hello

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 Pneumonia Day – 12 November

12 novembre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: awareness, Children, deaths, illness, lungs, treatment, UN, vaccines

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

9 novembre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: God, Jn.1:48, Lk.19:1-10, Man of Nazareth, Mk.12:41-44, Mk.5:25-34, pay attention

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

8 novembre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: assistance, creative ideas, économies, innovation, inspiration, satisfaction

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

6 novembre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: casualties, ecosystems, natural resources, peace-keeping, risk, strategies, UN, victimes

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

3 novembre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: inspire, mission, world

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

2 novembre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: commandments, décibels, Dt.6:2-6, God's voice, listening, silence

When the word ‘commandment’ is mentioned Christian people spontaneously think of the 10 commandments.
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
 

30th Sunday of Year B

26 octobre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: blessings, blind, gifts, God calling, gracious God, Mk.10:46-52

Let us imagine for a moment that someone would tell you: “God is calling you.”
What would your reaction be?
Many people would possibly think: “What does God want from me?”
But should the question not rather be: “What does God want FOR me?”

This thought came to me as I read the gospel of this Sunday 
(30th Sunday of Year B – Mk.10:46-52).
This text presents us with the scene of the blind man of Jericho named Bartimaeus. 
Hearing from the crowd that Jesus is coming, he shouts asking Jesus to have pity on him.

“Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here’.
So they called the blind man.
‘Courage,’ they said ‘get up; he is calling you’.”
 
Many of us often suppose that God wants something from us –
prayers, good deeds, sacrifices, offerings of different kinds.
How many of us, thinking of God’s call, would immediately conclude:
’God wants to give me something!’

Yet, this is the deep meaning of God calling us:
he wants to provide us with his gifts.
He wants to shower on us blessings of all kinds.
We often speak of God’s ‘grace’ forgetting that he is a ‘gracious’ God –
a God so generous that we have never finished discovering all the wonders he has worked for us!

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at:  https://image-i-nations.com/30e-dimanche-de-lannee-b/

Source : Images : mdevega.blogspot.com   youtube.com

World Polio Day – 24 October

24 octobre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Albert Sabin, immunization, infectious disease, Jonas Salk, vaccine, virus

World Polio Day was established by Rotary International over a decade ago to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. Use of this inactivated polio virus vaccine and subsequent widespread use of the oral polio virus, developed by Albert Sabin, led to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988. As of 2013, GPEI had reduced polio worldwide by 99%.

Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. There is no cure, but there are safe and effective vaccines. Polio can be prevented through immunization. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, almost always protects a child for life. The strategy to eradicate polio is therefore based on preventing infection by immunizing every child until transmission stops and the world is polio-free.

Source: Text: WHO  Image: Actu.fr

 

 

29th Sunday of Year B

19 octobre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: believe, God become human, He.4:14-16, serenity, surrender, weaknesses

There are some Scripture texts which are… easy and comforting to hear, or to read.
There are others which are difficult to… accept because they are quite demanding to put into practice.
There are others still which are difficult to BELIEVE because it seems that… they are just too wonderful!

The 2nd reading of this Sunday (29th Sunday of Year B – He.4:14-16) belongs to this last category.
The author of the letter to the Hebrews tells us:

“It is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us;
But we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin.”
 
Is it not e x t r a ordinary to have, yes to have, such a God “feeling our weaknesses with us.”
A God who is so… human!

He has been tired and thirsty.
He has known the pain of betrayal by a friend.
He has tasted the bitterness of rejection by his own people.
He has experienced the failure of having his followers move away from him.
He has anticipated with anxiety what was to happen to him.
He has felt the terrible suffering of being savagely beaten and crucified.

When we feel rejected and abandoned…
When we experience loneliness and are misunderstood…
When suffering seems unbearable and anxiety overwhelming…

Then… the moment has come to repeat, or simply hear in the depth of ourselves:
‘He has known what it is’, and to surrender to him
the pain, the evil, the wickedness even, that we are struggling with…

Surrender to him… our selves.
Nothing is as powerful to calm our anxiety and restore serenity.

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/29e-dimanche-de-lannee-b/

Source: Image: youtube.com

World Food Day – 16 October

16 octobre 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: agriculture, environment, famine, FAO, nutrition, rural populations, technology, UN

 World Food Day is annually held on October 16 to commemorate the founding of the United Nations’ (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Each year has a different theme.

The FAO aims to raise levels of nutrition across the globe, improve agricultural productivity at all levels, enhance the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy. It also provides assistance to countries changing their agricultural policy, to aid regions out of famine situations, to help implement appropriate technology and facilitate a neutral environment to discuss issues around food production.

At the FAO’s 20th session in Rome, Italy, in November 1979 the conference called for the observance of World Food Day on October 16, 1981, and on the same date each year. The UN General Assembly ratified this decision on December 5, 1980, and urged governments and international, national and local organizations to contribute to observing World Food Day. World Food Day has been held each year since 1981.

Source: Text: www.timeandate.com Image: Inside News