Month: November 2021

Lebanon’s residents, 60+ are now receiving their third (booster) dose of Pfizer vaccine after receiving an automated message to register for an appointment (https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/d/news-bulletin-reports/614688/people-aged-60-and-above-to-receive-third-dose-of/en; https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1280090/le-liban-ouvre-la-voie-a-la-troisieme-dose.html). The vaccination registration rate for the first two doses has been of 52.8% (of which 34,1% already got their first dose and 30.1% their second one).

Vaccination is highly encouraged in Lebanon through education. However, it is not mandatory. Bambi is relieved to know that her parents will receive their booster dose tomorrow (as they just turned 60… OK this is meant to make them smile if they are ever reading this post :)).

Sadly for them (and for Bambi), and as shown further below in older posts, they lost many close ones because of the coronavirus. Some of their friends were not as lucky as them. They lost their lives before the development of the vaccines :(. Another loved one chose not to be vaccinated even if he was in a risky age group. Sadly, he died. However, no one ever shamed his family or blamed him for his death, like we sadly are doing in our supposedly more civilized countries. Everyone mourned with his family and keeps asking about his wife who was luckier than him (may she get well soon). May the memory of those who left us/their loved ones be eternal.

As for Lebanon, it is surely a land of contradictions. One one hand, the government is unable to protect its people from ammonium nitrates or from regional forces taking this country in one direction or the other. On the other hand, even without a functional government and without public funds, Lebanese people do receive their vaccines in a timely manner, perhaps even ahead of other wealthier counties. Bravo to all those making this happen. Bravo to the Ministry of Public Health that seems to be operating on its own in its country. Bravo to its good collaboration with all healthcare centres, public and private; all this in awful living conditions (lack of gas, power, etc.).

To conclude this post, it is Bambi’s hope that her birth country will know how to protect its people from large diplomatic crises (especially the current dispute with Gulf countries), not just from tiny viruses.

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Bambi’s earlier posts:

Dearest Khalil Smeira, beloved friend & Professor of French Literature: “Ce n’est qu’un au revoir cher ami de Bambi, ami de son papa… et papa de ses quatre amis”!

Mr. Raymond Tabet, an inspiration to all those who crossed paths with him, including Bambi and her family

Thank you Judge Tarek Bitar…

Our world elites, many of whom flirt with wokeism, are currently meeting at COP26 in Glasgow in the UK.

As a reminder, wokeism is a modern form of sectarianism, which pretends to hold a monopoly on morality. It is like a movement of neo-puritanism that speaks in the name of minorities (including disabled people). It cancels people or censors books, movies, or events when they question its orthodoxies (even by simply bringing some nuances, etc.). It becomes racist and discriminatory, of course in the name of anti-racism and justice.

Now, COP26 is the hub where the world’s elites are meeting to save our planet… yet they are not even able to welcome the Israeli Energy Minister, Ms. Karine Elharra, who is in a wheelchair (https://nationalpost.com/pmn/environment-pmn/cop26-was-inaccessible-for-israeli-minister-in-wheelchair).

How can they pretend to be those who will efficiently solve climate change, if they are not even able to simply ensure a prompt access to a minister to their venue to join her voice to others’ in order to find collective solutions to the problem?

All what this minister wanted was to take part, like her peers, in the joint effort to advance solutions to climate change? Indeed, to use her own words, “I came to COP26 to meet my counterparts in the world and advance our joint struggle against the climate crisis… It’s sad that the United Nations, which promotes accessibility for people with disabilities, in 2021 doesn’t worry about accessibility at its own events.”

According to the National Post article above (based on Reuters), “the British ambassador to Israel, Neil Wigan, apologized for the mishap“. Nice of him to do so. Let’s hope lessons will be learned for future editions of this UN summit or others, especially when they brag about the so-called “diversity and equity” (https://www.2050.scot/events-listings/equity-and-diversity-at-cop26).

To conclude this post, it is Bambi’s hope that trendy yet empty slogans (like diversity, equity, inclusion or whatever else that may replace this one in the future) will be genuine, that is concrete. Not just empty slogans… or not just “blahblahblah“, to use the words of a famous COP26 participant, Ms. Greta Thunberg :).

Well in Canada, when posing for a picture, even outdoors, they are masked.

However, when they are abroad in a room filled with people from all over the planet, all of them responsibly masked, our Prime Minister and his colleague, Mr. Steven Guilbeault, are the only ones non-masked.

Plus, in Canada, in some municipalities and some provinces, masks are mandatory by law for public servants (https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/mandatory-masks-1.5615728).

However, it seems that this health-measure works only for those public servants who are not at the top of the hierarchy.

Of course, Mr. Trudeau is always more important than laws, ethical rules, and us the little people.

At least, his is true to himself… His attitude/behaviour has a name: elitism (and no it is not much better than populism).

This beautiful song has stood the test of time.

Indeed, it still sadly VERY relevant for all the world, that is not just for Lebanon and for the powerful forces of the Middle East and beyond.

If Bambi is not mistaken, the music of this old song was composed by Mr. Ziad Rahbani for his mother Fairouz during the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990), precisely in 1981. The lyrics are the wise words of Mr. Gibran Khalil Gibran (thanks Mary for the clarification).

The lyrics are in standard Arabic with sub-titles in English.

Thank you Fairouz for your powerful message of peace. Is anyone listening and reflecting?