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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 AIDS Day – 1st December

1 décembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: AIDS, awareness, death, diagnosis, discrimination, disease, education, health, HIV, prejudice, stigma

WHAT IS WORLD AIDS DAY?
World AIDS Day is held on the 1st December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day, held for the first time in 1988.

WHY IS WORLD AIDS DAY IMPORTANT?wad-header-logo
Over 100,000 people are living with HIV in the UK. Globally there are an estimated 34 million people who have the virus. Despite the virus only being identified in 1984, more than 35 million people have died of HIV or AIDS, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.

Today, scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment, there are laws to protect people living with HIV and we understand so much more about the condition. Despite this, each year in the UK around 6,000 people are diagnosed with HIV, people do not know the facts about how to protect themselves and others, and stigma and discrimination remain a reality for many people living with the condition.

World AIDS Day is important because it reminds the public and Government that HIV has not gone away – there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education.

Source:  Text & Image: World Aids Day

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – 25 November

25 novembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: survivors of violence, UN, violence, Women, YWCA

25 November each year marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and is the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender vaw-300x201Violence Campaign. Historically, the date is based the day of the tragic 1960 assassination of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists in the Dominican Republic; the killings were ordered by Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo (1930–1961). I

In 1981, activists marked November 25 as a day to combat and raise awareness of violence against women more broadly; on December 17, 1999, the United Nations (UN) adopted the resolution making November 25 the official date.

The World YWCA observes this day in recognition of all those women, young women and girls around the world who have lost their lives and those who are survivors of violence.

Source: Text & Image: World YWCA

1st Sunday of Advent, A

24 novembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Advent, awake, dark, invitation, Let us, light, ready

Some people are… shall we say: ‘bossy’ by nature. It seems that their preferred mode of relationship is ordering others around – telling them to do things, or not to do them. To have their way, they often resort to coercion. Domination is what they know best.

Other people are of a different nature altogether. Theirs is the gentle approach. They will entice you, suggest things to you, invite you, tempt you to join them, encourage you to follow a suggestion. Amazingly, such people seem to achieve much more and in a manner that is so much more pleasant for everyone. The reason may be that those people side with us when they put a request to us. They include themselves in their appeal, saying: “Let us…”

The readings of this 1st Sunday of Advent, Year A, are an excellent example of this gentle coaxing, the kind of inspiring invitation that, somehow, we feel we should listen to. It is best expressed in these very words: “Let us…” The two short words keep coming back from one reading to the next (Is.2:1-5; Rom.13:11-14; Mt.24:37-44).

“Let us go to the Lord.let-us
Let us walk in the light of the Lord…”     (Isaiah)

Let us give up the things we do in the dark;
Let us appear in the light;
Let us live decently.”       (Paul to the Romans)

The gospel while not using the very words is also an invitation to us:
Let us stay awake.
Let us stand ready.

Is this not a good… ‘programme’ as we start this special season of ADVENT?
So, let us indeed open our hearts and let us heed the message addressed to us!…

 Source: Image: Victory Greenhills

 

 

 

                                                                                         

International Day of the Bible – 24 November

23 novembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: app, Bible, languages, Scripture, versions

imgAccording to multiple surveys and its bestselling status decade after decade, the Bible is widely revered by people around the world. Millions of visitors from more than 200 countries regularly come to Bible Gateway to freely read, hear, search, study, compare, & share the Bible in more than 70 languages & more than 200 Bible versions.

Millions more have downloaded the Bible Gateway App to keep Scripture with them on their smartphones and tablets wherever they go. Now a special day has been declared for everyone globally to share their favorite Bible verses by time zone hour after hour following the movement of the sun.

Source: Text: Bible Gateway Blog   Image: CP Church & Ministries, Flickr Creative Commons/Chris Yarzab

World Television Day – 21 November

21 novembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: communication, conflicts, decision-making, globalization, information, media, peace, security, UN, world issues

world-television-day-e1416427368614-764x382The first World Television Forum was staged by the United Nations in the mid ’90s, and it was out of this event that World Television Day was born. The forum brought together leading figures from the media industry to analyze the growing impact that TV had on decision-making and public opinion when it comes to issues of peace and security around the planet.

The History of World Television Day

In December 1996 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the 21st of November World Television Day, the same year the first World Television Forum was held. According to the United Nations, this decision was taken in order to give recognition of the increasing impact television has had on decision-making by bringing various conflicts and threats to peace and security to the world’s attention, as well as its coverage of other major issues, including economic and social.

World Television Day is not meant to be so much a celebration of the electronic tool itself, but rather of the philosophy which it represents–a philosophy of openness and transparency of world issues. Television has long been thought to represent communication and globalization in the contemporary world. However, not all of the government representatives present saw matters quite that way.

The delegation from Germany said, “Television is only one means of information and an information medium to which a considerable majority of the world population has no access… That vast majority could easily look at World Television Day as a rich man’s day. They do not have access to television. There are more important information media and here I would mention radio in particular.”

Source: Texte & Image: DAYSoftheYEAR

Universal Children’s Day – 20 November

20 novembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: build better world, chidlren's welfare, dialogue, media, UN, UNESCO

un-child-rightsUnited Nations Universal Children’s Day was established in 1954 and is celebrated on November 20th each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.

November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General assembly 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.

Mothers and fathers, teachers, nurses and doctors, government leaders and civil society activists, religious and community elders, corporate moguls and media professionals as well as young people and children themselves can play an important part in making Universal Children’s Day relevant for their societies, communities and nations.

Universal Children’s Day offers each of us an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for Children.

Source: Text: UN  Image: timeanddate.com

World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse – 19 November

18 novembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: awareness, child abuse, education, governments, NGOs, protection of children, rights of the Child, sex trade

1716b79cbf339e19c69dc51fea682bef_2961Creating a culture of prevention
Abuse of children and adolescents is a complex international problem that seems to defy simple analysis and easy answers. To understand child abuse and exploitation, and to make an impact on the outcomes of these children, the NICHD is joining the American Psychological Association in marking the World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse on November 19.

The World Day, initiated by the Women’s World Summit Foundation (WWSF) in 2000, aims to create a culture of prevention around the world by encouraging governments and community/society organizations to play more active roles in protecting children. To focus attention on this difficult problem, the partners in World Day host activities to increase awareness and education about child abuse and violence toward children, to promote respect for the Rights of the Child External Web Site Policy, and to make preventing child abuse a top priority.

Despite the fact that most cultures denounce child abuse, including sexual abuse and exploitation, the WWSF reports that more than 1 million children throughout the world enter the sex trade each year. After modest success with the first World Day in 2000, the WWSF reached out to governments and non-government organizations (NGOs) throughout the world to form the NGO Coalition. In 2001, the NGO Coalition had more than 150 NGO members that united to celebrate World Day, putting words into action to protect the world’s children. Currently, World Day includes an NGO Coalition of more than 700 members, as well as government partners, including federal, state, and local agencies in the United States, committed to creating a culture of prevention for child abuse.

Source: Text: NIH  Image: www.ombudsman.ge

34th Sunday of the Year, C – Feast of Christ the King

17 novembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: célébration, Christ the King, Col.1:11-20, forgiveness, freedom, God's kingdom, light

celebrating-our-freedomNowadays, people do not speak much about kingdoms; these political systems are somehow a legacy from the past. Kings and queens are still respected in many places, but their role is mostly ceremonial – the real power is in the hands of presidents and prime ministers. The people want to see themselves as citizens who can elect their leaders.      

Today’s feast of Christ, the King, (34th Sunday, Year C) may not appear meaningful to many of us. We may accept Jesus as our Lord but his being our King may not inspire us very much. The text of the 2nd reading – the letter of Paul to the Colossians (Col.1:11-20) – has two verses which give meaning to our celebration.

Paul writes: “He (God) has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.” In other words, what we are celebrating today is our situation of being in the light, free and forgiven! This is the meaning of Jesus’ kingdom which he shares with us.

Source: Image: subrosa09.wordpress.com  

International Day for Tolerance – 16 November

15 novembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: cultures, human rights, institutions, Mahatma Gandhi, mutual understanding, non-violence, organisations, tolérance, UNESCO

The United Nations is committed to strengthening tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples. This imperative lies at the core of the United Nations Charter, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is more important than ever in this era of rising and violent extremism and widening conflicts that are characterized by a fundamental disregard for human life.First Phase Digital

In 1996, the UN General Assembly (by resolution 51/95) invited UN Member States to observe the International Day for Tolerance on 16 November. This action followed up on the United Nations Year for Tolerance, 1995, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 at the initiative of UNESCO, as outlined in the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and Follow-up Plan of Action for the Year.

UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence
In 1995, to mark the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, UNESCO created a prize for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence. The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence.

The prize is awarded every two years on the International Day for Tolerance, 16 November. The Prize may be awarded to institutions, organizations or persons, who have contributed in a particularly meritorious and effective manner to tolerance and non-violence. The 2016 winner is the Federal Research and Methodological Center for Tolerance Psychology and Education (Tolerance Center) of Russia.

World Recycling Day – 15 November

14 novembre 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: cardboard, environmental challenge, glass, global population, optimising recycling, paper, scarcity of resources

World Recycling Day began in the United States in 1994. At that time, the aim was to encourage consumption of products made from recycled materials. Today, recycling has become a major environmental challenge: it is the sine qua non condition for introducing a circular economy that protects the environment.
 
DOING “MORE” WITH “LESS”
This is the challenge in the 21st century, which can no longer follow the current economic system based primarily on a linear approach – “I take, I use, I throw away” – and will no longer be sustainable by the end of this century due to the ongoing explosion of the global population, migration from the countryside to cities, and the increasing scarcity of resources.

Recycâbles - Chaîne de tri - Repérage de ce qui peut être polluant
(Recycâbles – Chaîne de tri – Repérage de ce qui peut être polluant) Recycling cables – checking what could be polluting matter

The solutions are optimising the recycling process and the various recovery and waste recycling solutions. However, to achieve this aim, we need to sort our waste so that it can be recycled according to its type. Plastic flakes and pellets enable the manufacturing of gardening bins, pillows, or car interiors, for instance.

The same applies to the recycling of paper and cardboard, which primarily contributes to supplying the paper and cardboard manufacturers, instead of using the usual channels and wood to manufacture paper. Ground glass, which is melted at very high temperatures, can also be turned into bottles. Meanwhile, steel is transported to a steel mill in order to be crushed, melted, stretched, and ultimately turned into coils, bars or thread.

Source: Text & Image: suez emag