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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.

 

Universal Children’s Day – 20 November

The United Nations’ (UN) Universal Children’s Day, which was established in 1954, is celebrated on November 20 each year to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide. UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, promotes and coordinates this special day, which also works towards improving children’s welfare.

Background
On December 14, 1954, the UN General Assembly recommended that all countries should introduce an annual event from 1956 known as Universal Children’s Day to encourage fraternity and understanding between children all over the world and promoting the welfare of children. It was recommended that individual countries should choose an appropriate date for this occasion.

At the time, the UN General Assembly recommended that all countries should establish a Children’s Day on an “appropriate” date. Many of the countries respected this recommendation and the Universal Children’s Day has since been annually observed on November 20. There are however, some countries, such as Australia and India, which still chose various different dates during the year to celebrate this day.

On November 20, 1959, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and on November 20, 1989, it adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Since 1990, Universal Children’s Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the declaration and the convention on children’s rights.

Source: Text: timeanddate.com Image: YouTube

33rd Sunday of Year B

The gospel texts are rich – rich in many ways – and the teaching they give us is precious.
Precious but not always easy to understand…

The words of this Sunday’s gospel (33rd Sunday of Year B – Mk.13:24-32) can be frightening.
“The sun darkened, the moon losing its brightness, the stars falling…”
We may be tempted to let such words pass by and not give them too much attention.
We may be thinking that, after all, this is a way of speaking that was used in the past
and is not appropriate for our time.

It is true that this kind of imagery was used in the Jewish literature of long ago.
Still, today’s gospel has a valuable message for us.
I found it in one short sentence:

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree…”
 
Strange… we are not told to learn first from the stars or planets behaving in an unusual way,
but from… a fig tree (common in Jesus’ country – we could speak here of an apple tree).
We are to observe and be taught by ordinary things –
the common and the usual can have a message for us, a message for our day-to-day living.

This was Jesus’ method when he taught. He was saying:
“Look at the flowers of the field, look at the birds of the air…” (Mt.6:26-30),
He spoke of a hen with her chicks (Mt.23:37),
of sheep (Lk.15:3-7),
of a lost coin (Lk.15:8-10),
of a mustard seed (Mk.4:30-32),
of yeast in the dough (Mt.13:33) –
of so many things familiar, yes, but rich with meaning.

Perhaps, what we are to do is simply… look and see, and…
find the meaning hidden there for us!
 
Note: another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/33e-dimanche-de-lannee-b/

Source : Images : Daily Express   QUT – Research

International Day for Tolerance – 16 November

The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for Tolerance is annually observed on November 16 to educate people about the need for tolerance in society and to help them understand the negative effects of intolerance.

Background
In 1996 the UN General Assembly invited member states to observe the International Day for Tolerance on November 16, with activities directed towards both educational establishments and the wider public (resolution 51/95 of 12 December). This action came in the wake of the United Nations Year for Tolerance, 1995, proclaimed by the assembly in 1993 (resolution 48/126). The year was declared on the General Conference of UNESCO’s initiative. On November 16, 1995, the UNESCO member states adopted the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and Follow-up Plan of Action for the year.

The 2005 World Summit Outcome document outlines the commitment of Heads of State and Government to advance human welfare, freedom and progress everywhere, as well as to encourage tolerance, respect, dialogue and cooperation among different cultures, civilizations and peoples.

Source: Text: timeanddate.com Image: catholicworkreport.com

(National) World Recycling Day 2018 – November 15

Ready to start recycling?

We hope so, because according to “National Geographic,” each American sends 64 tons of waste to the landfill during his/her lifetime. And considering there are more than 325 million of us in the U.S. alone, that’s 246 million tons of waste being generated each year. Thankfully, the aim of National Recycling Day on November 15 is to encourage Americans to purchase recycled products. By reducing our waste and increasing our recycling, we can convert waste into reusable material — and help save our planet in the process!

It can truly change the world
Think just one person can’t make a difference? Lauren Singer developed a zero-waste lifestyle where she’s able to reduce, reuse and recycle everything she consumes. She’s got this down to a science — and is now able to fit all of the trash she’s produced within the last four years in a single mason jar. Her website proves that if everyone lived similarly, waste wouldn’t be nearly as much of a problem.

Note: The National Recycling Day has become a ‘World Recycling Day’.

Source: Text: https:nationalday.com Image shutterstock

 

World Pneumonia Day – 12 November

World Pneumonia Day is annually held on November 12 to raise awareness of pneumonia, promote prevention and treatment, and generate action to fight the illness.

Pneumonia is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs, making breathing painful and limiting oxygen intake. Pneumonia is the biggest killer of children under age 5 worldwide. Nearly one in five global child deaths result from pneumonia every year. Moreover, this is a preventable and treatable illness via vaccines, antibiotic treatment, and improved sanitation. The United Nations (UN) first celebrated the day on November 12, 2009.

Source: Text: timeanddate.com Image: Journée mondiale

 

32nd Sunday of Year B

Bible scholars and spiritual writers have much to say about Jesus in the gospel.
Their texts help us to see better the Man of Nazareth and who he was.
Their descriptions of his words and his ways lead us to understand better the kind of person he was.

There is one thing I do not recall having found and which strikes me in today’s gospel text
(32nd Sunday of Year B – Mk.12:41-44).
It is the way that Jesus noticed things – and people – while those around him seemed unconcerned.
Today, we are told:

“He (Jesus) sat down opposite the treasury and watched people putting money into the treasury…”
 
What did he noticed?
The rich and influent parading and putting in large sums to be admired?
The well-dressed and those in position of leadership bringing in their contribution in full view of all?
Jesus probably saw them – they meant to be seen –
but what he paid attention to was the offering of a poor widow.

This is one attribute, one attitude, of Jesus that I admire: 
he could notice people, each one individually.
Had he not raised his head to address Zacchaeus in his tree? (Lk.19:1-10)
Had he not asked who had touched him when, in fact, a crowd was pressing on him on all sides? (Mk.5:25-34)
And, of course, to Nathanael’s surprise, Jesus had noticed him under the fig tree. (Jn.1:48)

He looked, he noticed, he valued.
I like to believe that he is a man – a God – to whom we, each one of us, matter as individual persons.
One who notices small signs of attention to others, little gestures of kindness to people around us.
He notices, and he minds, he values what, to other people, might remained unseen and unsung.

But to God, there is no such thing!

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

Source: Image: LDS Daily

 

 

 

World Quality Day – 8 November

Ever picked up a product, excited to get it home, only to find out that when you open the box and put it to its intended task for the first time it just falls apart? Or called in to get technical support and you pretty much just get a set of read out responses rather than the assistance of people who are actually knowledgeable in their subject? These terrible experiences just enhance the absolute necessity of quality in every aspect of business.

History of World Quality Day

Quality Day was established in 2008 at the Imarsat Conference Centre to create a place and time to discuss techniques of innovation, inspiration, and creative ideas. With Quality serving as a fundamental part of the GDP of first world economies, striving to improve customer satisfaction while finding ways to reduce the cost involved with increasing quality have been an essential part of business strategy.

Source: Text: DAYSoftheYEAR Image: Twitter

 

International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict – 6 November

On 5 November 2001, the UN General Assembly declared 6 November of each year as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict (A/RES/56/4).

Though mankind has always counted its war casualties in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and livelihoods, the environment has often remained the unpublicized victim of war. Water wells have been polluted, crops torched, forests cut down, soils poisoned, and animals killed to gain military advantage.

Furthermore, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has found that over the last 60 years, at least 40 percent of all internal conflicts have been linked to the exploitation of natural resources, whether high-value resources such as timber, diamonds, gold and oil, or scarce resources such as fertile land and water. Conflicts involving natural resources have also been found to be twice as likely to relapse.

The United Nations attaches great importance to ensuring that action on the environment is part of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding strategies – because there can be no durable peace if the natural resources that sustain livelihoods and ecosystems are destroyed.

On 27 May 2016, the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted resolution UNEP/EA.2/Res.15, which recognized the role of healthy ecosystems and sustainably managed resources in reducing the risk of armed conflict, and reaffirmed its strong commitment to the full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals listed in General Assembly resolution 70/1, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

Source: Text: UN Image: UN on Twitter    2nd image: vdio.com

 

 

World Kindness Day – 3 November

World Kindness Day was first launched in 1998 by The World Kindness Movement, an organisation formed at a 1997 Tokyo conference of like-minded kindness organisations from around the world.

There are currently over 28 nations involved in The World Kindness Movement which is not affiliated with any religion or political movement. The mission of the World Kindness Movement and World Kindness Day is to create a kinder world by inspiring individuals and nations towards greater kindness.

Source: Text: www.awarenessdays.com Image: vecteezy.com

31st Sunday of Year B

When the word ‘commandment’ is mentioned Christian people spontaneously think of the 10 commandments.</span
They are part of our Christian heritage and model – or should model – our day to day living.
Of course, we have inherited them from our Jewish ancestors for whom they were the basis of their Covenant with God.

But for them, there was another commandment, just as exacting, strictly as binding.
They were repeating the text daily – the very text which we find in the 1st reading of this Sunday
(31st Sunday of Year B – Dt.6:2-6).
That commandment was expressed in a single word: LISTEN !
 
In our modern world, listening has multiple ‘over-tones’, could we say.
Taking into oneself sounds and voices, shouts and cries, rap or more traditional music –
all this is part of the listening activity.
What about listening to… silence?!
Some year ago, famous lyrics invited us to do so…

And are we ‘at-tuned’ to God’s voice?
Can we even use this expression of a God-Spirit whose voice is not encompassed in decibels?
The biblical message is repeated to us again and again:

“Listen…
Let these words I urge on you today be written on your heart…”
 
So, God’s words are meant to reach more than our ears but especially our hearts.
And what is the message our heart is meant to “keep and observe”?
“You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength.”
 
“Listen, keep and observe” – today’s message, message for every day…

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at:  https://image-i-nations.com/31e-dimanche-de-lannee-b/

Source: Image: RF123.com