Month: February 2023

Bambi would like to thank Louis for sharing the following two articles. The first is from the National Post and it informs us that an Ontario school seems to have lost its sense of love, due to much wokeism (https://bit.ly/3Y1GoNF). Yes, it is now banning Valentine’s Day because it harms “equity goals“. Luckily, the second article is more filled with love. It is from Al Arabiya News (https://bit.ly/3HSBtZP) and it informs us that celebrations of love, on Valentine’s Day, are now licit in a Saudi Arabia, which its historic radical Islamist way of living resulted in many years where shops where banned from selling flowers.

Good for Saudi stores now because they can sell flowers. Good for the Saudi people because they can now offer flowers to their loved ones. May love, and economic prosperity associated with this day, always prevail not just in this country, but around the world too!

As for the Ontario school, which banned cards and candies in the name of equity (i.e., because some do not celebrate Valentine’s day), Bambi would like to offer it two songs. The first is in English and it is the “I love you, you love me” kids’ song. The second French-song is entitled “Mais je t’aime” [“But I love you“]. It is a VERY romantic love duo song, which Bambi discovered last week. Thank you Mr. “Grand Corps Malade” and Ms. Camille Lelouche for making us think of of love and dream of its happy outcomes. If you are interested, you can read the English lyrics following the song below.

Is there anything more meaningful and beautiful than love in our world? Long live love in all its forms and shapes, whether on Valentine’s Day or not, whether with a big L or a small one, whether we are old or young, single or in a relationship. Yes, is there anything more meaningful and beautiful than love in our world?

“But I love you

https://bit.ly/3Y1IfSD

[Camille Lellouche]

But don’t give me that! You know,

What is wrong with me,

Don’t expect too much

You know, the estrangements are profound

Without me, don’t hold on too tightly

If you have any doubts , don’t hold on too tightly

If it costs you, don’t let me leave you

Even though I am sure of myself

I give you everything that I have,

So try to see in me that…

I love you

But I love you

I love you, I love you

I love you, I love you

I love you, as strong as I can

I love you, and I do my best

[ Grand Corps Malade]

I have been told “ wait!

You will see, love is a big fire.”

It sizzles, It illuminates, It shines, It warms ,It stings the eyes

It sends hundreds of fireflies up there to the sky

Suddenly it lights up and it sheds lights on the world and city differently

We lit the match for sparks of our beginnings

We fed this fireplace with our overindulgence, with our exaggerations

We loved each other more than anything, Alone in our own little world

These flames drove us crazy

We forgot that in the end, the fire burns

[ Camille Lellouche]

And I love you

I love you, I love you

I love you, I love you

I love you, as strong as I can

I love you, and I do my best

[Grand Corps Malade]

I approach very close to our fire and I am sweating with bitterness

I see these yellow and blue flames are dancing, and the passion is burning

Why when love is strong it makes us vulnerable and fragile

I think of us and I stagger, why since then nothing is easy

I love you on fire, I love you in gold

I love you anxiously, I love you strongly

I love you for both of us, I love you wrongly

It’s perilous, I still love you

Well it is true it pierces me

I love you ponderously, I love you wobbly

Of course, it devours me

I know so much that I love you poorly

[ Camille Lellouche]

If I move on with you

It’s because I see myself doing this dance in your arms

Expectations, I don’t have any

You give me so much love, so much strength

That I can no longer do without you

If my words hurt you, it is not your fault

My wounds are from yesterday, There are days which are harder than others

If my words weigh on you

It is not my fault

It is not my fault

But I love you

I love you, I Love you

I love you

I love you, I love you

I love you, as strong as I can

I love you, and I do my best ( you love me, and you do your best)

But, I love you ( I love you)“.

Twix, shown in the picture above, died at the noble age of 13.

He lived a LONG dog life filled with love and joy; thanks to you Dima who took care of him with such an inspiring care until his last breath. Thanks also to Rana and Jeff as well as Mary, Mounir, and Jad.

As you can see in the picture above, Twix was a bundle of joy, putting a smile on everyone’s faces, not just Dima’s, bu also her family members’ and friends’, including Bambi and her spouse.

He survived the Beirut explosion and enjoyed the peace of Moncton, New Brunswick, until he left our world.

He was fun and SO funny. He also knew his body and age limit very well. He kindly and joyfully greeted guests (humans and deer) and then alternated dog welcoming excitement with napping times, as needed.

Bambi will take this opportunity to thank all those who took care of Twix in the two chapters of his life, Lebanon and Canada, from family members to care providers. She will also name someone who also was there for him in the last moments across the miles. Yes, it is you Gina.

To come back to you Twix, Bambi was honoured to spend Christmas with you (OK with human friends too…!). Thank you again Dima for those unforgettable heart-warming moments and incredible meal. She sadly did not have enough time to see Twix/you since then, but he will always be in her heart. As for you (as well your family in NB and Lebanon), Bambi sends you all, and especially you Dima, a BIG virtual hug with much love ❤️! As you know, we are family too, not just close friends. Your sorrow is naturally her grief too. She looks forward to seeing you soon… “inshallah”; this time with one of us missing… because he is more happily resting in heaven.

How sad to see some individuals or organizations in Ottawa, our charming capital, pushing to make it look more like a banana republic when it comes to freedom of expression, democratic pluralism, and intellectual debate.

Indeed, several NGOs and interests groups, many of which are federally-funded, called for the cancellation of his talk. However, Mr. Rex Murphy informed us, in an article published in the National Post entitled “Goodness, gracious, Ottawa survived Jordan Peterson” of the following happy outcome: Dr. Peterson’s talk was a full house event at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa (https://bit.ly/3wO4TlF). Bravo for the successful public event!

Yes, Bambi described the outcome above as being “happy” because, like the friend who shared this article with her, she strongly believes in the value of freedom of expression. For her, it is very simple: you like to listen to Dr. Peterson, go to his public event(s). You do not like Dr. Peterson’s ideas or even character or whatever else related to him, do not go to his public event(s). However, for God’s sake do not impose your intolerance of different ideas on all of us. Do not make us more and more look like a banana republic than a free, democratic country.

Luckily, even countries at risk of becoming failed states or true banana republics, at least economically speaking, still have freedom of the press. For instance, An Nahar published an article entitled “Where every dollar makes the best gains; in Arabic: حيث يحقق كل دولار أفضل المكاسب. (https://bit.ly/3Yd5w3Q) co-signed by our own Dr. Jordan Peterson. Guess what? The article was professionally written. It did not include highly charged terms, like “a controversial professor”, as the Canadian mainstream media do. It only stated this professor’s name, title, credentials, and titles of books. It is up to people to decide whether they wish to read his text or any of his books. It is not up to the media to direct their thoughts into rejecting or endorsing his thoughts or findings. Why can’t we do the same in Canada anymore?

Luckily, to end on a more joyful note, Canada now has at least two provinces with either a bill (Québec, as shown below) or a promise for a legal action (Alberta; https://bit.ly/3RpMS6E) to protect academic freedom. It is both refreshing and absurd when we need governments to interfere to remind academics of the value of academic freedom and freedom of expression. Nevertheless, it is a move in the right direction, even if applications of bills may not be optimal in the end. Will it be enough and what is next for Canada? Only time will tell, of course. For now, Bambi wants to celebrate the hope for brighter days ahead.

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Supporting Academic Freedom: Bravo to Québec Minister of Higher Education for speaking out against censorship and discrimination in the universities of her province!