Month: June 2024

“Identity Politics destroys the unity of a country” by David Hunt and Rima Azar in The Epoch Times, June 29, 2024): https://archive.is/cz1DJ .

“David Hunt is the Research Director at the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy.

Rima Azar, PhD, is a Senior Fellow at the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy, an Associate Professor of Health Psychology at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, and the Founder and Director of the Psychobiology of Stress and Health Lab (PSHL) there” (https://archive.is/cz1DJ OR https://shorturl.at/uVPsD).

Happy Canada Day ❤️! Bonne Fête du Canada ❤️!

Did you know that today is devoted to cameras in all their “forms”? Yes, it is National Camera Day (https://shorturl.at/J4Hj2). Bearing the latter in mind, Bambi is grateful to Brittany for her artistic skills in using her camera as well as for her generosity. Indeed, thanks to her friend’s lens, this post is devoted to the beauty of the Atlantic Canadian province of New Brunswick (NB). Of note, the eleven pictures and two videos, shared below, were taken in the region of Alma (Fundy-Albert; https://shorturl.at/3lN4z), Crooked Creek river (https://shorturl.at/rD8t0), and in Quiddy Falls (https://shorturl.at/MDTbT). This post will end with The New Brunswick Song by the talented Mr. Ethan Ash and Mr. James Mullinger. Thanks again and happy Canada long weekend, Brittany :)❤️!

Many thanks, and bravo, to the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy for the much needed mini-documentary shown below, which is entitled “George Orwell comes to Canada: Is our history heading for a 1984-style memory hole?“. This clever video ends with “three ways on how to help other Canadians restore reason and sense in Canada“.

Bambi is proud to have contributed a chapter to the book mentioned at the end of this mini-documentary, namely: “Azar R (2023). I know what Identity politics does to a nation: I’m from Lebanon. In M Milke (Ed.). The 1867 Project. Why Canada Should be Cherished_Not Cancelled. Calgary: The Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy”. 

Bambi will spare you a City News Montreal video showing protesters trying to topple down Queen Victoria’s status two nights ago. Instead, she will only share a picture, with the following absurd slogan (in English, not in French, mind you): “Peace is the white man’s word. The word resistance is ours“.

On which planet does the person who came up with this slogan live? Although it is a planet of activism (i.e., regardless of the cause du jour), it does not seem to be a planet of reality, nuances, common sense, and… humanity, despite any good intention.

This being said, may God/Allah/G-d/Gods/No God (pick the word you wish; they all apply) of love have mercy on the Middle East, and all ongoing armed conflicts, to protect ALL the innocent citizens caught in the middle of unwanted violence. May peace prevail. May love triumph… and may everyone be safe and sound.

As for Montreal, Québec, and Canada, may common sense know how to find its way back to them again. It is about time.

A couple of years ago, Quebec Deposit and Investment Fund (in French: the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec ou la CDPQ) was the target of much social pressure, and even shaming, to divest from companies related to fossil fuels in the name of climate emergency (https://shorturl.at/DeUvf) ). Today, the same network of people are busy occupying Montreal public streets with their so-called Pro-Palestine tents to put pressure on the CDPQ to divest from companies they say are closely, remotely, or vaguely related to Israel. What would be the next cause du jour, following the Middle East and climate emergency, Bambi cannot help to wonder ahead of time?

These demonstrators, shown in the City News video below, seem to be unable to have a wider vision, contrary to their fellow citizens who have been on the job market for more years (maybe even more than their ages). They seem to be too fixated on the idea of boycotting or divesting from this or that, that they do not seem to care if they are lacking empathy and/or common sense. Instead, they impose their own morality on the rest of the population. Is this fair to their hardworking fellow citizens and tax-payers, including maybe their own families?

One cannot help not to wonder why they seem to insist on pushing their idea that far, without considering its potential effect on society in the longer term. In other countries like Lebanon, Syria, or maybe Palestine that they speak in its name, hyperinflation ridiculously devalued people’s pensions (i.e., no purchasing power to even buy food). Why do we keep pushing for more taxes or less opportunities for investment and growth in the name of a virtuous cause du jour?

Regardless, in an attempt to try to help these demonstrators achieve their goal fast, while preventing future similar campaigns and crises, Bambi has a suggestion to the CDPQ for a simple solution: please open an investment fund account for the demonstrators. You may even perhaps call it “Le fonds d’investissement pour les causes du jour” (or Investment Fund for the Causes du Jour in English). Let citizens who want to invest in it, like them, be absolutely free to be as socially virtuous as they wish in the management of their finances and in their poorer retirement. However, for God’s sake, let their fellow citizens remain free in their investment choices without shaming them in the name of this or that cause du jour. After paying much taxes and now living with more housing expenses, the least would be to allow them to be able to still enjoy a financially stable retirement. Yes, they deserve to live with a decent quality of life.

To conclude this post, Bambi has a burning question for Mayor Valérie Plante: how come homeless people cannot have encampments in public places in Montreal whereas these demonstrators can? In other terms, why the double-standard? And what is next for the beautiful yet troubled Montreal? Merci.

Happy Birthday, dearest Sally. Thank you for being yourself and for regularly enriching this blog with your comments. With love, Bambi wishes you a great day/year.

As for you Jeannot (or Jean) and Jean, Happy Name Day and best wishes from Bambi who is thinking of both of you.

This being said, now is the time to wish all the Francophones of North America, including those in Atlantic Canada and especially Québeckers a Happy Saint-Jean. As for you, beloved Québec, “Bonne Fête Nationale” .

For those of you who do not know it yet, Bambi loves the province of Québec a lot that her brain feels that she has a long weekend (even without the latter). Indeed, she has felt like this on every June 24 for the past twenty years. Yes, our brain is not only a complex but also a strange organ sometimes :). Who knows? Maybe Bambi’s brain is simply being like Québec’s slogan: “Je me souviens” [I Remember]!

This picture shows a scene, which is starting to increasingly smell like our collectively insane times during the violent demonstrations in the name of BLM. Where is Ms. Valérie Plante to react to this vandalism at Square Victoria? How sad it is to, once again, use the Palestinian cause to destroy our beautiful Montreal and Canada. Enough of violence in Canada, this time in the name of the Middle East.

First of all, thanks to Nayla from Montreal who kindly told her friend: “Bambi, do not forget to wish your dad a Happy Fathers’ Day tomorrow!“. Indeed, Bambi celebrated her dad Antoine (and with him, all the dads) on this blog on the Canadian Father’s Day, as shown further below. Without her friend’s warning, she would have forgotten that this special day is highlighted in their birth country on June 21st. The latter coincides with the start of the summer whereas Mothers’ day is celebrated with the start of the spring. How clever, even if every day is worth celebrating parental love.

Bearing the above in mind, only a few days following the past June 21st, Bambi is devoting a post to share with you all a moving and uplifting text written by Roula to honour her/their dad. Roula posted her tribute on Facebook and kindly shared it with sister abroad because she is not on social media.

The first text in bold is the English translation of Roula’s original French piece, which will follow it. If you happen to be able to read the French language, please check Roula’s beautiful writing [there is a reason she is an inspiring author and journalist :)]. In all languages, including Arabic, this is our father Antoine indeed. Roula described him so well in just a few words. What a dad! Bambi will add: What a daughter too! Much love to both of you, Antonio (or baba/papy) and Roula as well as Rania (Bambi’s other wonderful sister)… et al. ❤️.

“How can one talk about him without falling in the trap of repeating empty words, which could lose their meaning after being expressed here and there? How to do it without risking to transmit an image that falls short of reality?

One possibility would be to try to do this by recalling three of the countless actions he took over the years to protect my mother, my sisters, and myself.

It was he who pretended to have a stomach ache to secretly mourn the death of my maternal aunt during the siege of Ashrafieh [= Beirut] during the civil war, in order to obtain more details before announcing her death to my mother and spare her uncertainty.

He was the one who, despite having an impending heart attack, didn’t say anything because I had an exam at the university the next day and he didn’t want to worry me.

It was he who, last year, on the eve of Mike’s wedding, waited four long days before telling us that my mother had disappeared so as not to spoil the wedding, which was taking place outside the country.

He is generous in the noblest sense of the word. He is intelligent. He is fair. He is ambitious. He’s courageous. He is altruistic. He is friendly. He is human.

To say I love him is an understatement. In fact, we tacitly understand each other. He knows, without me having to say it, everything he means to me.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad”.

«Comment parler de lui sans tomber dans le piège de répéter des mots creux qui, à force d’être utilisés à tort et à travers, ont perdu de leur sens ? Comment le faire sans risquer de transmettre une image en deçà de la réalité ?

Une possibilité serait de tenter de le faire en évoquant trois des innombrables actions qu’il a entreprises tout au long des années pour nous protéger, ma mère, mes sœurs et moi.

C’est lui qui a prétexté un mal de ventre pour pleurer en cachette la mort de ma tante maternelle durant le siège d’Achrafieh pendant la guerre civile, afin d’obtenir plus de détails avant de l’annoncer à ma mère et de lui épargner l’incertitude.

C’est lui qui, malgré une crise cardiaque imminente, n’a rien dit parce que j’avais un examen à la fac le lendemain et il ne voulait pas m’inquiéter.

C’est lui qui, l’année passée, à la veille du mariage de Mike, a attendu quatre longs jours avant de nous annoncer la disparition de ma mère pour ne pas gâcher le mariage qui avait lieu à l’extérieur du pays.

Il est généreux au sens le plus noble du terme. Il est intelligent. Il est juste. Il est ambitieux. Il est courageux. Il est altruiste. Il est aimable. Il est humain.

Dire que je l’aime est un euphémisme. En fait, on se comprend à demi-mot et il sait, sans que j’aie à le prononcer, tout ce qu’il représente pour moi.

Bonne fête des pères, papa”.

—

With much gratitude for her father’s unconditional love, Bambi sends a warm regard to him… and to all the great dads of the world, including those in heaven or the parents-to-be!

With much relief, Bambi learned today from L’Orient Today (https://shorturl.at/RVdUa) and L’Orient Le jour (https://shorturl.at/p9ZZC) the following: Mr. Toomoj Salehi who was sentenced to death penalty by the revolutionary court of Isfahan for “corruption on Earth” will not be killed (i.e. decision overturned).

Thanks to all those who defended him, from his lawyer to his peers in Iran, to “independent experts” of the United Nations (UN), and to supporters around the world, including Toronto, Paris, and Sydney (https://shorturl.at/p9ZZC).

Even a Sackville’s deer, called Bambi, joined her voice to all those denouncing this injustice described in more details in the older post shown further below.

What an artist/man of courage and dignity! With the “Mabrouk” song and with his own voice, Bambi congratulates Mr. Salehi and his family. May they be reunited as soon as possible. May he be (truly) safe and free in order to begin his healing journey, following a LONG and likely highly traumatizing stay in prison.

—

Mr. Toomoj Salehi: Bambi denounces your sentence to death for having supported Iranian women and people!

This posts shares the story of a van belonging to Mr. Ezra Levant’s Rebel News and it involved a successful businessman and philanthropist of Lebanese origins, called Mr. Mohamad Fakih.

Bambi recalls the name of the latter well. He did a generous act following the tragedy of the mosque shooting that took place in Québec city a few years ago. Mr. Fakih kindly paid for the fees of the funerals and helped repair this place of worship (https://shorturl.at/RVkHD). Bless his heart for this gesture of love and healing. Years later, he helped with the crisis of homeless people in his charming Toronto, along with a certain Ms. Jennifer Evans. Bless their hearts for this gesture of solidarity and love (https://shorturl.at/Qd4RZ).

During the recent war Hamas-Israel, Mr. Fakih got too passionate about this conflict, like many fellow Canadians to the point of sadly sounding antisemitic. He wrote on social media: “we don’t want your money. Please don’t bring us blood money.” (https://t.ly/WiTMD). How sad to become disconnected from one’s humanity because of a conflict at the other side of the planet. How unwise to also forget about one’s business interests.

Despite this, Bambi can understand that he may have been too blinded with his anger. It happens. At least, on January 27, 2024, he reconnected with his humanity again and tweeted the following: “Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, I encourage members of my community and all Canadians to learn more about the Holocaust- the murder of 6 million Jewish people. Canada is still home to just over 5000 survivors. May the lessons of the holocaust endure past the lifetimes of the last survivor in this country”.

Another of his tweets seems to be human too (assuming he is sincere and not saying what needs to be said to sound fair): “I encourage all my friends to read this and disseminate it far and wide. Charles, May God bless you for writing this. I want you to know that the hostages held in Gaza are also not forgotten by me and those killed on October 7th are not forgotten by me. Netanyahu and his coalition are a blight on humanity that need to be called out by all” (https://t.ly/vw0b8)

In the van story described in Mr. Ezra Levant video below, and reported in all the mainstream media, including the Toronto Sun (https://shorturl.at/n4nhT), we get to see the “hypocrisy” in action: some speech seems to be tolerated, even when occupying university campuses or intimidating Jewish students or folks. Other speech is called Islamophobia.

Maybe Mr. Levant likes to provoke a bit, but he is also speaking in the name of a silent majority. Maybe he does not show all the nuances when he calls all the demonstrations of Toronto as Hamas supporters. Some maybe walking in them not knowing that they are supporting Hamas’ interests or Islamists’ interests. Of course, we also see Hamas and even Hezbollah flags. We sadly see lots of intimidation toward Torontonians of Jewish heritage, as per the video shown below.

Now, what is the role of Mr. Fakih in all this? He offered $25,000 to find the owner of the truck. Mr. Levant is now accused of hate speech and it is considered as a crime. He risks 2 years of jail. Why, can someone tell Bambi? Why doesn’t he have the right to express an opinion, whether his own or by a third party group calling itself “Canadians Opposed to the Occupation of our Streets and Campuses“, on Islamic prayer sessions in public spaces?

We may agree or not with the latter opposition to public prayer. So what? What’s the big deal, even if he said “this is not Yemen, Syria, or Lebanon, this is still Canada. Wake up Canada. You are under siege” or something like that. In Lebanon, contrary to Canada, we are still allowed to express an opinion similar to this one toward any religion. We may find the Christian processions on the street too much. We may find the Muslim call for prayer a nuisance. Bambi happens to be someone who loves the latter from a spiritual and artistic point of view. She comes from a family who has always loved this beautiful ritual. However, she can understand the point of view of Mr. Levant, especially when prayer seems to be used in a public place as a social provocation. What she loves about Canada is that prayer is in your heart. You want to pray, you are free. You do not want to pray, you are free too. Let’s not impose our own prayer on others. Let’s keep it private because it is too precious.

This being said, good luck Mr. Levant in your legal fight. Bambi will make a donation to support you because she believes in freedom of expression for ALL.

As for you Mr. Mohamad Fakih, Ms. Amira Elghawaby (or Trudeau’s government) (https://t.ly/Exgzm), Toronto police and Toronto Mayor, maybe this story seems to be Islamophobic, but even if it was for real, since when is it a crime to express one’s opinion? It is just anti-religious and expressing an opinion about the rise of “Islamism” in Toronto as it is in Montreal and in Europe (not Islam per se!). So what then? Where is the problem? It is a fact and why don’t we discuss it as a society?