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En 2020, au moment où la pandémie mondiale de la COVID-19 illustre le rôle essentiel de la science dans la résolution des défis mondiaux, la Journée mondiale de la science est centrée sur La science pour et avec la société. Pour célébrer la Journée mondiale de la science 2020, l’UNESCO organise cette année une table ronde en ligne sur le thème « La science pour et avec la société face au COVID-19 ».
We have to admit it:
the world is full of things that puzzle us,
daily life is rife with events that baffle us,
situations abound when we cannot make sense of what is happening.
Science and psychology give some clues but they are unhelpful in so many cases…
We study, and we search, and we analyze, but…
our minds fail to understand many aspects of our human existence.
and our hearts remain dissatisfied, so very often…
And today, celebrating the Feast of the Resurrection of Christ, where are we at?…
The last verse of the gospel text (Jn.20:1-9) tells us:
« Till this moment, the disciples had failed to understand the teaching of scripture
that he must rise from the dead. »
Amazing, is it not?
They had been living with him for three years, or so.
They had walked with him from day to day.
They had listened to hours of his teaching.
They had witnessed countless ‘signs’ of who he was – God’s special messenger.
Yet, “they had failed to understand…”
As they run to what they have been told is an empty tomb, Peter and John do not understand. 
They are convinced the women have lost their minds as they think Jesus’ body has been removed. (Lk.24:11)
The disciples of Emmaus will be told they are “foolish men, slow to believe…” (Lk.24:25)
Believing – not seeing, not understanding, not being able to explain, or justify,
But BELIEVING, plainly and simply.
Not only admitting some articles of a creed that one recites with devotion…
Not solely repeating the explanations one has received long ago about ‘the truths of our religion’…
Not being satisfied with accepting the contents of dogmas passed on to us…
But BELIEVING in deed and in truth.
Trusting Someone to the utmost, unconditionally.
Relying on that Someone even in the midst of the most trying situations.
Surrendering to that Someone all that I am and hope to become…
Some may think: ‘It is stupid, absurd, it is pointless any way.
Only people who are naive and gullible can believe.’
Yet, all things considered, perhaps it is foolish… NOT to believe!…
Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/dimanche-de-paques-annee-c-2019/
The history of blood donation goes back further than you might expect, reaching as far back as the 17th century. The medical specialists of
the time knew that blood was a vital element in the body and losing too much of it was bound to have tragic consequences on the patient. So it was that experimentation began, and a whole new breed of heroes was born that contribute their blood so that others may live. Blood Donors save lives every day by giving of themselves so those accident victims and those in need of transfusions for surgeries can live.
History of World Blood Donor Day
The first transfusions were done using poorly understood science and resulted in some rather tragic results for the patients. Richard lower was the first one to examine animals and blood circulation and finding ways to stop blood clotting. While he was of course only working with animals, he managed to drain the blood off of a medium sized dog and then transfuse the blood of a large mastiff into the smaller animal. Both dogs recovered with no appreciable ill effects.
So it was that he gained great notoriety for his efforts, and was asked to speak on and teach this technique to the Royal Society. There were some odd beliefs about blood back then, and the first human transfusion involved putting the blood of a sheep into a patient who was suffering from a mild form of insanity. It was thought that perhaps the blood of so gentle a creature as a lamb might help to calm his insanity. The act of transferring animal blood into patients was strongly questioned by the tightly superstitious and morally rigid authorities of the time, and the practice was outlawed. Vanishing for 150 years.
It was an obstetrician that brought blood transfusions back into modern medical technology, starting in 1818. After he saved the life of a woman who had hemorrhaged terribly after giving birth, he started publishing works on how it was done and the study thereof. Throughout his life, he performed 10 transfusions, 5 of which saved the lives of the recipients.World Blood Donor Day celebrates the hard work and daring of these early medical professionals and recognizes the efforts they put into developing a technology that saves so many lives today.
« On World Environment Day, the message is simple: reject single-use plastic. Refuse what you can’t re-use. Together, we can chart a path to a cleaner, greener world. »
— Secretary-General, António Guterres
Humans are both creatures and moulders of their environment, which gives them physical sustenance and affords them the opportunity for intellectual, moral, social and spiritual growth. In the long and tortuous evolution of the human race on this planet a stage has been reached when, through the rapid acceleration of science and technology, humans have acquired the power to transform their environment in countless ways and on an unprecedented scale.
The United Nations, aware that the protection and improvement of the human environment is a major issue, which affects the well-being of peoples and economic development throughout the world, designated 5 June as World Environment Day. The celebration of this day provides us with an opportunity to broaden the basis for an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by individuals, enterprises and communities in preserving and enhancing the environment. Since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in more than 100 countries.
“Beat Plastic Pollution”
Each World Environment Day is organized around a theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern. The theme for 2018, “Beat Plastic Pollution,” is a call to action for all of us to come together to combat one of the great environmental challenges of our time. The theme invites us all to consider how we can make changes in our everyday lives to reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution on our natural places, our wildlife – and our own health. While plastic has many valuable uses, we have become over-reliant on single-use or disposable plastic – with severe environmental consequences.
India, the host country
Every World Environment Day has a different global host country, where the official celebrations take place. This year it is India.
Les découvertes récentes de l’éthologie et de la science nous ouvrent un nouvel horizon de pensée : les animaux seraient intelligents, voire – dans certains cas – plus intelligents que les hommes !
D’après les promoteurs de cette journée, il s’agit d’une révolution scientifique, écologique, économique et philosophique qui mérite bien sa Journée Mondiale.
Quelle époque épique
Ce doit être un signe des temps, on retrouve à l’origine de cette initiative la journaliste Yolaine de la Bigne qui s’était fait un nom sur les ondes de France Inter avec une chronique souvent savoureuse « Quelle époque épique ». Elle est aussi la fondatrice de « L’animal et l’Homme » qui milite pour la cause animale et, notamment, la reconnaissance de l’intelligence propre aux animaux.
Souhaitons lui bonne chance dans ce nouveau combat et que la 1ère journée mondiale de l’intelligence animale ne reste pas une première !
The United Nations’ (UN) World Meteorological Day is annually held on or around March 23 to remember the World xMeteorological Organization’s establishment on that date in 1950. Many different activities and events are organized for this occasion.
Background
The International Meteorological Organization was established at the first International Meteorological Congress in Vienna, Austria, in 1873. The organization aimed to establish meteorological station networks. These networks were linked by telegraph and improved. This contributed to shipping services’ safety and efficiency.
The International Meteorological Organization became the World Meteorological Organization on March 23, 1950. It became the UN’s specialized agency for meteorology, operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences in 1951.
The World Meteorological Organization plays a crucial role in contributing to people’s safety and welfare. Its work is important in providing food security, water resources and transport. World Meteorological Day has been observed on March 23 each year since 1961.
Ça peut paraître étonnant mais c’est bien vrai:
il y a une journée internationale de la Bible.
La Bible – une vraie bibliothèque – recèle des trésors de toutes sortes.
David Minier nous guide pour en faire la découverte.
Les programmes de science nous donnent souvent des informations fantastiques!
En octobre 2016, la CBC parlait des corps célestes – non, pas les entités angéliques – mais les galaxies et les étoiles!
On affirmait que l’univers pourrait comporter entre 100 et 200 milliards de galaxies et chacune de ces galaxies pourrait compter 100 milliards d’étoiles!
Hier, (2 juillet 2017) un autre programme de culture scientifique (‘Les années lumières’, Radio-Canada Première) répétait ces données qui défient l’imagination!
Nous évoluons vraiment… parmi les étoiles!
Le Psalmiste ignorait sûrement ces statistiques mais sa louange était néanmoins bien fondée :
« Louez le Seigneur, tous les astres de lumière, louez-le cieux des cieux.
Qu’ils louent le nom du Seigneur! » (Ps.148 :3-4)
Sun Day (May 3, 1978) was designated by Jimmy Carter President of United States of America specifically devoted to advocacy for solar power, following a joint resolution by Congress. It was modeled on the highly successful Earth Day of April 22, 1970.
International Sun day has been celebrated over the past seven years on May 3, 2008. The day is sponsored and celebrated by NASA. Its Sun-Earth connection education forum organizes and coordinates events to highlight NASA Sun-Earth Connection research and discoveries. Sun-Earth Day is during the March equinox.
The celebration on the day is marked by the celestial events, such as total solar eclipses and the Transit of Venus, and Sun-Earth Day during the March Equinox. They participate in space science activities, demonstrations, and various interactive sessions and quiz with space scientists.
One of main goals of the day is to help scientists understand the interactions between the Sun and the Earth’s environment, which will definitely facilitate them to predict the Sun’s activity and motion, and thus, space weather conditions.