Why is the US administration getting that low, on the scales of both humanity and ethics? Why does it want to livestream the execution of a man (https://tinyurl.com/u7b4xmd6)?
Why the death penalty in the first place? Ironically, as per an older post shared below, Lebanon recently abolished death penalty while the United States of America is re-making it public for the case of Dr./Former Dr. Nidal Hasan (who killed 13 soldiers in 2009)? Is the world upside down?
And how is this forthcoming public execution different from the barbaric practices in countries like Iran as well as others? A couple of days ago, one of this blog’s readers wrote a comment that moved Bambi’s heart to the core: “young people in Iran are executed every morning to the sound of the Azan“. For those who do no know it, Azan is the Islamic call to prayer. Is this the model that the Trump administration is inspired by? Thanks to the Economic Times for its article on this topic, which highlights one of Mr. Trump’s contradictions (https://tinyurl.com/u7b4xmd6).
Please make no mistake, dear readers, Bambi is sad for the soldiers who lost their lives. She is against violence toward anyone, including these victims. Clearly, the psychiatrist who committed the crime, or terrorist attack, did an evil act for sure. Despite this, she is against both death penalty and barbaric/medieval public executions.
May God forgive criminals, like Dr./Former Dr. Hasan, and decision-makers who seem to have lost their moral compass and sense of humanity.
May the souls of the 13 victims keep resting in peace… May their memory be eternal.
Tomorrow is the 48th death anniversary of Jacques Brel. May his memory be eternal.
Born in Brussels, Belgium (https://tinyurl.com/2tjeb6zu), Mr. Brel, keeps inspiring new generations of gifted singers worldwide like Mr. Mike Massey (based in Lebanon) and many skilled singers from Québec, Canada, including Ms. Isabelle Boulay. He left us a rich legacy of GREAT French-language music. Many of his musical pieces have been translated to different languages, including Dutch. Indeed, his song lyrics are sharp, deep, poetic, satiric, and filled with humanity while his music is filled with beauty.
Bambi loves many of Mr. Brel’s GREAT songs, not only “Ne me quite pas”, which moves her soul while spoiling her ears every time she listens to it. Indeed, she appreciates all the songs shared below, including “La quête” (on impossible dreams).
What about you dear readers? What is your favourite Brel’s song, if any? Perhaps it is featured here. Perhaps not. If you wish, please share a comment on this blog or do it more privately, if you prefer.
“Merci Monsieur Brel pour avoir existé”. Yes, thank you for having existed for 49 years only. May your memory be eternal and warm thoughts for your family.
How sad it is for Bambi to read the news from her birth country before going to sleep. Indeed, she just learned sad and bad news: (1) Hezbollah described Hamas’ “operation” of the 7th of October 2023 as “courageous, qualitative, natural, justified, and a legitimate act of resistance given the scale of injustice”; & (2) Hezbollah received “$200 millions from Iran to help displaced”. It seems that Hezbollah is initially planning to help “around 50,000 families” with $3000 (https://tinyurl.com/5rzyv23b).
Only God knows how the rest of the Iranian large donation will be used. It is Bambi’s hope that this money will not serve to finance the acquisition of more weapons, resulting in more tragedies for Lebanon. If so, the donation would be more useful if would support the Iranian impoverished people instead, even if the misery of the Lebanese displaced families is heart-breaking.
To come back to the first statement of the Hezbollah, how can any group with an ounce of humanity left in it justify the killing of innocent human beings, even if their passport is Israeli?
First and foremost, this lack of compassion is contrary to a main core value of Islam, namely mercy. Tragically, Islam has been hijacked by an extreme Islamist mindset.
Second, and sadly, such lack of compassion is incompatible with the shared values of civility and humanity of the vast majority of the people of Lebanon, especially those who do not belong to any ideological or political party.
Last but not least, the lack of compassion in Hezbollah’s statement contradicts the essence of being human, that is filled with emotional empathy and with the wisdom of silence on a tragic day like October 7.
For God’s sake Hezbollah, just stop your unkind statements and unbearable behaviour. Accept to give your weapons to the Lebanese authorities. Lebanon and its innocent people need to live free of the Israeli occupation as well as the Iranian hegemony.
In a couple of days Israel and the world, including Canada, will remember the innocent victims of the massacre of the 7th of October 2023. Many of whom were young people dancing at a concert. Some were infants. Others were seniors. They were assaulted (physically and even sexually). Some were kidnapped, from their own homes, and mistreated. Some were disrespected as dead bodies. May everyone’s memory be eternal and may God forgive the perpetrators of this massacre. May the grieving families and survivors heal year after year.
The 7th of October 2023 massacre by Hamas resulted in a cruel war in Gaza that some called genocide. All this violence, and the resulting suffering and grief, when will it stop?
Sadly, on the next day, the Iranian-sponsored Lebanese Hezbollah made the unwise decision to join war by opening a front with Israel. The latter dragged Lebanon into a long, costly, and highly destructive war.
May forgiveness, healing, peace, and love prevail not only in the Middle East but also in every world conflict. May this start with the light within people’s hearts. May such inner light spread, from one heart to the other, at the end of each person’s grief (and hopefully growth) journey. May the same light shine in the hearts of people living very far from the Middle East. They sometimes get too passionate about it, without nuance, to the point of intolerance of other people’s opinions in their own countries.
Last but not least, may the “Sperenza”—hope in Italian—of Mr. Claudio Capéo’s beautiful French song teach both older and younger generations how to be courageous, hopeful, and how to love. Perhaps then the light of peace can start shining despite wars and endless conflicts.
Thank you Mr. Charles Aznavour for having existed!
Yesterday was Mr. Charles Aznavour’s 8th death anniversary (https://tinyurl.com/yzdwkffu). May his memory be eternal.
One of Aznavour’s most beautiful songs, which is often featured on this blog, is called “Emmenez-moi” [Take me Along]. The lyrics of this song mention “the end of the earth” as well as “wonderland” as a destination to be transported to.
If you are reading this post from as far as the Middle East, or even further, you may perhaps think of Canada as being the end of the earth. Who knows? Maybe for you it is New Zealand, Australia, or Sri Lanka, depending on where you are located. Of course, this also works in opposite directions or in any other direction. One must also keep in mind that distant or remote places exist within a same large country. Examples of such huge countries may be Russia, Canada, the United States, and China.
Of note, a place can be both remote and charming, or meaningful, for us. A real wonderland, as per the song. We may perhaps have unforgettable memories there. We may simply dream of one day visiting this place at least once in our life. Do you have such a dream destination in mind, dear readers?
As far as Bambi is concerned, every time she listens to Mr. Aznavour’s song she envisions her own dream destination, or wonderland, especially that the song is about a sunny place filled with magic to the point that misery seems to be lighter in the sunshine. For Bambi, this wonderland exists for real, not just in her imagination. Yes, it is the Lindos beach on the Rhodes [or Ρόδος (Ródos) in Greek] island in Greece.
Why Lindos, you may perhaps wonder? It is a place that Bambi’s mind associates with her family while being stunning. She visited it twice. Once with her parents and sisters during her childhood spent in Beirut. The second was a trip she made, from out Toronto, to meet her mom and dad there for a week of vacation. Her parents, who flew out of Beirut, surprised her by bringing with them Michael, her nephew. He was about 8 years old back then. Her dad taped her arrival to the hotel lobby from the airport. He told her: “Look at this Greek boy, doesn’t he look like Mickey”? Michael was wearing a hat and really looked… like himself. Jet lagged, Bambi said “Greek and Lebanese people look alike dad … but God, this boy truly looks like “Mickey habibi” :). Her dad joked, still while taping, saying: “Look closely Bambi, isn’t he Michael?”. At that time, Michael started laughing. He and Bambi ran to hug each other!
This week of vacation was a dream come true. In Lindos with her loved ones, at least some of them. What can Bambi ask for more from life? There is a reason why in her office, inside and outside, she has a couple of postcards of Lindos, hanging on pinboards. Same for the screens of all her devices.
This story was about Bambi’s Lindos. May “your own Lindos”, wherever it is, be a place of safety, well-being, and lots of fun. This place of your choice, perhaps initially a geographic or physical one, would become internal, as it did for Bambi. Yes, we all carry “the Lindos of our dreams” within us. Thankfully, in this internal space, we can devote time to refresh or to honour our loved ones, cherishing the good memories of them/with them.
Perhaps most significantly, in those precious inner places, we can keep re-connecting with ourselves, or parts of ourselves. We can refuel our energy, even if only for a few seconds or minutes per day (like a form of personal meditation or prayer). Following such mental vacation mini-breaks, we can joyfully reconnect with others to fully enjoy the local environment, present moment, and our relationships.
To conclude this post, many thanks to Mr. Charles Aznavour for his impressive legacy. Long live the sunshine in the meaningful lyrics of his song as well as all the wonderlands in the world, regardless of their season.
Thank G-D/God/Allah everyone is safe and sound. May the pilot survive and heal. May the traumatized yet courageous passengers take good care of themselves. They did not hesitate to go in the cockpit, it seems, and do what needs to be done. We can guess that the pilot may have resisted the co-pilot, even if we do not have all the details yet.
Flydubai is an outstanding company. Without having used its services, Bambi knows about its reputation. It seems that the co-pilot, hired only 9 months ago, was the one behind the failed terror attack. He is now in Saudi Arabia in custody and all the passengers flew back from there to the their destination.
These passengers could have been anyone of us. The airline company could have been another one. The airports as well. However, the impact of this tragedy follows the same path: fear in passengers, trauma, injuries, risk of massive death, economic loss, and a wound to humanity.
What an ordeal. No to terror against anyone, including Israeli passengers.
Enough of extremism. Enough of acts of evil toward innocent people.
Yes to safety for all. Yes to LOVE for all humans, including the people of Israel.
From L’Orient Today and Naharnet respectively, Bambi learned the following: (1) the Hezbollah’s leader wants to continue “resistance in all its forms” to “liberate Palestine” [not South Lebanon! (https://tinyurl.com/yfkd5ccm)]; and (2) The Iranian regime is still speaking in the name of Lebanon (https://tinyurl.com/y9dk4f9c), despite the recent request of the Lebanese Prime Minister NOT to use Lebanon as a battle ground (https://tinyurl.com/3jc49z87).
Why is Iran interfering in the Lebanese domestic affairs still and why is Mr. Naim Qassem confused about geography? Palestine is not located in Beirut and Lebanon is far away from Iran.
With all due respect and compassion for the Palestinian cause, Mr. Qassem’s “party” must learn to commit its loyalty to Lebanon now, not to foreign entities and conflicts.
Furthermore, and as a reminder, Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into several wars and even brought the Israeli occupier back to it. Its Illegal weapons, along with its tunnels, only brought violence back to Lebanon (i.e., destruction, collective trauma, occupation, mortality, and morbidity).
Given all the above, and out of respect to the innocent people—of Lebanon, Palestine, as well as Iran—it would be appropriate if the leaders of the Hezbollah and of the Iranian regime can have the decency to show restraint in speech. Even if their statements are made at a commemorative event, it would be appreciated if they do not speak in the name of the Palestinian and Lebanese people.
To conclude this post: Enough of empty slogans. Enough of wars. Enough for God’s sake.
Thanks to L’Orient Le Jour, Bambi learned that “the Irish players voted by a majority to play the two scheduled Nations League matches against Israel—despite some players’ desire to boycott them in protest against the war of annihilation Israel is waging in the Gaza Strip—the Irish federation announced on Saturday” (https://tinyurl.com/5ypa4yvt). It seems that a player decided to withdraw fro the team because of the forthcoming games (https://tinyurl.com/5ypa4yvt).
Bravo to the Irish soccer team for its commitment to soccer. It would have been sad to lose sight of its mission because of politics. Thankfully, worldwide fans can now have the chance to enjoy watching soccer games. Many of these soccer lovers are located in both Israel and Palestine as well as in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia , Yemen, UAE, and all the troubled region. They will now have the chance to enjoy watching games.
Related to this Irish development, the Israel Football Association stated that it is pleased because “soccer has won” (https://tinyurl.com/mryspsw7). Bambi, who loves soccer, can only agree with this statement.
May soccer unite AND entertain everyone. May this beautiful sport allow us to take a break from war while inspiring us to remain professional, with each other, despite our different worldviews or personal political preference.
History repeat itself from year to year. Indeed, once again, several UN delegates representing different countries left the room before Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in the name of Israel (https://tinyurl.com/26ufapse). What did they achieve by doing so? Whether they like Mr. Netanyahu or not, and regardless of approval or condemnation of Israel’s war actions (and reactions), why can’t they know how to listen to an opponent?
If at the General Assembly meeting of the United Nations, we do not take the time to listen to each other, when and where will we do it? How can world leaders find ways to solve conflicts if they do not behave like skilled diplomats? And can we then blame lay people for treating each other with direct hostility or with indirect hostile ways, like ostracism and avoidance, because of different worldviews?
Thank Goodness, there is a real diplomatic leader, like Mr. Salam, who took the time to speak to the President of Iran on the sidelines of the UN meeting. Courageously, he expressed his country’s demand not to be “an arena for regional wars, after Tehran-backed Hezbollah drew it into the Middle East conflict” (https://tinyurl.com/3jc49z87).
Maybe those delegates who left the room without listening to Mr. Netanyahu could have learned from the Lebanese diplomat some wisdom. Even with their passionate support to the Palestinian cause, they could have stayed in the room to either take notes or to ask challenging questions. By doing so, they would offer more efficient support to the Palestinian delegation, as needed now or later post-war. They would also learn to put themselves in the shoes of another country’s leader (in this case, to see the world through Israel’s lens) to better defend, or update, their perspectives.
Bambi does not know about you, dear readers, but at her age and stage of life, she is sick and tired of immature ways of dealing with deep issues affecting the lives of millions of innocent people. In her mind, she clearly sees that, as humans, we have a joint social responsibility to find non-violent communication strategies, especially among leaders and nations. If a UN Assembly meeting does not know how to foster such diplomatic spirit anymore, we have all the reasons to question its utility, the selection of delegates, and the training in best practices or mentorship they may receive in their careers.
To conclude this post, after reading it, if you think that Bambi is defending the Israeli PM, you are clearly wrong. If you understand that she is questioning the treatment that Israel gets at the UN in comparison to other countries who resort to similar or even worse military or moral acts, you are right. On the latter, she agrees with Mr. Netanyahu. She knows this because she listened to his speech, contrary to the UN diplomats.
A sign of good fortune for some, the sight of a rainbow is magical for most of us. Indeed, there is a reason why we tend to make a wish when we see rainbows. Bambi does not know about you, but she usually makes three wishes, not just one, when she sees a rainbow. When she lacks imagination to come up with three wishes, she repeats the same wish three times :). Regardless of any imagination, today Bambi will make a single yet big wish of happiness for Joëlle and Dave, along with their adorable doggies 💚.
What about sunsets? They may not be a symbol of good luck because they are too common. However, sunsets are known to feel magical.
Many thanks to Joëlle for sending Bambi two beautiful pictures, taken in Florida, and for kindly accepting to publicly share them on this blog. It is Bambi’s wish that you will enjoy Joëlle’s pictures, dear readers.
Long live nature with its sunsets and sunrises. Long live all the colours of the rainbow. Long live Bambi and Joëlle’s 51 year-long friendship 💚 !
