Month: August 2024

It is with a very heavy heart that Bambi learned today (well yesterday since we are past midnight) of the tragic death of DEAREST “AKH” Ahmet, or Mr. Ahmet Mohamad Ali, in London on August 29th (following ten days of hospitalization). He was on his way back to Canada from a family trip to Germany.

Both Louis and Bambi are speechless now… May your memory be eternal, dear Ahmet.

May God knows how to comfort your sweetest spouse “Okht” [sister] Ferida. Bambi’s heart goes to her ❤️, daring to imagine only one little drop of the ocean of her shock and sorrow.

Heartfelt thoughts to all your children, and grand-children, who are literally spread around the world, including Syria, Canada, Germany, and maybe Lebanon.

Bambi’s heart and mind are specifically with your son and daughter-in-law Abd (Abdel-Kadr) and Nadin, along with their little ones (your adorable grand-children) who reside in Ontario.

A warm thought, and lots of courage, to your daughter who lives in Germany. Bambi had the pleasure to speak to her once on the phone upon your arrival to New Brunswick a few years ago. May God fill her heart with peace. This being said, Bambi is happy because you saw your beloved daughter et al. after LONG years. Sadly, this precious family reunion ended up being a final good-bye.

Of note, your family members have an inspiring faith in their hearts. Despite their shock and sorrow, they seem to have already accepted the bitter reality (God or Allah’s will), perhaps also being reassured that you are now in a much more comfortable place.

Please know that everyone in Sackville, New Brunswick, shares their sorrow. Indeed, our small town is the place where your migration journey in Canada began. Despite your appreciation of Ontario and of being with your son and his family, you always had words of both love and gratitude for Sackville, especially for all those who welcomed you by opening both their hearts and homes for Ferida and you. They helped you in integrating and they supported you in moving out to be closer to your family.

Actually, Bambi does not know from where to start in offering her condolences: from the inspiring Reverend John and Dodie, along with all the members of their Sackville Refugee Response Coalition (https://shorturl.at/xzXVT), to perhaps others folks at Mount Allison University or in the Town of Sackville or from the United Church and the Presbyterian church with its devoted Reverend Jeffrey Murray and his wife et al. (perhaps also to other sister churches), and to the community at large. Bambi may have forgotten names or organizations now, but she sends her heart specifically to your dearest friends in humanity, the devoted Diane and David.

Warm condolences to your dear friends Suzie and Nizar et al.

Kind regards also to your caring friend and volunteering translator Khaldie. Same to the sweet Gloria.

Thoughts also to Sarah and to Aline for their care and support or involvement in the coalition mentioned above. Same to the the talented Diana from Amherst, NS, who speaks Turkish as well as Arabic, like you.

Bambi is also thinking now of ALL the smiling faces on the streets who used to move your heart with their kindness during your daily walks over the year spent in Sackville (to use your own words).

Same for all the Maritimers and Ontarians who opened their hearts for you/Ferida. Bambi is thinking of them now. She also salutes all the welcoming fellow Canadians who made you feel at home in one way or another, despite the challenges of migration.

Last but not least, and if she may, to all the paramedics, physicians, and nurses who have treated you in the UK until your last breath, Bambi will say thank you.

However, her biggest thanks will be for you, dearest Akh Ahmet for our beautiful friendship and for the lessons in humanity. Bambi had the honour to sometimes act as your translator, you and Ferida. This is how we became friends, almost like family. We kept being connected after you moved to Ontario, thanks to both WhatsApp and your loyalty.

Indeed, every Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, you reached out to Bambi. Year after year, she thinks of you when she decorates the house with an Easter bunny you kindly offered her. In turn, every Eid and Ramadan, she called you/Ferida. We also spoke between feasts and celebrations. The last time we spoke it was around Eid El Adha. You were in Germany and she touched base to tell you how happy she was for you to be finally united with your daughter. Through and thanks to you/Ferida, Bambi developed an enriching friendship with your daugher-in-law. Once again, may God comfort her aching heart.

On a lighter note, trust that Bambi will always think of you when she will listen to Turkish folk music and to the late and great Mr. Sabah Fakhri from Aleppo. When he died, you reached out to her to share the sad news because there was an internal joke between us about him. If she may, Bambi will now share it with her readers: Mr. Sabah Fakhri was a Syrian tenor, very fluent in the standard Arabic language. Once, Bambi was with you on the phone, translating some official documents. Her mind may have been tired then, she forgot how to say “Residence Permit” in Arabic, shame on her! The brilliant guy sitting next to her, yes Louis who does not speak Arabic, said out loud: “Ikama“. He got it right! We laughed so much about it that you decided that we should teach him how to sing like Sabah Fakhri :). You made Bambi laugh for several years with your cute joke.

The above was a spontaneous obituary of a great grand-father, dad, spouse, businessman in a second life, friend, community member, and… especially fellow Canadian, Bambi will use your own words. Yes, they still resonate in her spirit and ears, today more than ever. She recalls walking with you to your place and chatting about the wind on that day. Our conversation may have naturally switched to life, death, and war. The chat happened perhaps a couple of days upon your arrival to Canada. Yet, you said the following WISE and BEAUTIFUL terms: “Do not tell me what is your background, what is your tribe, or what is your religion. Just tell me whom you are as a human being because this is what matters the most in life“. Bambi recalls having told you: “Mabrouk/Congrats Akh Ahmet, you are now officially Canadian. Welcome to Canada“.

Thank you Akh Ahmet for your beautiful soul, lovely personality, sense of humour, and inspiring values of humanity, decency, and generosity of the heart. May your soul rest in peace. May your memory be eternal. May God comfort, protect, and bless your family and friends. One thing is sure: we will all miss you. We all love you. Thank you for having made our world, including Canada, Syria as well as Lebanon, a nicer place ❤️.

Bambi is happy that her blog is not linked to social media. Indeed, she manages it herself and no third parties are able to impose their guidelines on it.

This being said, despite her shock, she is not surprised to read Ms. Natalie Elgrably’s thoughtful article in the Journal de Montréal about censorship by Meta (https://shorturl.at/wWm9b). Thanks to Ms. Elgrably for addressing the important topic to many users of social media platforms around the world, not just in North America.

As a reminder, Meta is the company that owns/operates Facebook as well as Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp (https://shorturl.at/vS39o). Below, Bambi will translate Ms. Elgrably’s article, from French to English, with the assistance of her online faithful friend, Mr. Google Translate:

“Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, publicly admitted what many already suspected, namely that he practiced censorship at the request of the US government. In this case, it censored certain content related to COVID-19, including humorous and satirical posts, as well as posts relating to a New York Post article on allegations of corruption involving the Biden family.

The motivations behind this admission remain unclear. Only Zuckerberg knows whether this is an act of sincere contrition or a strategic maneuver to regain the trust of disillusioned users in the face of algorithms clearly complicit in an imposed discourse.

QUESTIONS

One thing is certain, far from clarifying the situation, Zuckerberg’s confession opened a Pandora’s box, releasing a whirlwind of troubling questions.

If Washington asked Meta to censor, is this the tip of the iceberg of a larger and more systematic influence? To which other media, social or traditional, did it address the same request? Who submitted to the government yoke to transform a tool for freeing speech into a weapon of massive repression?

We can also wonder what is the value of a social media platform that agrees to be a vulgar transmission belt for state-sanctioned speech. What confidence should we place in a vector of government propaganda which stifles any dissenting voice in order to better impose the doxa?

And if the American government has taken such an initiative, what about the Canadian and Québec governments? Are they guilty of the same authoritarian excesses?

CRISIS

By confirming that censorship has infiltrated our democracies, Zuckerberg has legitimized the crisis of confidence from which several platforms are suffering.

Fixing this crisis will require more confessions and, ideally, an independent investigation into the extent of state interference. Above all, the platforms will need to understand that censorship, and therefore betraying user trust, is not a viable business model in the long term!”

She does not know about you, but Bambi loves to listen to the radio, especially when she is working. This post is inspired by an online show she listened to yesterday on a Lebanese-American radio station. The topic of the radio show was around regrets.

Of note, the joint Beirut-based radio host reminded her American colleague and the listeners of the nuances in the French language, namely between the terms “regrets” (regrets) and “remords” (remorse). If Bambi recalls well, it was mentioned that regret would be more about an action (or perhaps an inaction?) that we regret, but could still repair somehow. As they both said, the repair must not take too long to occur as sometimes it may be too late. In contrast, remorse would be a guilt feeling when things cannot be repaired or changed. At least, this is what the Beirut-based host recalls from the lessons taught by her French teacher since her childhood.

Interestingly, one of these two wise hosts said that if we consciously aim not to respond too fast, perhaps when too activated by anger in a heated moment, we could perhaps be less likely to feel regrets later. An example that can illustrate the latter is now coming to Bambi’s mind: it is about a suggested temporary timeout, such as asking to have the important chat perhaps in a few hours or the next day. This delayed time can help both parties in calming down. To what extent do you agree with the statement, regardless of the example you might have in your own mind?

No, Bambi will not answer her own question :). She will just share the following with you: since yesterday, she has been curious about the topic of regrets and its linguistic nuances. She now checked the Office Québecois de la Langue Française (https://shorturl.at/z5et7). Imagine, this governmental office has a web page on the semantic differences among the terms “regret, remorse, and repentance” (French is followed by a quick English translation):

“Les noms regret, remords et repentir font tous référence à un certain sentiment d’insatisfaction ou de culpabilité, mais ils ont des particularités sémantiques. Le regret est un sentiment lié à la perte d’une personne ou d’une chose, le remords est lié à de la culpabilité, et le repentir comporte l’idée de la recherche de la réparation d’une erreur commise”.

“The terms regret, remorse and repentance all refer to a certain feeling of dissatisfaction or guilt, but they have semantic particularities. Regret is a feeling linked to the loss of a person or a thing, remorse is linked to guilt, and repentance involves the idea of ​​seeking repair for a mistake made”.

An example of a regret may be regretting not having visited a nice place, with a loved one, when we had the opportunity to do it perhaps when younger or healthier. Perhaps now it is it too late due to a physical barrier, lack of funds, or maybe the end of that relationship. Two other examples of regret could be the following: first, we might regret having harmed someone we care about with an attitude or an action. Who knows: perhaps repair is still possible in the future? Second, someone may resign from a position and write in a letter that this was done with “much regrets“.

As far as remorse is concerned, the latter may be related to a more pervasive feeling of guilt that can last very long, even a lifetime for some. An extreme tragic example may be the case of a driver or a boat captain who, for some reason, triggered a deadly crash.

Last but not least, repentance involves a sincere resolve to change. It usually translates in a changed thinking or behaviour. An example could be someone apologizing to a relative for having stolen money and paying it back.

To conclude this post, it is Bambi’s deep conviction that life is the best school, offering us opportunities for enriching lessons, even if the latter could be tough at times. Thankfully, we can all keep learning all our lives from our own mistakes and from others’. Yes, we can grow through life lessons, live in harmony or re-connect with our deep values while improving our discernment. Hopefully, this can help us in living fully, that is without any regret or remorse, but rather with self-respect, authenticity with ourselves and others, and a sense of personal responsibility.

Bambi has renewed her interest for tuna lately. Yes, it is very easy to cook and it is filling. You just throw the can’s product on your favourite salad :).

Bearing the above in mind, while being a seafood lover in general, she was fascinated when she read about the 385 kg (850-pound) bluefin tuna that Ms. Sarah Laundry caught (https://shorturl.at/rvZts).

This post will end with music, along with heartfelt thanks to both nature and all the professionals of the fishing industry. Bravo to Ms. Laundry and long live both her fishing talent and co-owned fish market (“La poissonnerie Gagnon“) in the beautiful Rimouski, which is located in Québec, Canada (https://shorturl.at/qu1sE)!

What do oceans and seas mean to you? And what about their faithful friends, the clouds?

Do they make you dream? How do they make you feel?

Regardless, may you have peace of mind and a rewarding week.

Dr. Mark D’Souza is a Canadian physician based in Toronto with extensive experience in addiction and chronic pain management. His medical practice, coupled with a lifelong passion for the humanities, provides a unique perspective on societal issues. He has published serial opinion editorials in Canada, and has had extensive local media exposure, including TV and radio appearances, and advocacy roles in healthcare organizations. Dr. D’Souza is on faculty at Queen’s University’s Department of Family Medicine (Kingston, Ontario).

Bambi is fond of Dr. D’Souza’s work. For those of you who may not know him yet, he is a much talented and caring physician, professor, mentor, critical thinker, and writer. He is also a devoted spouse and father. He is appreciated by everyone from family to friends to community members. Indeed, he is filled with an inspiring humanity, a reassuring decency, and an uplifting civility.

Bambi learned a lot while enjoying reading his “jewel” of book. Indeed, she was honoured to write words to publicly endorse it, as you can see below:

Before sharing her enriching interview with Dr. D’Souza, here is summary of his book that you can already pre-order from Amazon.ca (https://shorturl.at/WVKax) and Amazon.com (https://shorturl.at/n9sRB): “In the midst of unprecedented material wealth and technological advancement, a paradoxical crisis looms large – the crisis of meaning. “Lost and Found: How Meaningless Living is Destroying Us—and Three Keys to Fix It”, by Dr. Mark D’Souza ventures deep into this quandary, addressing the poignant disconnects of our modern era. As workplaces remain trapped in a cacophony of disagreements, the world witnesses an opioid crisis showing no signs of remission.

Drawing upon his extensive experience in medical practice and rich insights from philosophy, psychology, and literature, Dr. D’Souza traces this descent into chaos, marking Nietzsche’s assertion of the “death of God” as a pivotal moment in the annals of philosophical and societal thought. As the world grapples with the void left behind, emergent replacement religions—from climate alarmism to victimhood—attempt to fill the chasm, often adding to the turmoil.

However, “Lost and Found” is not merely an analysis of our past mistakes and present predicaments. It is a guiding light, illuminating a path forward. With compelling arguments for the embrace of free speech, a return to the grounding principles of traditional religions, and an appeal for personal responsibility, Dr. D’Souza provides actionable solutions for the individual and society at large. For those weary of today’s cultural malaise and eager to mend our world, this book is an essential compass, guiding its readers towards a more cohesive and meaningful tomorrow”.

The book’s social media, which can also be found on Dr. D’Souza’s website (https://shorturl.at/Qc5aM) are as follows: Facebook: MarkDSouzaMD, Instagram: markdsouzaauthor, Twitter: @markdsouza24.

Congratulations on your recent achievement, Dr. Mark D’Souza. Please keep sharing your thoughts and knowledge. Most significantly keep fostering critical thinking in your readers. Yes, please keep writing!

French-born Léo Ferré came to the world in Monaco on August 24, 1916 (and died on July 14, 1993). His parents were of French (dad) and Italian (mom) heritage. As for him, he was a great poet, composer, singer, and performer (https://shorturl.at/kyp1Z).

Among Ferré’s amazing musical legacy, there is as piece that stood up the test of time. Yes, it is “Avec le temps” [With Time], a song about the flight of a disappointed love and how time can erase everything (https://shorturl.at/Ui3kA). However, ironically, the passing time, since 1969-70 clearly did not make the beauty, and relevance, of Mr. Ferré’s famous song fade.

Thank you, Mr. Ferré for having existed. May your memory be eternal.

Regular readers of this blog may know that Bambi is into journaling, diaries, and dates.

How could she not highlight today then?

If she may, she wants to do it not with a song-prayer for her mom, but rather with a beautiful, and even joyful, song about living [called “Vivre”] by the talented Grégoire from France, subtitled in English.

She dedicates this song to her late mom (heaven) and to her dad (Beirut) as well as to her sisters and all the beloved family and faithful friends, especially to you dear Michael/Stéphanie on your first wedding anniversary, along with the tiny life on the way :)!

She offers the song to Nayla too on her birthday, yes today. Have fun dearest childhood friend of Bambi !

Yes, the same song also to Rony whose mom reached heaven on the same day as Bambi’s mother. May they both be resting in peace, with an eternal memory .

Last but not least, the song goes to Mary who rushed to the condolences for Robine, with her/our dearest Mounir, following her good-bye to her own mom. May her memory… as well as Mounir’s loving memory, be eternal .

Despite the sorrow, death is a natural part of life. As Mr. Grégoire’s song goes in the beautiful language of Molière, “yes, my friends, we will live and live fully, intensely… Forgetting that we are going to die“. His song’s lyrics also continue as follows: “Always live by telling ourselves that, apart from love, nothing is urgent… The rest is vain, inconsistent because one day we are going to die. But until then, we are going to live“.

Thank you mom as well as dad for Bambi’s life, roots, wings, and values, especially love (along with respect and trust).

As for your dear readers, whether regular or newer ones, thank you for your time spent on this post until its end. May you enjoy the song too, if you wish to listen to it. Have a nice day, evening, or night (depending on your time zone).

Bambi recalls the beautiful atmosphere of the gay prides in both Montreal and Toronto. When she was a student, her parents and herself attended one of these beautiful events in Montreal. They enjoyed the sunny summer day, along with the joy on the streets.

Over two decades later, we see such public events in Ottawa and Montreal, sadly hijacked by the cause du jour. This time, the cause is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (https://shorturl.at/3Ig17). Tomorrow, what would it be?

The irony in some of those virtue signalling about Palestinian (or anti-Israel) is that if they move to Gaza now out of solidarity, they would be mistreated by the intolerant Islamists there (i.e., Hamas et al.), perhaps even before, or at the same time, as they would risk being killed by the Israeli harsh shelling.

We learned yesterday that the Liberal Party of Canada finally opened its eyes and said no to further wokeism, this time related to the Middle East. A wise move, bravo… at least there is a ray of hope in the middle of our collectively insane times (https://shorturl.at/zIMQa).

The question that Bambi will ask once again: why are we bringing the issue of Israel and Palestinian to our summer festivals? Why are we allowing political opinions of some to divide joyful events that are meant for all?

Instead, why don’t we learn a lesson of tolerance from a beautiful Maritime organization like the Moncton Lebanese Association (MLA), which is “a non-political, non religious and non-sectarian organization” (https://shorturl.at/jdKBX). If the Moncton-based Canadians of Lebanese heritage have succeeded in eating and dancing together, with much fun, without politics and without religions (the MLA’s motto), what can pride organizations, or other Canadian organizations, learn from the MLA?

This being said, watching fun festivals hijacked by politics is TOO sad, but hearing of bomb threats to Jewish organizations across Canadian cities (i.e. Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver) is beyond sad. It is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! (https://shorturl.at/cn4Os; https://shorturl.at/UzMQ3)!

What is happening in Canada? Why are we now into a bomb threat against our hospitals, community centres, and places of worships like synagogues? Imagine one of your family members working at a hospital that has been threatened. Imagine one of your dear relatives sick at that hospital. Imagine your dad, mom, yourself, or a beloved friend who usually prays for peace at a synagogue now terrorized by fear. How is this acceptable?

Bambi strongly believes that threatening anyone of us is a threat to all of us. She says no to violence and intimidation toward Jewish organizations. Plus, how would attacking our OWN society’s values/heritage serve the Palestinian cause? Once again, Palestinians sadly find themselves used, and abused, for ideological purposes (despite the sincere concern of all those who are truly filled with humanity)? And why this continuous, blind, self-hate toward our beautiful Canada? Enough, please!

Maybe Bambi truly lives on a different planet, as her spouse sometimes teases her. Indeed, maybe Ms. Lydia Lion, the US-born singer, is famous and you happen to know her. However, Bambi just randomly discovered her, thanks to YouTube. What a double talent, in the languages of music and of Egyptian-Arabic.

From her biography, we learn the following about Ms. Lyon: upon graduating from Berklee College of Music (Boston, Massachusetts), she started her career first in the United States of America. From there, she performed abroad, namely in Australia and Italy among other places. She is currently based in the Netherlands. Of note, she began learning violin at age three (https://www.lydialyon.com/).

She does not know about you, but Bambi adores Dalida’s “Helwa Ya Baladi” [My Country is beautiful]. This late, yet eternal, singer would have surely been proud of Ms. Lyon. May the latter keep singing, enjoying a long and rewarding career. May she keep spoiling our ears!