Month: July 2022

Bambi is a fan of Ms. Wendy El Hage! She has always known that she is very smart and beautiful both from the inside and out. One must also add that she is like a blooming flower with an old soul, so to speak, in terms of her inspiring maturity even at her young age.

Yesterday, Bambi discovered Ms. El Hage’s incredibly beautiful voice and she has been deeply moved by it. She also discovered her blog and writing in both English and Arabic (perhaps in French too?). She is still speechless. You can see her blog in the language of Shakespeare. For those of you who understand the Arabic language, you can read two of her poems below.

Thank you, Ms. Wendy El Hage, for being uniquely yourself and for your beautiful values. Bambi is proud to call you a relative and… a friend 🙂 ❤️. She will take the opportunity to add, if she may, bravo to your parents for raising their talented children the way they did. Please keep singing and writing. However, most importantly, please keep being who you are!

It’s 12′! Wine or Grine?

https://www.instagram.com/diwanybywendy/

Bambi would like to thank the multi-talented Pat from Montreal (Québec) for his superb pictures, which he kindly accepted to share with all of you. She is honoured by his generosity.

Bambi looks forward to a future interview-post devoted to Pat’s health-related professional talent :). Please stay tuned… but until then she hopes you will enjoy Lebanon’s beauty through his eyes!

Rania, Bambi is guilty of not asking you for the permission to post your beautiful picture on her blog as this post is meant to be a surprise :). Thanks for capturing the magical sunset moment in Beirut and for sharing it with your sister.

As for Beirut, what can we say about this unique place? It is surely full of CHARM but also of contrasts: As you can see, its sunrises and sunsets are two beautiful sides of the same coin of a stunning masterpiece. Its people are beautiful and sweet. Sadly, they have been struggling with their country’s multiple crises. How sad to see their Lebanon moving backward at a scary speed. In addition to a financial crash followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been devastating after-effects of a surrealistic port explosion, which remains unaccountable. As a result, there are unacceptable increasing power outages. The latter are a daily struggle in a tough winter, like the past one, and especially in hot and humid summers, along the coast.

To conclude this post, Bambi will say the following: bravo Rania for your talent and thank you Beirut for remaining beautiful. If she may, Bambi would like to offer Lebanon’s capital two songs: The first one in Arabic, subtitled in English, by the talented Mr. Ragheb Alama. As for the second French one, it is by the great Mr. Enrico Macias.

Yesterday eve, before closing her eyes to sleep, Bambi read about the deficit in Canada since 2020, about $410B (https://financialpost.com/opinion/franco-terrazzano-nothing-prudent-about-trudeau-governments-budgeting). Of course, the pandemic did not help, like in other countries, but the trend of overspending and deficit preceded the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pandemic or not, in times of ever increasing deficit, who needs useless and highly expensive bureaucratic positions in our federally regulated museums, in the name of an ideology called “diversity and inclusion”?

Indeed, thanks to Ms. Sophie Durocher for her thoughtful article on the topic that Bambi will translate for you below. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to put more funding and energy into increasing the capacity in the federal government’s Passport Office (https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/04/have-a-seat-canada-looks-to-ease-passport-lineup-crisis-with-801-new-chairs-00043927; https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2022/06/27/des-passeports-qui-ne-passent-pas) or into something concretely needed?

Anyhow, Bambi will stop here in order to translate Ms. Sophie Durocher’s article for you, with the help of her friend “Google Translate“. Her thoughtful article, published in the Journal de Montréal, is entitled “The Anti-racist Museum” [“Le musée anti-raciste“] (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2022/07/20/le-musee-antiraciste).

“I often tell you that “Diversity pays off”. I regularly talk to you about these highly paid positions, in the direction of diversity and inclusion, in the cultural sector (Telefilm, NFB, Radio-Canada, etc.). Well, the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), a federal Crown corporation, has just opened up a vacancy…and it takes the cake in terms of woke gibberish.

THE RETURN OF THE JEDI

On July 14, the NGC opened a position of “Director, Anti-Racism and Inclusion” which will report to the “Chief Strategy and Inclusion Officer” within the “Strategic Transformation and Inclusion Department”. But what will this job that requires 37 hours of work per week consist of?

“To support the preparation and implementation of the NGC’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (JEDI&A) Action Plan focused on eliminating racism and oppression “. Damn! The oppression! In 2022, in the world of museums, there is not only racism… but oppression!

But beware! That’s not all! Don’t think that our future “Director, Anti-Racism and Inclusion”, reporting to the “Chief Strategy and Inclusion Officer”, is going to twiddle their thumbs. He or she “must also work as part of the team responsible for implementing the NGC’s accessibility framework and collaborate with the Indigenous Pathways and Decolonization division. This collaboration should serve as a model of inclusive practice by adopting an intersectional lens.”

He or she won’t twiddle their thumbs, I’ll pass you a note. He or she “must also focus on eliminating systemic racism by determining meaningful actions that address all barriers and disadvantages.” We can say that he/she will have the work cut out, ladies and gentlemen! “This Director’s duties include, but are not limited to, developing organizational strategies, systems, programs, metrics, education sessions and training workshops.”

Training workshops? Sure ! This is why in the qualities and experience required for the position, it is specified that “having experience in training trainers is an asset”.

To complete the task, “in collaboration with senior management and various others, the incumbent must support and inform the decision-making process in order to improve and strengthen an anti-racism culture based on the principles of justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and cultural change”.

Don’t think that we’re going to hire just anyone for this strategic, and let me say neuralgic, position!

It takes someone who has “an excellent understanding of theories and practices of anti-oppression, decolonization, anti-racism, intersectionality, or of intersectional feminism; 7 to 10 years of experience with them; and the ability to put knowledge into practice.

Have you noticed ? This is a job offer for the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), the largest collection of works of art in the country. But nothing in the offer speaks of art knowledge…

IT PAYS OFF!

Will you be the rare pearl? You will have “a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package”. Competitive is an understatement. This position is paid from $90,961 to $123,067 per year. Oh yes. Our director should not be a victim of oppression”.

“C’est dans les choses simples que la vie prend tout son sens” [It’s in the simple things that life makes sense]. The latter is part of the simple yet deep lyrics of Mr. Nicola Ciccone’s beautiful song. Many thanks to this great artist from Québec for his inspiring talent, wisdom, sensitivity, humanity, and authenticity (https://www.nicolaciccone.com/).

He probably does not remember it, but Bambi is proud to have had the opportunity to sit next to Mr. Ciccone in one of her courses and to have had him as a peer in graduate school. She will always remember his genuine character and kind soul. She hopes he is happy in his life. If she may, she would like to thank him for spreading happiness and love to his broad audience, including women. Indeed, his compositions (both lyrics and music) are a richness into our lives and a pleasure to our ears :). We all love you Nicola Ciccone. Please keep singing and being productive!

In 17 days, Lebanon will mark the two-year anniversary of the surrealistic Beirut port explosion that killed about 220 innocent residents, injured over 6000 others (some of them are still in the coma), and caused destruction worth billions of US dollars in addition to the collective trauma.

Recently, the Lebanese authorities tried to destroy evidence at the port. Families of the victims tried to push back and criticize “their” so-called government. “Mysterious” port fire broke out in a grain silo and lasted for an entire week (https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2022/07/15/relatives-of-beirut-blast-victims-criticise-). government-response-to-port-fire/). Some attributed the fires to “the summer heat and fermenting wheat in the northern part of the silos“, as per the National.

As a reminder, the August 4, 2020 massive criminal negligence, and/or crime, remains unaccountable even after almost 24 months. This despite ALL the heroic efforts of Judge Tarek Bitar who is still facing SEVERAL “legal challenges and hampered by political interference” (https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/lebanon-beirut-port-explosion-victims-file-complaint-us-court) and who deserves a Peace Nobel Prize, to say the least.

Today, Bambi read in the Claims Journal the following promising piece of news: “Families of some of the victims of Beirut’s deadly port blast have filed [in Texas] a $250 million lawsuit against an American-Norwegian firm suspected of involvement in bringing the explosive material to the port, a Swiss foundation announced Wednesday” (https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/international/2022/07/14/311586.htm).

Always according to Claims Journal citing Accountability Now, this legal action “names U.S.-Norwegian geophysical services group TGS, which owns the British firm Spectrum Geo“. The latter is suspected to “had entered into a series of highly profitable but suspicious contracts with the Ministry of Energy in Lebanon… In 2012, Spectrum chartered the Moldavian flagged vessel Rhosus to come to Beirut while carrying 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate on board“.

Yes, you and Bambi read the above well: Ministry of Energy. This is the exact same apparently highly corrupt ministry (among other ones?) that has resulted in unprecedented power outages paralyzing Lebanon.

Bravo and best wishes to the families filing this lawsuit! For them and for Beirut, Bambi will end her post with Mr. Ghassan Saliba’s moving song featured on this blog in an older post, which is shown further below with her own English translation of its powerful lyrics.

—

Beirutis’ courage is inspiring!

Bambi is honoured to post her friend’s beautiful pictures from a Bed & Breakfast in Innisfil in Ontario, Canada. Thank you Carol for your generosity.

Before showing you Carol’s two superb pictures, here are two questions with short answers: (1) Where is Innisfil located? It is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on the Western shore of Lake Simcoe, South of Barrie and maybe about 80 kilometres North of Toronto; (2) Who is Carol to Bambi? Her dear and faithful friend whom she met for the first time in Toronto about 18 years ago. Bambi is blessed to have her in her life.

Last but not least, this post will end with two pictures of Innisfil, including one showing a stunning sunrise. This will be followed by three kids’ and youth songs offered by Bambi to you Carol. The first is about sunsets whereas the two others are about the beautiful province of Ontario, one in English and the other in French.

May you keep appreciating beauty around you Carol. Talking about beauty, as per Ms. Coco Chanel, “elegance is when the inside is as beautiful as the outside“. This means that you are the elegance itself, in addition to your inspiring humanity and talent. Thank you for being you ❤️. Happy weekend :).

According to CTV News, the Canadian province of “New Brunswick has protected roughly 420,000 hectares and expects to get to 700,000 hectares by April 2023, which Holland says that would be equivalent to about 19 Fundy National Parks” (https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/new-brunswick-announces-the-protection-of-another-100-000-hectares-of-land-and-water-1.5987785). Bravo! Lebanon needs a bit of New Brunswick in it today more than ever (https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/d/lebanon-news/654809/fire-breaks-out-in-roumieh/en) to protect its beautiful green land and water.

This being said, and as per 91.9 The Bend, a second piece of good news from New Brunswick, Canada, is a five-year development strategic plan with France launched yesterday “as part of celebrations surrounding France’s national holiday — Bastille Day” (https://www.919thebend.ca/2022/07/14/n-b-launches-development-strategy-with-france).

The underlying guiding idea of this beautiful New Brunswick-France initiative is to “expand recruitment to increase the number of Francophone immigrants“, always as reported by the 91.9 The Bend. The latter will consist of activities to raise awareness in France of the many tourist attractions in NB. As noble as the above seems to be, how could touristic sites secure jobs for newcomers, Bambi cannot help not to wonder? She is asking because, usually and as per a Lebanese old saying, “you stick to living in a certain place if you earn a living in it“.

Anyhow the New Brunswick-France strategy also aims to promote and market Acadian artists on the international stage. The latter is an excellent idea to help support the international career of Acadian artists. This being said, perhaps the most promising piece of information for new immigrants is the plan to” facilitate the credential recognition in priority occupations“.

Unfortunately, the 91.9 The Bend media article does not expand much about how NB plans to facilitate the recognition in priority occupations. Bambi was also curious about the priority occupations. What are they? This motivated her to quickly read the report produced by the government of NB, which announced this initiative (https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/iga-aig/pdf/canadian-francophonie-canadienne/france%E2%80%93nb-development-strategy-2022-2027.pdf). This report describes the five-year-long nine objectives cited in the media article above with key performance indicators for each one of them. Once again, good for New Brunswick, and best wishes to the potential future French newcomers!

Although it is reassuring to know that NB seem to have a will and a strategy to recruit more francophone immigrants, it is Bambi’s hope that the increasing bureaucratic federal delays/barriers will not unintentionally discourage those French-speaking (apparently economic) immigrants from choosing our province as their home. It would also be interesting to know how many of “the over 500,000 new comers to Canada per year” will be French-speaking. This question is naturally and particularly critical for the French-speaking province of Québec (https://icpimmigration.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4094:will-canada-welcome-over-500,000-new-immigrants-per-year&catid=85&lang=en&Itemid=1003).

To conclude this post on a musical note, here is Ms. Mireille Mathieu and Mr. Yves Duteil singing his lovely song ❤️ about the beautiful French language in North America. Thanks to both NB and our federal government for any efficient effort to keep protecting our second official language.

Bambi loves France to begin with. She also likes the “Douce France” song celebrating this country and the late singer interpreting it.

Sadly, Mr. Rachid Taha left our world too early. What a HIGHLY talented Algerian-born singer who also gave us “Ya Rayeh” as a superb artistic legacy. Bambi cannot listen to the latter song without thinking of her friend Peter in Toronto who was the first to introduce her and her spouse to this beautiful Arabic song.

Bonne Fête à la France :)! Yes, Happy Bastille Day to all Bambi’s French friends!

Thanks to the Warktimes for keeping us informed about municipal affairs in the Town of Sackville in the beautiful New Brunswick (Canada):

https://warktimes.com/2022/07/13/coun-bruce-phinney-hit-with-another-round-of-sanctions-under-sackvilles-code-of-conduct/

With all due respect to the peers of Councillor Phinney, to the residents of Sackville (i.e., locals, temporary, and/or those moving out of it), to our talented MLA, Ms. Megan Mitton, whether we agree with all her politics or not, Bambi cannot help not to comment on the article with the following words:

Councillor Bruce Phinney has earned NB citizens’ respect over the years because he is genuine, principled, and trustworthy. It is not surprising then that human and animal (i.e., deer) of Sackville have the utmost respect for his public ethics.

To hear about a second round of financial sanctions against him, while he is supposed to be relaxing with his family in another province, is shocking although not surprising. Imposing a training on a smart AND decent public servant like Councillor Phinney is insulting not just to his voters or supporters, but also to all those of us who still value decency in public life.

To conclude this post, Bambi cannot help not to be sarcastic as per the title of this post: Why do decent politicians have to be punished and those who indulge in criminal negligence in Beirut (blasts, systemic corruption, etc.) remain unaccountable?