
His logic takes them by surprise.
They cannot refute his argument as it arises directly from their scriptures.

When a word is repeated in a conversation, or in a text, it calls for our attention.
When an idea is presented in different ways, when it is stressed again and again, we understand that it has a special meaning.

This is the case in today’s 1st reading (2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14) and in the gospel (Luke 20:27-38).
The words ‘rise’ and ‘resurrection’ come back 4 times in the gospel.
The 1st reading has them under different forms: ‘be raised, resurrection, everlasting life’.

No doubt, there is a challenge there for us, people of the 21st century…
Some of us may also think and say that “there is no resurrection.”
Others may ask themselves… could it be that there is something after this life?
They wonder… is it possible that, after death, we will live again… in a different way, yet be truly alive?

“It is a matter of belief”, will you say, and you are right.
But not only of WHAT you believe but rather… WHOM you believe.

And that is the choice which everyone has to make for himself/herself…

 

Note: Another reflection is available on a different but similar theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/32e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: YouTube

Use Your Common Sense Day – 4 November

4 novembre 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: common sense, imagination, judgements, Memories, perceptions, social media

Use Your Common Sense Day is observed annually on November 4, since common sense is an important tool for living life. Common sense is “the applied knowledge of simple, sensible things”, such as not putting metal into microwaves or jumping into rivers without knowing what is under the water. This date also marks the birthday of Will Rogers — the man who remarked “Common Sense ain’t that common”! We need to remind ourselves of the importance of applying common sense to our everyday lives and decisions to avoid unnecessary dangers and make the most of opportunities! In the social media age, this is a pet peeve of many — that common sense seems to have fallen by the wayside. There are even calls for subjects stimulating common sense in the school curriculums in the U.S. because so few seem to employ it!

HISTORY OF USE YOUR COMMON SENSE DAY

Common sense as a concept is ancient, first being brought to the limelight by the great philosopher, Aristotle. He described it as the ability with which animals (including humans) process sense perceptions, memories, and imagination to reach many types of judgments. To his thinking, only humans have real reasoned thinking, which takes them beyond common sense. This was then carried forward in the Roman interpretation, which holds that concepts like ideas and perceptions are held by man and make them more sophisticated than animals.

French philosopher, René Descartes, established the most common modern meaning, and its controversies, when he stated that everyone has a similar and sufficient amount of common sense, but it is rarely used well.

Since the Age of Enlightenment, the term “common sense” has been used for a rhetorical effect both approvingly, as a standard for good taste, and source of scientific and logical axioms.

In modern times, common sense is defined as ‘the basic level of practical knowledge and judgment that we all need to help us live reasonably and safely”. Without any doubt, applying common sense could save one a lot of problems.

Common Sense Day was created by Bud Bilanich, a career mentor, motivational speaker, blogger, and author. He’s starred in some leading TV shows and magazines and has written 19 books that highlight how to succeed in life, and how the application of common sense is vital to that success. Common Sense Day was first celebrated in 2015.

 

Source: Text: https://nationaltoday.com/use-your-common-sense-day/    Image: iStock

One Health Day – 3 November

3 novembre 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: animals, Coronavirus, environment, health, humans, infectious diseases, influenza, Lyme disease, malaria, plague, rabies, zoonotic diseases

One Health Day - November 3

 

On November 3rd, One Health Day promotes efforts worldwide to bring together health disciplines that affect humans, animals, and the environment. The day also recognizes how closely our shared environment impacts human health.

Did you know that certain animals spread diseases between animals and humans called zoonotic diseases? Some examples of zoonotic diseases include:

  • Zoonotic influenza
  • Salmonellosis
  • West Nile Virus
  • Rabies
  • Brucellosis
  • Lyme disease
  • Plague
  • Malaria

Coronaviruses are also zoonotic disease. According to investigations, SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans. Another type of coronavirus, the MERS-CoV, was transmitted from camels to humans. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), zoonotic diseases cause millions of death each year.

About 60 percent of emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses. These kinds of diseases can be found in every part of the world. Countries with the highest number of zoonotic diseases include Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and India. Other countries are considered hotspots for emerging zoonotic diseases. These countries include the northeastern United States, the UK and other parts of Western Europe, and Brazil.

It takes cooperation amongst many groups of people to combat zoonotic diseases. Physicians, veterinarians, pet owners, farmers, ecologists, policymakers, and those who monitor public health threats form the group. The groups hope that working together will better understand zoonotic diseases. Understanding will lead to better control of zoonotic diseases and fewer cases worldwide.

 

Source: Text & Image: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/one-health-day-november-3/