Mr. Naim Qassem is the current head, or Secretary General, of the Hezbollah [Party of God in English]. His militia group calls itself “resistance”, even if in reality it has always functioned as Iran’s proxy since its creation in the 1980s.
Insolently, despite its recent harsh defeat, along with Lebanon’s massive destruction and many human losses, Mr. Qassem keeps insisting on his group’s “right to resist“. He does so without any respect and consideration for Lebanon’s sovereignty and best interests.
As reported in l’Orient Today, and according to Mr. Qassem, “the aggressive war against Lebanon is also American, conducted through Israeli crimes to ensure American domination” (https://tinyurl.com/9k95scjj). Of course, there is truth in his statement. However, the latter does not tell us the full story: Hezbollah has always ensured the domination, and maybe now the more fragile survival, of the Iranian regime. As a reminder, it did so by opening an illegal front against Israel on October 8, 2023 for an entire year—claiming to support Palestine or Jerusalem. Israel retaliated in the cruellest way possible and it is occupying the Land of the Cedars once again.
Without any schadenfreude for his group’s losses, and even with respect for its pain despite her anger, Bambi urges Mr. Qassem to remember that he is Lebanese like her ancestors—surely NOT Persian, except through his sickening loyalty to the Iranian regime.
To come back to the reality on the ground in Lebanon, it is about time for the Hezbollah to finally begin to learn to accept its defeat. This would contribute to its transformation from a scary military force into a strictly political voice. No one should prevent it from having the legitimate right to continue with its mission of resistance, mindset of Islamism, and even “love of hating” both Israel and the USA. However, this resistance has to be expressed in legally acceptable ways, both domestically and internationally.
Enough of wars of foreign powers in Lebanon. Just enough, for God’s sake.
Bambi just came across Mr. Julien Sfeir’s beautiful song and immediately thought of sharing it with you, dear readers. Fadi, if you read this post, listen carefully to the lyrics : ).
According to L’Orient Today (https://tinyurl.com/4ruwtszu), Angers-based Julien Sfeir is a Franco-Lebanese pharmacist and musician. His song is a “touching tribute” to his birth country and to his beloved grandma—Teta in Lebanese-Arabic—who recently passed away at the age of 101. Her name was Juliette. Born in Lebanon, she grew up in Senegal and settled in Le Mans, Sarthe, in 1981 until her death. She lived in the same apartment all her life almost until her last breath, states Mr. Sfeir. To use his own words, “Teta was everything. She was the family’s centerpiece”. May her memory be eternal and long live her grandson’s inspiring and uplifting creativity.
At the end of this post, and if you wish, you can read the lyrics of Mr. Sfeir’s song in both English and French, as reported by Musixmatch (via Google’s integrated AI). Even if his lovely song is meant to be light, sharing the Lebanese “joie de vivre”, the deep lyrics are thoughtful. They show much consideration for the people of Lebanon in their daily struggle to live with dignity at all levels, from basic safety to the significant cost of living.
Thank you Mr. Sfeir for your timely song, especially today with the worrisome news from our dear birth country.
They talk to me about a world that I don’t know On m’parle d’un monde que j’connais pas
They tell me: You know there On m’dit:Tu sais la-bas
...Well it’s your place …Bah c’est chez toi
Except you my guy Sauf que toi mon gars
You were born in France T’es né en France
And you have lived in Sarthe since your earliest childhood Et tu vis en Sarthe depuis ta plus tendre enfance
But you say that you are Lebanese Mais tu dis que t’es libanais
Like Shakira Comme Shakira
When you don’t even know how to count in Arabic to 3 Alors que tu sais même pas compter en arabe jusqu’à 3
Well, you’re not Arab? Bah t’es pas arabe?
No, I’m Phoenician Non, je suis Phénicien
“And what is Phoenician?” “Et c’est quoi Phénicien?”
Well it’s not Arab Bah c’est pas arabe
We tell you about a country that we present to you as Paradise On t’parle d’un pays qu’on te présente comme Le Paradis
But you who don’t understand anything, you dream of the United States Mais toi qu’as rien compris tu rêves des États-Unis
And one day you decide to go there Et un jour, tu décides d’aller là-bas
Then when you arrive, they tell you Puis en arrivant, on t’dit
“Ahla w sahla!” [= Welcome] “Ahla w sahla!” [= Bievenue]
You hear words everywhere that you recognize T’entends partout des mots que tu reconnais
Ready-made phrases that you’ve heard since you were born Des phrases toutes faites que t’entends depuis que t’es né
And your grandfather here Et ton grand-père ici
Everyone knows him Tout le monde l’connait
You feel like you’re watching episodes that you missed T’as l’impression d’mater des épisodes que t’as loupés
You see hair salons with your last name Tu vois des salons d’coiffure avec ton nom de famille
You suddenly start wanting to call your son “Fadi” Tu t’mets soudain à vouloir appeler ton fils “Fadi”
You hear the waiter say to you T’entends le serveur te dire
“HABIBE” [Who needs a translation : )?] “HABIBE” [As-ton besoin de traduction :)?]
And you think about your mother who your friends called Et tu repenses à ta mère qu’appelait tes potes
“My dear” “Mon Chéri”
It’s shit here C’est la merde ici
But you don’t even see it Mais tu l’vois même pas
When everything is fine with us Quand chez nous tout va bien
“But Nah, it’s not okay!” “Mais Nan, ça va pas!”
We tell you that’s how we live On t’dit que c’est comme ça qu’on vit
That tomorrow might be over Que demain c’est ptêtre fini
And in the face of so much grandeur, well you feel very small! Et face à tant de grandeur, bah tu t’sens tout petit!
Then you realize you’re not the only one like that Puis tu te rends compte que t’es pas le seul comme ça
From Senegal to Canada, there are plenty like you Du Sénégal au Canada, il y en a pleins comme toi
Millions of Lebanese who never came Des millions de libanais qui ne sont jamais venus
And you would dream of telling them: Don’t wait Et tu rêverais de leur dire:N’attendez
The more I think about it Plus j’y pense
And less I hope Et moins j’espère
I grew up in a country where everything makes me desperate J’ai grandi dans un pays où tout me désespère
The Switzerland of the Middle East, say the experts La Suisse du Moyen-Orient disaient les experts
Rolex had to retrain in weapons of war Rolex a du se recycler dans les armes de guerre
You know I know they don’t care about us Tu sais je sais qu’ils se foutent de nous
But there’s nothing you can do, and it’s driving me crazy Mais tu peux rien faire, et ça me rend fou
You talk about Paradise Tu parles de Paradis
I see hell Moi je vois l’enfer
And these madmen are playing with our nerves Et ces fous furieux jouent avec nos nerfs
And when I say our nerves, there is also the stomach Et quand je dis nos nerfs, il y a aussi l’estomac
When you see the price of a Shawarma today Quand tu vois aujourd’hui le prix d’un Shawarma
Everyone has their own God Chacun son dieu
Even if it’s the same for everyone Même si c’est le même pour tous
I pray that one day his anger will splash on them Je prie pour qu’un jour sa colère les éclabousse
Nothing remains of the cedar except the roots Il reste rien du cèdre à part les racines
But it will grow back one day I imagine Mais il repoussera un jour j’imagine
In the meantime, I can’t stay there anymore En attendant moi, j’peux plus rester là
Mom, don’t blame me Maman, m’en veux pas
I know you will understand Je sais que tu comprendras
Then you realize that you’re not the only one like that Puis tu t’rends compte que t’es pas le seul comme ça
From Senegal to Canada, there are plenty like you Du Sénégal au Canada, y en a pleins comme toi
Millions of Lebanese who one day came Des millions de libanais qui sont un jour venus
And you understand what they say Et tu comprends qu’ils disent
“We can’t take it anymore!” “On n’en peut plus!”
“We can’t take it anymore!” “On n’en peut plus!”
We would all like to tell you that we are pissing you off On aimerait tous vous dire qu’on vous emmerde
You are destroying the country that our grandparents left to us Vous détruisez le pays que nos grands-parents nous lèguent
Day after day destroy the hope of living in peace Bousillez jour après jour l’espoir de vivre en paix
But yallah, keep going Mais yallah, continuez
You can never take away from us Vous ne pourrez jamais nous enlever
The love of a devoted Teta [Teta = Grandma] L’amour d’une Téta dévouée [Téta = Grand-maman]
Celebrate wanting to start again Fêter à vouloir recommencer
This strength to never give up Cette force de ne jamais abandonner
The chance one day to have been La chance un jour d’avoir été
Lebanese Libanais
Grandma: “It’s okay [Grandma: It’s ok] Grand-mère:”Ça va [Grand-maman: Ça va]
It’s okay Teta [It’s OK grandma] Ça va Téta[Ça va grand-maman]
From the Canadian federal government website, we learn the following: “Sanctions under the Regulations Implementing the United Nations Resolutions on Iran (the Iran UN Regulations) were modified on February 5, 2016, to implement the changes to the United Nations sanctions against Iran as decided by the Security Council of the United Nations in Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015)” (https://tinyurl.com/y7pjwxrr).
Bearing the above in mind, a few days ago, the streets of Toronto, along with those of other major cities worldwide, spoke volumes with “an estimated 350,000 people… in support of Iran protests” (https://tinyurl.com/bdkxj7da. The latter is referring to the protests of the Iranian people against their barbaric regime, which massacred them to remain in power.
This being said, the US administration is still putting full pressure on the Iranian regime in their negotiations, with continuous threats of an imminent military action while Mr. Khamenei, Jr., is citing “his” holy Quran to threaten back [“So should anyone aggress against you, assail him in the manner he assailed you.” (Holy Quran, 2:194)] (https://tinyurl.com/4m57pcjj).
Of note, even if to perhaps a lesser extent, Lebanon, Gaza, Irak, and Yemen are still hijacked from within by the proxies of the Iranian regime that has caused much grief in the Middle East over the past 44+ years. The stated mantra is the hate of Israel and the USA, but the reality on the ground resembles more regional colonization by proxy in the so-called name of this hate or of religious extremism.
While all the above drama in unfolding in our troubled world, a recent circus just took place at the UN with the following absurd outcome: “the Islamic Republic of Iran being elected as a vice-chair on the UN Charter Committee” (https://tinyurl.com/4um294t5). Does this make any sense to you?
Indeed, is there anything more lacking in integrity, if not in morality toward citizens of several countries, than the UN right now? Is there anything more unfair and unloving toward the Iranian people—to its heroic women and courageous men (+ their families)? And what to say about all the the innocent civilians of the Middle East, including Palestinians as well as Israelis? And what about the innocent Lebanese citizens whose near future is closely related to the fate of the Iranian regime?
Some people may be culturally Muslims, but non-observant. Others may be observant and, if so, the holiest month of the year in Islam—called Ramadan—means the world to them.
Ramadan consists of a personal journey of spirituality filled with prayer, fasting, charitable donation, and beautiful community moments during “iftar” (i.e., delicious dinners).
From the bottom of her heart, Bambi wishes her readers, friends, and family members who may be perhaps preparing themselves for Ramadan a rewarding month. May their forthcoming inner spiritual peace and love spread, from their hearts and minds, to their families, close friends, larger communities… and, by extension, to the entire world. Ramadan “Kareem” to all ❤️!
Loving oneself and loving others, whether other human beings and/or pets.
But how can we learn to self-love? How can we re-discover it, re-connect and re-invest it, if we have lost track of it after chronic stress, maybe by putting others’ needs before our best interests for too long, maybe by being too harsh with ourselves without forgiveness?
A “loving” relationship with ourselves helps to simplify our connections with others. It make us more human in our own eyes, to begin with, and then in our attitude or behaviours toward others.
When we are connected to our own humanity, we are able to be connected to others’ humanity. We accept people as they are. We love them in secure and balanced ways, just like how we love ourselves. We do it without being too dependent or too avoidant.
When we love ourselves unconditionally, we can do the same with others. We trust and listen to ourselves. We validate our feelings. We value who we are. We establish boundaries, as needed, to protect our dignity. It is called self-respect.
We work on our empathy, if the latter does not come naturally. We respect others in their own dignity. We treat them with humanity. We keep seeing their humanity, even if we are upset or when we disagree with them. We connect to them with fairness and honesty. Exactly like how we connect with ourselves and wish to be treated.
Of note, the language of Molière has a beautiful term for the word “kindness”. It is called “bienveillance“. It is more than kindness. It is sweetness or gentleness. Based on it and on respect, we learn to build trust with others through consistency. We keep working on ourselves to understand our history, wounds, strengths, and vulnerabilities. Based on this knowledge, we become more open to change, It is called psychological flexibility for personal growth. This internal movement starts early and refine until our last breath.
Knowing ourselves makes us stronger, richer, and open toward others and toward love.
Love with a big L. Loving others. Perhaps loving romantically, perhaps not, depending on our life circumstances, seasons or developmental stages, wants, and needs. What matters the most is to love ourselves with kindness (or rather “bienveillance”) continuously, and especially in most difficult times of our life journeys.
Love in all its forms and shapes. Loving ourselves, our families, friends, community members, or strangers even. Loving life. Loving joy and pleasure without excesses, without shortages. Loving our countries, other nations, nature, animals, even insects and mice, if we care for them [OK that one is not for Bambi :)]. Loving and enjoying music, humour, food, and more seriously the principles that matter to us. Loving our entire planet, even the space beyond it. Loving God, if we want to. Loving his absence, or laughing at the idea of his presence, if we prefer.
Bearing all the above in mind, may we all be filled with love ahead of Valentine’s Day. May we enjoy receiving and giving love. May we become love all year long.
Happy Valentine’s to all you, dear readers, with much love ❤️. Thanks for taking the time to visit this blog and enriching it by reading or writing a comment, if you wish.
It is getting late in Atlantic Canada, but Bambi refuses to go to sleep without posting Mr. Pierre Bachelet’s song as an expression of solidarity with each family affected by this tragedy. This French grief-related song is old yet its meaning is universal. An English translation of its beautiful lyrics can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/mvwzu84m .
May the injured survive and heal. May the memory of those already in heaven be eternal.
Life is more beautiful with genuine friendships and music. So imagine how both beautiful and rich it is when friends are so close that they are like family and talent is not only filled with creativity, but also with a pure heart that invites a “chum” to reach out for support.
Indeed, friendship is the theme of Mr. Francois Lachance’s beautiful French song, which he composed over thirteen years ago. His song means a lot to Bambi. It reminds her of her late mom who used to appreciate it.
Since tomorrow happens to be the National Guitar Day as well as a day called “Make A friend Day” (https://tinyurl.com/mv5djt6k), Bambi offers Mr. Lachance’s song to her friends Yvonne, Bente, and Salome, thanking them for their gesture of love to Louis and her. Their cute and generous surprise made today very special. Much love to each one of them across the ocean ❤️❤️!
Adrien just turned one and Mr. Gerard Lenorman will turn 80 tomorrow (https://tinyurl.com/yn2e4xj4). Happy birthday to both of them across the long miles!
Mr. Lenorman, we are grateful for your existence and talent, including your beautiful French song on Happiness, “La ballade des gens heureux” [The ballad of Happy People]. Bambi dedicates it to her cutest great nephew, wishing him to continue to be happy throughout his entire life.
Thank you Adrian—”farra habibi/habibna”—for being sooooo adorable! You are a ray of sunshine of joy to each one of us, relatives and friends, not only to your loving parents. Bambi and Louis love you, Adrien and family, beyond any songs’ lyrics or blog’s words 💚!
In Québec, Mr. Acher Sabbah, a 61-year-old man was sentenced to house arrest for having sexually assaulted a 13-year-old runaway girl from a youth centre (https://tinyurl.com/kuyhtsy7). Of note, five years ago, as per the Sûreté du Québec—the provincial national police—Mr. Sabbah was “believed to have committed crimes between 2015 and 2019 in the regions of Lachute in the Laurentians, Beauharnois in Montérégie, and Laval on the North Shore of Montreal” (https://tinyurl.com/yefa6n75). From La Presse (https://tinyurl.com/kuyhtsy7), we learn that this same man “was acquitted last month of sexual crimes against a minor by Judge Simon Dolci. He was accused of acts that allegedly occurred in 2006“.
Let’s put this story aside for a few second to focus on another story that took place recently in Halifax. A woman, Ms. Tracey Kitch, former CEO of the IWK, was sentenced to 9 months in jail, and went there handcuffed by the police after her trial, for a financial fraud. The latter consisted of charging personal expenses to her corporate credit card. According to CTV News, “Kitch resigned in 2017 and was charged with fraud over $5,000 in 2018, following an internal investigation by the hospital. An audit found Kitch used her hospital credit card to pay for roughly $47,000 in personal expenses. That money was reimbursed. A conservative estimate of more than $30,000 was the evidence presented at trial, consisting of personal flight passes and taxi chits (https://tinyurl.com/3y242nfw).
While Bambi does not deny that a financial fraud in public service is a bad act, why does the Canadian criminal system punish stealing money from a children’s hospital, but is more forgiving with child sexual abusers? And what about the young victims? Don’t they deserve a victim-centred justice system in a protective society?
What is believed to be one of the largest man-made, non-nuclear explosions in modern history, took place in the Lebanese capital 6.5 years ago. It was on the doomed August 4th 2020, precisely at 6:07 PM.
At the time, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 2750 tons of—unsafely stored—ammonium nitrate exploded at the port of Beirut, killing 220+ victims and injuring 7000+ residents (some of whom were toddlers; others, including parents, are still in the coma). Additionally, as reported in older posts, there were 800 regular floor admissions as well as 130 intensive care unit admissions, 300,000 instant homeless people, 150+ permanent disabilities, over 3/4 of massive destruction, total destruction of four hospitals, and US$15,000,000,000 worth of damage.
Over 6 years later, with tomorrow being the 6.5 year anniversary of this surreal tragedy, has justice been served? NO. Will it be ever served: LIKELY no. Will lessons be learned? History will tell.
Until then, thankfully, there is music to express the sorrow of the people of Beirut and to aspire for healing and hope. Thank you, Mr. Jean-Paul Hakim for your beautiful French song for Beirut.
May corruption, negligence, and arrogance end. May the seeds of accountability and civility finally grow in the land of impunity. It is about time.
