Le tourisme responsable a le vent en poupe. Ses principes fondamentaux: avoir un impact positif sur les populations locales et réduire les conséquences de son voyage sur l’environnement. Comment en arriver à atteindre ce but? Parfois avec de l’argent, parfois avec du temps, mais surtout en faisant des choix éclairés.

Avant de partir en voyage, il faut prendre le temps de bien se renseigner sur la destination, les hôtels et les tours voyagistes qui privilégient le développement durable, où sont pris en compte les aspects économiques, sociaux et environnementaux. Voilà le premier conseil de Sylvie Rivard, blogueuse sur le site de tourisme responsable des guides de voyage Ulysse et éco-conseillère. «Ça demande davantage de préparation. Il faut surtout déterminer nos besoins au cours d’un voyage, qui varieront beaucoup s’il s’agit de notre voyage de noces ou d’un voyage en sac à dos», dit Mme Rivard.

Les renseignements cherchés, on peut les trouver bien au-delà des traditionnels guides de voyages. Sur l’internet, les blogues, les réseaux sociaux comme Facebook, par exemple, où les commentaires d’autres touristes peuvent s’avérer des sources d’informations intéressantes et pertinentes, surtout lorsqu’on sait qu’on partage une certaine vision du tourisme avec eux.

Penser vert

Quelques trucs simples permettent d’ores et déjà de devenir un touriste plus responsable. On peut compenser les émissions de gaz à effet de serre émis lors du transport en avion en faisant un don à une organisation qui a des projets de développement durable, par exemple Carbone boréal. L’organisme plante des arbres pour régénérer la forêt boréale. «C’est certain qu’il s’agit d’une façon de s’acheter une conscience, mais on ne peut pas arrêter de voyager. Au moins, ça permet d’investir dans des projets intéressants du point de vue environnemental», dit Mme Rivard.

Différents sites permettent de calculer les gaz à effet de serre émis lors de voyages en avion. Air France notamment propose à même son site internet un calculateur de CO2.

Un autre truc: utiliser la technique de l’étoile lorsqu’il s’agit de visiter une destination, note Sylvie Rivard. L’idée est donc de privilégier ce qu’il y a à voir dans les environs du lieu où l’on a posé ses valises, une façon d’éviter de longs déplacements supplémentaires. Mieux vaut alors ne pas parcourir trois pays en une semaine.

On peut aussi choisir, pendant son séjour, de dormir dans des hôtels qui possèdent des certifications environnementales. Elles sont nombreuses dans le monde, notamment Clé verte. «Aussi, les petits endroits qui ont peu de moyens, par exemple les auberges de jeunesse, font souvent du développement durable, parce qu’il leur faut faire le plus possible avec peu», dit Mme Rivard.

Pour trouver d’autres petits trucs à mettre en pratique, on peut se tourner entre autres vers le Passeport vert des programmes des Nations unies pour l’environnement (voir encadré).

La conscientisation a déjà fait son chemin dans les esprits des voyageurs, estime Julianna Priskin, professeure associée au département des études urbaines et touristiques de l’École de gestion de l’UQAM. «De plus en plus de gens se disent préoccupés par toutes ces considérations quand on les questionne dans des sondages. Toutefois, dans la réalité, ils n’agissent pas toujours en conséquence», dit-elle.

Quand ils ont un impact sur le prix à payer, certains choix ne suivent pas toujours les valeurs. Il n’est pourtant pas illusoire de croire que le touriste a un impact sur les pratiques de l’industrie touristique des pays en voie de développement. «Une fois que le voyageur d’ici exige quelque chose, il dit aux entrepreneurs: si vous voulez être concurrentiels, vous devez agir autrement», dit Mme Priskin.

sursa: http://www.cyberpresse.ca/voyage/dossiers/ecotourisme/201004/07/01-4267991-petit-guide-du-touriste-responsable.php

“Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine” écrivait le poète Apollinaire car au fil du temps la ville de Paris s’est construite autour de la Seine.

La chance de Paris est de n’avoir jamais été détruite, comme Londres, lors du grand incendie de 1666, ou Lisbonne, par le tremblement de terre de 1755. Paris a ainsi conservé l’empreinte du passé le plus ancien, comme dans le tracé de certaines rues par exemple, tout en intégrant dans ses quartiers des monuments et des constructions aux lignes audacieuses, comme la Tour Eiffel, le Centre Beaubourg ou la Pyramide du Louvre.

Paris s’est ainsi dotée tout au long des siècles de monuments prestigieux: de Notre-Dame de Paris, construite à partir de 1163, à la Bibliothèque Nationale de France, inaugurée en 1995, de nombreux monuments de toute époque de l’histoire de France symbolisent Paris.

La ville de Paris, véritable carte postale posée des deux côtés de la Seine, ne cesse de briller de mille feux. Que ce soit le 14 juillet, jour de la Fête Nationale, ou pour les fêtes de fin d’années qui voient toutes les avenues, la Tour Eiffel, l’Hôtel de Ville, et les Grands Magasins se couvrir de centaines de milliers d’ampoules pour illuminer Paris et en faire la seule vraie ‘Ville Lumière’.

Mais cette lumière qui fait rayonner Paris, c’est aussi celle de ses grands axes (avenues et boulevards) qui font rentrer la lumière dans tous les quartiers de Paris.
Cette organisation actuelle de Paris doit beaucoup aux travaux d’Haussman, sous le Second Empire. Le Baron Haussmann a fait percer la plupart des axes les plus fréquentés aujourd’hui, tels le Boulevard Saint-Germain, le Boulevard de Sébastopol,…et le Boulevard Haussmann.
L’image de Paris et de ses grands axes est liée à celle de l’alignement de beaux immeubles en pierre de taille (dits ‘haussmanniens’) de hauteur égale, le long d’avenues bordées d’arbres.
Depuis cette époque, les bâtiments de plus de trente-sept mètres de hauteur ne sont construits qu’après dérogation exceptionnelle et la Tour Montparnasse demeure depuis 1973 le plus haut immeuble de Paris.

Monuments et lieux touristiques

Les monuments les plus célèbres de Paris datent d’époques variées. Ils se trouvent souvent dans le centre et sur les rives de la Seine. Les quais de Seine du Pont de Sully au Pont de Bir-Hakeim constituent l’un des plus beaux paysages fluviaux urbains et sont d’ailleurs classés à l’inventaire du patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO. On y trouve notamment, d’est en ouest : Notre-Dame, le Louvre, les Invalides, le pont Alexandre-III, le Grand Palais, le musée du quai Branly, la Tour Eiffel et le Trocadéro. Plus à l’est, d’importants édifices contemporains ont été construits (le ministère des Finances, le site François Mitterrand de la bibliothèque nationale de France, etc.).

On trouve sur l’île de la Cité des monuments anciens emblématiques. La cathédrale Notre-Dame, de style gothique, principalement bâtie du XII^e siècle au XIII^e siècle, a été très restaurée au XIX^e siècle et sa façade occidentale nettoyée à la fin du XX^e siècle. Elle est symboliquement le noyau de Paris et les distances routières françaises sont mesurées à partir de son parvis. L’ancien palais de la Conciergerie fut le siège du pouvoir royal jusqu’au règne de Charles V, dans la seconde moitié du XIV^e siècle. Une partie du bâtiment fut dès lors aménagée en prison et fut notamment le lieu de détention d’illustres personnalités de l’Ancien Régime avant leur exécution, lors de la Révolution française. La Sainte-Chapelle, construite à proximité de la Conciergerie, est considérée comme un chef-d’œuvre de l’architecture gothique. Le pont Neuf, à l’extrémité occidentale de l’île et datant de la fin du XVI^e siècle, est le plus vieux pont de Paris en l’état.

Des monuments de style classique marquent également le centre de Paris de leur empreinte. La chapelle de la Sorbonne au cœur du quartier latin, a été construite au début du XVII^e siècle. Le Louvre, résidence royale, a été embelli au XVII^e siècle et plusieurs fois retouché par la suite. L’Hôtel des Invalides, avec son fameux dôme doré, fut érigé à la fin du XVII^e siècle dans les faubourgs de la ville par un Louis XIV soucieux d’offrir un hospice aux soldats blessés. Il abrite depuis le 15 décembre 1840 les cendres de Napoléon I^er et son tombeau depuis le 2 avril 1861^[132]. Le Panthéon, édifié quant à lui à la fin du XVIII^e siècle à proximité de la Sorbonne, est devenu sous la Révolution un temple civil où des Français illustres sont enterrés.

sursa: http://www.paris-city.fr/FR/paris-city/ville-lumiere.php

Esperanto is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto (Esperanto translates as – one who hopes), the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887. Zamenhof’s goal was to create an easy-to-learn and politically neutral language that would foster peace and international understanding between people with different regional and/or national languages.

Estimates of Esperanto speakers range from 10,000 to two million active or fluent speakers. Esperanto has native speakers, that is, people who learned Esperanto from their parents as one of their native languages. Esperanto is spoken in about 115 countries. Usage is particularly high in Europe, eastern Asia and North & South America. The first World Congress of Esperanto was organized in France in 1905. Since then congresses have been held in various countries every year with exception from the years in which there were world wars. Although no country has adopted Esperanto officially, Esperanto was recommended by the French Academy of Sciences in 1921 and was recognized by UNESCO in 1954. In 2007 Esperanto was the 32nd language that adhered to the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR)”. When counting Wikipedia articles, Esperanto is the 26th language. Worldwide, there are 6,912 recognized languages. Esperanto is currently the language of instruction of the International Academy of Sciences in San Marino. There is evidence that learning Esperanto may provide a superior foundation for learning languages in general, and some primary schools teach it as preparation for learning other foreign languages.

History

Esperanto was created in the late 1870s and early 1880s by Dr. Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof, a Belorusian-Jewish ophthalmologist from Bialystok, at the time part of the Russian Empire. According to Zamenhof, he created this language to foster harmony between people from different countries. His feelings and the situation in Bialystok may be gleaned from an extract from his letter to Nikolai Borovko.

After some ten years of development, which Zamenhof spent translating literature into Esperanto as well as writing original prose and verse, the first book of Esperanto grammar was published in Warsaw in July 1887. The number of speakers grew rapidly over the next few decades, at first primarily in the Russian Empire and Eastern Europe, then in Western Europe, the Americas, China, and Japan. In the early years, speakers of Esperanto kept in contact primarily through correspondence and periodicals, but in 1905 the first world congress of Esperanto speakers was held in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. Since then world congresses have been held in different countries every year, except during the two World Wars. Since the Second World War, they have been attended by an average of over 2,000 and up to 6,000 people.

Zamenhof’s name for the language was simply La Internacia Lingvo “the International Language”.

Reactions of 20th-century totalitarian regimes to Esperanto

As a potential vehicle for international understanding, Esperanto attracted the suspicion of many totalitarian states. The situation was especially pronounced in Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan and the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin.

In Germany, there was additional motivation to persecute Esperanto because Zamenhof was Jewish. In his work, Mein Kampf, Hitler mentioned Esperanto as an example of a language that would be used by an International Jewish Conspiracy once they achieved world domination. Esperantists were killed during the Holocaust, with Zamenhof’s family in particular singled out for murder.

In the early years of the Soviet Union, Esperanto was given a measure of government support, and the Soviet Esperanto Association was an officially recognized organization. However, in 1937, Stalin reversed this policy. He denounced Esperanto as “the language of spies” and had Esperantists exiled or executed. The use of Esperanto was effectively banned until 1956.

After the Spanish Civil War, Francoist Spain persecuted the Anarchists and Catalan nationalists among whom the use of Esperanto was extensive but in the 1950s, the Esperanto movement was tolerated again.

sursa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto

Sfintii 40 de Mucenici sunt praznuiti de Biserica Ortodoxa, in fiecare an, pe data de 9 martie. Acesti mucenici au trait in vremea imparatului Licinius (308-324), prigonitor al crestinilor. Sfintii 40 de Mucenici erau soldati crestini si faceau parte din Legiunea a XII-a Fulminata din Armenia.  Acestia nu erau doar romani de origine, ci si greci, amestecati cu armeni.

Afland despre credinta lor, Agricola, guvernatorul Armeniei, i-a silit sa se inchine idolilor. Deoarece au refuzat, au fost intemnitati timp de opt zile si batuti cu pietre. Prin semne divine au fost insa intariti in dreapta credinta. Dupa aceste chinuri, guvernatorul i-a condamnat la moarte prin inghetare in lacul Sevastiei. La miezul noptii, unul dintre cei 40 de mucenici, a iesit din apa din cauza gerului. Alergand spre baia calda, pusa de cei ce slujeau idolilor, a murit. Cei ramasi sa indure gerul au inceput sa se roage: “Ajuta-ne Dumnezeule, Mantuitorul nostru, usureaza-ne sarcina si alina iutimea vazduhului, ca spre Tine nadajduim, ca sa nu ne rusinam si sa cunoasca toti ca ne-am mantuit strigand catre Tine”. In urma acestei rugaciuni s-au petrecut mari minuni: apa lacului s-a incalzit, gheata s-a topit si 40 de cununi stralucitoare au pogorat asupra mucenicilor. Unul dintre soldatii de paza, uimit ca in miezul noptii o lumina din cer incalzeste apa si ca o cununa din cele 40, pogorate peste mucenici, nu are peste cine sa se aseze, s-a aruncat in apa, marturisind ca si el este crestin.

Pentru ca au fost scosi vii din lac, trupurile lor au fost arse si oasele aruncate in lac. Dupa trei zile, Sfintii s-au aratat episcopului Petre, cerandu-i sa-i scoata din apa. Crestinii le-au scos si le-au ingropat cu mare cinste.

Cei patruzeci de Sfinti Mucenici sunt: Chirion, Candid, Domnos, Isichie, Iraclie, Smaragd, Evnichie, Valent, Vivian, Claudie, Prisc, Teodul, Eutihie, Ion, Xantie, Ilian, Sisinie, Aghie, Aetius, Flavie, Acachie, Ecdit, Lisimah, Alexandru, Ilie, Gorgonie, Teofil, Domitian, Gaiu, Leonte, Atanasie, Chiril, Sacherdon, Nicolae, Valerie, Filoctimon, Severian, Hudion, Meliton, Aglaie.

Sarbatoarea crestina a Sfintilor 40 de Mucenici din Sevastia s-a suprapus peste inceperea anului agricol traditional si a generat o sarbatoare traditionala romaneasca, Mucenicii sau Macinicii. In credinta populara in ziua mucenicilor se incheie zilele babelor, lasand loc zilelor mosilor. De aceea, in aceasta zi se fac numeroase ritualuri de alungare a gerului, cum ar fi: lovirea pamantului cu bate sau maiuri, rostind descantece, pentru ca sa iasa caldura si sa intre gerul, sau jocul copiilor peste foc.

In ziua de 9 martie, in toate comunitatile rurale era obiceiul de a se scoate plugul la arat.

Dupa ce plugul era trecut prin foc de catre fierarul (faurul) satului, era reparat, curatat si purificat. Intre plugari se incheiau intelegeri pentru intovarasire la arat, iar in dimineata acestei zile plugul era scos in fata casei in mod festiv. Acesta era momentul ce deschidea, de fapt, ciclul sarbatorilor de primavara, presarat cu numeroase obiceiuri.

Patruzeci sau patruzeci si patru de mucenici?

Dupa traditia crestina, sfintii martiri au fost 40, dupa cea geto-dacica, au fost 44, atatea fiind si zilele dintre 9 Martie si 23 Aprilie. In unele zone, exista pana astazi credinta, ca acesti sfinti au fost 44. Folcloristul Simion Florea Marian a tiparit o legenda, din Fratautul Vechi – Moldova, unde se vorbeste de ziua celor 44 de Sfinti.

Particele din sfintele moaste ale celor patruzeci de mucenici se gasesc si la Manastirea “Sfantul Antim” din Bucuresti.

sursa: http://www.ziare.com/articole/sfintii+40+mucenici

The modern Mother’s Day is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in March, April, or May as a day to honor mothers and motherhood. In the UK and Ireland, it follows the old traditions of Mothering Sunday, celebrated in March/April.

Historical antecedents

Lamberts thought this day emerged from a custom of mother worship in ancient Greece, which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of Greek gods. This festival was held around the Vernal Equinox around Asia Minor and eventually in Rome itself from the Ides of March (15 March) to 18 March.

The ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, that was dedicated to Juno, though mothers were usually given gifts on this day.

In Europe there were several long standing traditions where a specific Sunday was set aside to honor motherhood and mothers such as Mothering Sunday. Mothering Sunday celebrations are part of the liturgical calendar in several Christian denominations, including Anglicans, and in the Catholic calendar is marked as Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent to honour the Virgin Mary and your “mother” church (the main church of the area). Children and young people who were “in service” (servants in richer households) were given a day off on that date so they could visit their families (or, originally, return to their “mother church). The children would pick wild flowers along the way to place them in the church or to give them to their mothers as gifts.

One of the early calls to celebrate Mother’s Day in the United States was the “Mother’s Day Proclamation” by Julia Ward Howe. Written in 1870, it was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. The Proclamation was tied to Howe’s feminist belief that women had a responsibility to shape their societies at the political level

International Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time in 28 February 1909, in the US, by which time Anna Jarvis had already begun her national campaign in the US. It is now celebrated in many countries on March 8.

Several quotes about mothers

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.  ~Tenneva Jordan

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love.  ~Mildred B. Vermont

A suburban mother’s role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after.  ~Peter De Vries

The phrase “working mother” is redundant.  ~Jane Sellman

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new.  ~Rajneesh

I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me.  They have clung to me all my life.  ~Abraham Lincoln

sursa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Day

While there are certainly many more varieties of English, American and British English are the two varieties that are taught in most ESL/EFL programs. Generally, it is agreed that no one version is “correct” however, there are certainly preferences in use. The most important rule of thumb is to try to be consistent in your usage. If you decide that you want to use American English spellings then be consistent in your spelling (i.e. The color of the orange is also its flavour – color is American spelling and flavour is British), this is of course not always easy – or possible. The following guide is meant to point out the principal differences between these two varieties of English.

Use of the Present Perfect

In British English the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past that has an effect on the present moment. For example:

I’ve lost my key. Can you help me look for it?
In American English the following is also possible:
I lost my key. Can you help me look for it?

In British English the above would be considered incorrect. However, both forms are generally accepted in standard American English. Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in American English include already, just and yet.

British English:

I’ve just had lunch
I’ve already seen that film
Have you finished your homework yet?

American English:

I just had lunch OR I’ve just had lunch
I’ve already seen that film OR I already saw that film.
Have your finished your homework yet? OR Did you finish your homework yet?

Possession

There are two forms to express possession in English. Have or Have got

Do you have a car?
Have you got a car?
He hasn’t got any friends.
He doesn’t have any friends.
She has a beautiful new home.
She’s got a beautiful new home.

While both forms are correct (and accepted in both British and American English), have got (have you got, he hasn’t got, etc.) is generally the preferred form in British English while most speakers of American English employ the have (do you have, he doesn’t have etc.)

The Verb Get

The past participle of the verb get is gotten in American English. Example He’s gotten much better at playing tennis. British English – He’s got much better at playing tennis.

Spelling

Here are some general differences between British and American spellings:

Words ending in -or (American) -our (British) color, colour, humor, humour, flavor, flavour etc.
Words ending in -ize (American) -ise (British) recognize, recognise, patronize, patronise etc.

The best way to make sure that you are being consistent in your spelling is to use the spell check on your word processor (if you are using the computer of course) and choose which variety of English you would like. As you can see, there are really very few differences between standard British English and standard American English. However, the largest difference is probably that of the choice of vocabulary and pronunciation.

sursa: http://esl.about.com/od/toeflieltscambridge/a/dif_ambrit.htm