Is there anything more apparently absurd than such a ban?
Indeed, why are we keeping children from watching Snow White in movie theatres?
What would this imposed ban practically achieve? And where do we go from there?
Would a cultural boycott be extended, may God forbid, to health bans of generic drugs for chronic health conditions or to promising medical inventions, including the recent development of the “first-ever blood test for early detection of Parkinson’s disease” (https://tinyurl.com/frp67st2)?
So, with all due respect, why this hypocrisy? And why the stupidity?
Beyond culture or public health, how can the badly needed peace be achieved in the Middle East if we keep resorting to narrow-minded political decisions like this one?
Today’s post is made possible, thanks to Salome’s uplifting talent and generosity 💚. Many thanks to her for sharing the magic of spring in her charming country. May the Dutch blooming flowers remind us of the beauty of life. Perhaps most significantly, may they inspire each one of us to: (1) nurture our inner beauty; and (2) welcome and cherish others’ unique beauty.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A picture taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
A video taken by Salome in the Netherlands.A video taken by Salome in the Netherlands.
To err is human (“l’erreur est humaine” in French).
Stated differently, everyone makes mistakes from time to time.
Of course, not two mistakes are the same. Some are are much more substantial than others. Sadly, some can be fatal.
Yet, we all make errors. It is what makes us human.
Yes, making mistakes is part of being human. After all, we are neither robots nor God, thank Goodness. Life would be too boring had we been perfect or automated.
Imagine, how rigid we would be without any opportunity to learn, grow, repair, and maybe laugh at ourselves or with beloved ones, after mutual forgiveness.
She does not know about you, but Bambi refuses perfection in life. She does not take herself too seriously. She prefers to aim for authenticity and for excellence, as needed [OK maybe not in some activities like cooking :)].
When it comes to her own mistakes, she tends to easily acknowledge them, with self-compassion (and even with humour, as needed). She prefers this over self-blame. In other terms, she takes responsibility for her mistakes. For instance, she can apologize or offer a solution to correct, or maybe mitigate, the error in question.
Who knows? Maybe this is inspired by the rubber erasers of her childhood, to delete ink or pencil errors/marks, and to move on… to the next mistake :).
What about you? Do you tend to be perfectionist or too hard on yourself? Is your self-talk too critical or, maybe worse, do you think it is your fault if someone treats you poorly in life (https://tinyurl.com/4x8z82dk)?
It is Bambi’s hope that, regardless of any mistake in your journey or relationship, you will try to discern what belongs to you (i.e., your responsibility for your own behaviour and decisions) and what belongs to others (ie., their own accountability, if any, for their behaviour and decisions). This practice may bring fairness to all. Who knows? Perhaps it can also strengthen meaningful relationships or social connections.
This being said, Happy National Rubber Eraser Day to you, dear readers, tomorrow (https://tinyurl.com/bdsuybze)!
First, Happy Palm Sunday to those of you, dear readers, who may be perhaps celebrating this day, which falls a week before Easter.
Second, thank you, Mr. Mario Dumont for your column in the Journal de Montréal, which sadly informs us that Canada’s Debates Commission seems to have turned its back to rigour once again (https://shorturl.at/qDDPP). Below is a quick English translation, with the assistance of Mr. Google Translate.
I surprised a few people by explaining in a previous column that Canada has a Debates Commission. For those who missed it, there is indeed a full-time organization in Canada whose mandate is… to organize two debates every four years. What they do with their days the rest of the time remains a mystery.
At the very least, to justify the use of your tax dollars, you can tell yourself that in this country, debates are organized to perfection. With civil servants working on them for four years, can we expect anything less?
Bad news: the Commission has been completely misled this year. One party has secured a platform in the debate by seriously putting the members of the infamous Debate Commission to sleep. Let’s be clear: the Green Party of Canada cannot and should not be invited to this debate under the stated rules.
Clear Rule
Here’s the rule: to be invited, a party must meet two of these three criteria: have at least one MP, obtain 4% of the vote in the major polls, and field candidates in 90% of constituencies (309 are required).
The Green Party does indeed have two members of Parliament in the House of Commons. Forget the 4% poll tally, they barely get half that.
To meet two of the three criteria, the party must field candidates in 309 ridings. However, according to Elections Canada, the Green Party is far from this number, as it is only represented in 232 ridings. And since Monday, the nomination period has closed.
The Green Party does indeed have two MPs in the House of Commons. Forget the 4% poll, they barely get half that. Logically, the Green Party should have been automatically disqualified. The Debates Commission’s explanation is ludicrous. Two weeks ago, when the decision to invite them was made, the Green Party declared that it “endorsed” a sufficient number of candidates. Unfortunately, about 80 of them ultimately never applied. Hello, rigor!
Unfairness
It’s obviously unfair to give the cheater a privilege: visibility and airtime. If we decide to be flexible with the rules, we should have invited Maxime Bernier of the People’s Party. He is fielding 247 candidates, 15 more than the Greens.
This is the second time in three elections that the Commission has been laughed at. In 2019, using different criteria, Maxime Bernier obtained an invitation by presenting a curious poll showing he had a “serious chance of winning” in four ridings. On election day, his party had obtained between 2% and 5% of the vote in these counties. Far from any hope of winning. The Commission had been duped.
Your taxes pay for a permanent organization to organize the debates, and it fails two out of three times.
Mark Carney must be laughing to himself. The more people there are on stage, the less debate there is“.
In a couple of days, it will be the fiftieth anniversary since the start of the cruel Lebanese civil war (April 13, 1975 to October 13, 1990).
This VERY sad April 13, of Bambi’s personal and collective memory, is mixed with happy feelings. How could it not be when it is also the birthday of her childhood friend Rita ❤️?
Bravo to those former fighters for coming together to promote peace in young people.
May reason win over endless wars, forgiveness over resentment, and love over hatred.
Life is too short to be wasted on armed conflicts… May peace finally know how to prevail.
May everyone heal from trauma, re-build destroyed homes or broken souls, find disappeared loved ones, celebrate shared humanity, and sanctify human dignity.
“Jaafarite mufti Ahmad Kabalan warned Thursday judge Tarek Bitar, tasked with the investigation of the Beirut port explosions on Aug. 4, 2020, against any ‘politicization of justice” (https://shorturl.at/dQDnk).
Judge Tarek Bitar replied: “The law is an absolute guarantee and only the truth must prevail” (https://shorturl.at/dQDnk).
“Mufti Kabalan further warned the judge against “political calculations and international interferences” in his investigation of the August 4 tragedy” (https://shorturl.at/dQDnk).
The above warning is taking place on the evening of the scheduled hearing tomorrow of former security directors, Mr. Abbas Ibrahim in his role of General Security and Mr. Tony Saliba in his role of State Security (https://shorturl.at/dQDnk).
Of note, Mufti Kabalan is warning against “any malicious maneuver that would plunge Lebanon into a nightmare with catastrophic consequences.” He stressed the need for “impartial justice”, not for “a political settlement” (https://shorturl.at/dQDnk).
Whether it is the Hezbollah who is behind the criminal negligence that blew up Beirut on the 4th of August 2020 or not, the survivors deserve the truth.
The picture to the right was taken from Creativemoyna.
Happy Passover! Yes, “Chag Pesach Sameach”!
Bambi is ahead of time, she knows, but isn’t it better to be too early than late :)?
Regardless, it is the least to think of loved ones, including you dear readers if you happen to be celebrating the start of the Passover holiday this coming Saturday.
May your hearts be filled with a sense of freedom, forgiveness, peace, hope, joy, and love.
The late yet eternal Jacques Brel was born in Brussels, Belgium on April 8, 1929 (https://tinyurl.com/59mrxru6). Of course, it is unthinkable to imagine the world of music and francophone culture without Mr. Brel’s INCREDIBLE legacy. Many thanks to him [and to his parents :)] for having existed. May his memory be eternal, today more than ever.
What was your least favourite part of your day or evening?
She does not know about your day, but Bambi had a great time today (despite the challenges). She particularly enjoyed walking to and from work. Amazing how seven week-long car issue can make a lazy become a proud walker, re-connecting with nature and her feet.
Today she did not bump into colourful birds. Only sweet neighbours and fellow Sackvillians. However, last week, she saw two beautiful birds, one red and the other yellow. The former is most likely a red cardinal. As for the second, from a quick internet search, it might be called a Yellow Warbler. A fancy name for just a cute yellow bird : ).
To come back to you again, dear readers, may tomorrow be a nice day for you. If not, what follows it is surely a new day. May you be filled with inner peace, health, and hope for more rewarding or meaningful times throughout this new week.
Healthy Moms Market sells natural baby products, artistic wooden toys, plastic-free school lunch containers, nutritional supplements for the entire family, natural products such as skincare for mothers in addition to a baby gift registry (https://shorturl.at/zhWkW).
Just because the owner of this interesting and much needed business on Dundas Street (Toronto, Canada) happens to be Jewish, she was targeted with vandalism twice, not just once.
Why should Ms. Aviva Allen be made responsible for what is happening, miles away, in the doomed Middle East? Why should she be intimidated with anti-Israel stickers (https://shorturl.at/FcVm1)?
Of note, vandalism is included in provisions covering mischief in Section 430(1) of the Canadian Criminal Code (https://shorturl.at/54ymM). Practically, the act of vandalism is often considered as a minor crime (e.g., spray painting graffiti or breaking a window). Nevertheless, deliberately OR recklessly damaging someone’s property/business could result in a prison sentence for up to 10 years, depending on the severity of the damage (https://shorturl.at/jkEYI).
Criminal or not, pending the outcome of the Toronto Police Services (TPS) Hate Crimes Unit investigation, vandalism is socially, morally, and behaviourally unacceptable.
Ms. Allen stated the following to theCanadian Jewish News: “I haven’t posted anything about Israel since right after Oct. 7, with the exception of a few videos or ‘stories’ [brief posts or shares] about antisemitism… [and] something about the Bibas babies (https://shorturl.at/FcVm1). Same like Bambi who also paid tribute to the Bibas family members, as shown further below. May their memory be eternal.
Even if Ms. Allen had expressed a support to Israel, as a state, to its hostages in particular, or population in general, no one has the right to intimidate her and install fear in her staff and clientele. Enough of intolerance and of importation of the world’s ugliest problems to our beautiful Canada.
