Author: Bambi

It is sometimes said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. True.

It is also said that the devil is in the details. True.

Why are each of the world’s leaders (Ms. Jacinda Ardern, Mr. Justin Trudeau, Mr. Emmanuel Macron, etc.) calling for less freedom of expression (https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/new-zealand-pm-says-facebook-others-must-do-more-against-online-hate-2021-11-26/) in their respective countries?

What is all this about? An idea by Mr. Macron, it seems?

If you have 2 minutes to kill and you are interested by freedom of expression, like Bambi, check the words of Ms. Ardern. Aren’t they worrisome?

With all due respect to Ms. Ardern and Mr. Trudeau, Bambi will now focus on Mr. Macron (because she respects/even likes him :). Indeed, she has thanked him, on her blog, many times for his compassion with Beirutis after their surrealistic blast. He rushed to Beirut after the tragedy. He listened to the traumatized residents (for a change!). He even hugged them on the streets before their own heartless politicians. Correction, NONE of the Lebanese politicians visited any of the devastated neighbourhoods of the city, including her parents’, and reached out to the people, as Mr. Macron did, up to now!

So, with much gratitude in her heart, she will allow herself to ask him the following: Why are you all limiting the freedom of expression in your respective countries? Who has entrusted you to propose to regulate the internet like that? You may be tempted to do something, truly thinking it is a good idea (making it like a HUGE so-called safe place… of course, from your own perspective) but have you thought about the long-term impact of your authoritarianism? By the minute, we are becoming less and less free. So what will be the outcome in 2, 5, 25, and more years? Please think long-term, for the sake of your beautiful nations, and beyond your own mandates.

To conclude this post, Bambi is convinced that a liberal (with a little “l”) approach may be the wisest approach to online hate/so-called hate? Just leave the internet as it is with its good and bad side…. Of course, do so, by keeping a close eye on ALL radical/extremist groups, as needed (ending with” ism” or not). Keep an eye on online criminality (call for violence, etc.), please, to keep us safe. As well, let the police, army, and secret services, do their job, as needed (of course, with proper funding) to keep the country safe… and leave our internet free! In the name of this freedom of expression that is in danger now, Bambi will allow herself to tell Mr. Trudeau and ALL the politicians in Ottawa the following (as it is perhaps related to the rationale underlying Ms. Ardern’s call): no, to Bill C-36! This proposed bill is an unwise idea for our country, even if you genuinely think otherwise (or if you think it is to your political advantage). Thank you.

First, here are Reuters and l’Orient Today articles on the judges who are denouncing political interference with probes of the central bank (1 judge) and the Beirut blast (3 judges):

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/three-lebanese-judges-resign-over-political-interference-low-pay-2021-11-26/

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/three-lebanese-judges-resign-over-political-interference-low-pay-2021-11-26/

Bambi learned, from the above media articles, that one judge has resigned a month ago to denounce the political interference over the central bank probe.

She also learned that three judges resigned yesterday to denounce the massive political interference with the investigation of the surrealistic Beirut port explosion that destroyed literally half of the capital (with all those who lost their lives, the 6000+ injured people, homelessness, and sad destruction).

Second, concerning Covid-19, thanks to l’Orient Le Jour for its French (English Google Translate follows) informative article:

https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1282801/coronavirus-80-des-cas-sont-des-non-vaccines.html

https://www-lorientlejour-com.translate.goog/article/1282801/coronavirus-80-des-cas-sont-des-non-vaccines.html?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=nui

Sarcastically, we can perhaps guess that the health sector does not seem to be the place where corruption is found in Lebanon.

Indeed, it is refreshing to read an article where we can see the competence AND transparency of this country’s Health Minister. As a reminder, he was the Administrator of the Rafik Hariri University Hospital (formerly known as Beirut Governmental University Hospital). Of note, the former Lebanese Health Minister was also competent and honest.

For those who do not know it, Lebanon has a hybrid model of healthcare sector. Some hospitals offer both private and public insurances. Some are strictly governmental. The Lebanese health sector has been historically strong, even during a 15-year-long civil war and other following conflicts. Mind you, Lebanon has been (was?) even a regional medical hub. Sadly, this sector took a major hit over the past two years because of the multiple crises (i.e., the corrupt banking sector crash, Beirut blast, migration, and… of course Corona!).

To conclude this post, will the judges’ resignation be accepted and will it make a difference on the ground? It is good start, for sure… Thanks to them for the wake-up call!! Best wishes to tiny, corrupt, bereaved YET dignified Lebanon!

Bambi just read in Le Devoir an article entitled “Des titres jeunesse trop blancs pour les bibliothèques scolaires” [Youth titles too white for school libraries”].

Here is the original French article:

https://www.ledevoir.com/lire/649755/diversite-des-titres-jeunesse-trop-blancs-pour-les-bibliotheques-scolaires .

Here is an English translation (thank you Google Translate!): shorturl.at/szMR6 .

Why is the Québec’s ’”Association pour la promotion des services documentaires scolaires (APSDS)” resorting to this now?

Since Bambi is usually an optimistic deer in life, she cannot help not to tell herself that this may be less shocking than Ontario schools’ book burning (as per an older post further below)!

OK, more seriously now, what matters the most in life? The literacy quality of books (e.g., language or of other educational standards) OR an apparent obsession with a race-based ideology?

You may not agree with Bambi at all (or think she comes from planet Saturn), but here are some questions she has for those librarians:

Why don’t we keep allowing children to explore books’ characters, to let their own imagination grow while reading, and simply perhaps find themselves in the humanity of the characters? Why should we become obsessed with skin hue?

Characters or heros may have this or that look, be from this ethnolinguistic background or another one. They could be locals from a small town or from a metropolis’ suburb. They could be newborns or seniors, adolescents from Chicoutimi, Saint-Faustin, or Oka. Blond or darker men. A veiled mother, a boy with a kippa, or a soccer player in another country. Whatever. They could be from Québec city and make a child dream of a political career. Who knows? Maybe non-humans from the moon and make a kid dream about space? This being said, even if children’s book characters look like a majority of the residents in a certain place (small towns of regional/rural areas), why is this problematic all of a sudden?

To conclude this post, how about a silly, personal example, followed by a song? Well, Bambi is a (relatively) small deer. Should she only read books about dwarf deer with curly hair (to recognize herself in the book’s character, as mentioned in the article above)? Can’t she be inspired by a hero who happens to be a tall man from the Netherlands, for instance? OK, enough of questions for tonight… Time for a song for books now :)!

Radio-Canada: “Schools destroy 5,000 books deemed harmful to Indigenous people, including Tintin and Asterix”. Is this reconciliation or a modern form of obscurantism?

Bambi would like to wish ALL her American supporters, including her friends and relatives, a Happy Thanksgiving :)!

Her heart is filled with gratitude for your support (each one of you) over the past few months. If she may, she would like to send you a message she posted on this blog and on her personal website on Canadian Thanksgiving:

On this [American] Thanksgiving weekend, Bambi would like to warmly thank you for your incredible support, whether in the form of a word or a gesture of kindness, courage, fairness, openness, generosity, and… especially humanity. This is called love in Bambi’s dictionary. For her, love is simply the essence of life. THANK YOU from the bottom of her heart!

As for you Jacinthe, well… “c’est à ton tour de te laisser parler d’amour, chère amie“! Happy Birthday from both Bambi and her spouse… lalalala!! Bambi is singing for you now, with much love, across the miles!! Have fun!

To conclude on an amusing note (perhaps to make you smile, Jacinthe), had Bambi been a much younger student deer in her elementary/high school in Beirut, she would have had a day off on November 25 for Sainte-Catherine’s day. If, as a reader, you happen to have studied in the same school of this same birth country (it happened once, mind you!), hopefully you are smiling too. Seriously, happy name day to all the Catherines of the world 🙂 and, once again, Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Thanks Ici Beyrouth for this moving article entitled “The wise mother of Lokman” (https://icibeyrouth.com/liban/5657). What a dignified lady!

Bambi has paid tribute to Mr. Lokman Slim in several posts back in February, 2021 (all shown below). She also featured Ms. Monika Borgmann (his spouse)’s slogan post-mortem, Zero Fear (in Arabic). My God knows how to keep comforting his mother’s (Selma), sister’s (Rasha), and beloved spouse’s (Monika) hearts.

As well reported by Mr. Makram Rabah in French, on the day following the tragic loss of her son, Ms. Selma Merchak reminded Lebanon, and the world, of what matters the most in life (here is a quick translation for you):

“Civilized people argue, they may have differing opinions, but resorting to weapons is never the solution. We are civilized people, not animals in the jungle. The animals of the jungle devour each other. Violence can never be good for this country. It has harmed me as a mother because I lost my son. My only wish is that you use your wit, not your gut, if you really want to build a country. Lokman deserves it so much”.

The wisdom and dignity in grief of this heart-broken mother is making Bambi remember the late and great Mr. Ghassan Tueni, father of another assassinated Lebanese intellectual/journalist, Mr. Gibran Tueni. At the end of the funeral service of his son, he spontaneously took the microphone and called for love, can you imagine? He said: “Let’s bury hate and revenge” (later a title of a book he wrote a couple of years before his own natural death). Bambi was visiting her parents in Beirut at the time of the funeral. She will always recall the scene of the procession from the nearby hospital’s morgue to his final destination where Bambi’s ancestors are also buried. She will also always recall the father’s moving words mentioned above that she watched live on TV.

Anyhow, to come back to Ms. Merchak, if you understand Arabic and/or read French (with a couple of English words), below you can watch her brief message to the youth of her country, as taken from the article above.

To conclude this post on a musical note, and if she may, Bambi would like to offer Ms. Merchak a song by Mr. Charles Aznavour entitled “Ma vie sans toi” (or “My life without you”). An English translation can be found here, if you are interested (https://en.myfavouritelyrics.com/charles_aznavour/ma_vie_sans_toi/). Bless your broken yet big heart, Ms. Merchak, and… may your son’s memory be eternal in the hearts of those who still value freedom of expression (for all!) in our world.

—

Mr. Lokman Slim, an anti-Hezbollah critic, was brutally murdered in Lebanon!

Ms. Monika Borgmann’s first tweet since her spouse’s murder consisted of two words (in Arabic): “Zero Fear”… echoed by the courage of Beirut citizens

Isn’t it disgusting to see the Hezbollah and its (supposedly Christian) ally intimidating clergymen for having participated in the multifaith funeral prayer for Mr. Lokman Slim?

Mr. Lokman Slim was shot in Beirut. Mr. Dany Turcotte was cancelled in Canada. Why is our world that intolerant?

What a dignified lady: An interview with Mr. Lokman’s Slim’s mother after his assassination

What is freedom of expression? What is tolerance? What is courage? And what is compassion?

Bambi does not know about you, but for her, Christmas is perhaps the most beautiful season of the year. OK, not only Christmas for sure, because all the seasons, are beautiful, regardless of the traditions.

However, in Bambi’s mind, in Christmas there is an endless magic. Perhaps she is saying so because it is what will hopefully always remain in her spirit from her (happy) childhood (thanks to her family :)). Indeed, this season brings old memories from Lebanon about love, generosity of the hearts, as well as wishes, or rather prayers, for peace and prosperity (during much adversity then… and sadly now).

Without much philosophy or nostalgia, Bambi would like to use this post to share a couple of songs she had the chance to listen to today (and sing like a frog). The first song is in French. It is by Mr. Enrico Macias and is entitled “Noël à Jerusalem“. The second song is actually a short Christmas Medley in (Lebanese) Arabic by Ms. Chantal Bitar (posted last Christmas on this blog). The final one is the famous Oh Tannenbaum by Ms. Nana Moukouri. If she may, Bambi would like to offer it to Achim who has enriched her blog lately with his comments [if he happens to be reading :)], to her dad, to her father-in-law… and, OK, last but not least, to someone in heaven (yes, it is you, Firas)… since you all can understand/speak the beautiful language of Goethe!

It is sad to see the state of our world, not just due to the pandemic evolution or its devastating economic impact, but rather to some shocking political decisions of governments. Some of the latter are resorting to what looks like public health tyranny (namely in countries like Austria or Australia or other… and, in Canada, we are not that far behind in terms of authoritarianism with vaccine mandates, etc.). It is also fascinating to observe the contrast with other (poorer) countries of the world that may be either less authoritarian in their approach to public health (perhaps the ideal?), or even totally careless (this also may not be optimal).

Anyhow, the video below is interesting as it shows us the response of German virologist, Dr. Hendrick Streeck, to the health minister of his country. The latter used a dramatic sentence saying that everyone will be “either vaccinated, recovered, or dead” by the end of “this” winter. Bambi could not help to be sarcastic by telling herself that in Canada, a physician talking like him would be, at best, uninvited to the mainstream media and, at worst, perhaps sadly even cancelled altogether.

Anyhow, although like Professor Streeck, Bambi is for vaccination (as much as massively and realistically possible), she is also for pragmatism and agency in life. She prefers education, as Dr. Streeck said. Like him, she also usually values relations of trust between governments and citizens. Trust means transparency. Trust also means not telling citizens on thing (e.g., no vaccine mandates or no this or that) and then immediately doing its opposite. Hopefully this will not happen with children’s vaccination because they are not an at-risk group (if no medical conditions or no known risk factors). Yes, things may change and sometimes governments have no choice but to adjust after monitoring a situation (i.e., virus mutation, etc.).

Well, it is in this spirit of citizen agency, and government’s non-authoritarianism, that Bambi signed today a petition started by a group of lawyers of our country, including Dr. Bruce Pardy and Ms. Lisa Bildy. It has been signed by more than 125 lawyers (anonymously or not) and 16,000 citizens (anonymously or not). These numbers have been rising steadily since Pardy’ interesting article appeared in the National Post not even two days ago (https://nationalpost.com/opinion/bruce-pardy-covid-has-cost-canadians-their-freedom-it-must-be-restored). Another interesting piece was written by Ms. Bildy (https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-free-north-declaration-is-an-island-of-sanity-in-a-country-gone-mad_4116589.html). Reading these two articles and now listening to Dr. Sreeck confirms Bambi’s evolving thoughts about the covid-19 pandemic: The journey is long, the virus is to stay with us for a long time (and maybe even forever, in an attenuated form. Who knows?). So, we have no choice but to learn to live with the risk of an infection with the coronavirus while protecting our loved ones and ourselves, etc. (i.e., with vaccination). In other terms, the cure cannot be worse than the ailment. Vaccine passports may be definitely necessary but they need to be temporary. If it the curative/preventive measures are too excessive or last forever, the population will revolt at one point in time like what we are observing abroad… Perhaps less so in Canada as we tend to be collectively more passive or we are too frightened? Anyhow, at first, we did not know what we were fighting. Now we know this virus better. In the end, protecting the most vulnerable (seniors mainly… and those with medical risk factors), has to go hand in hand with that life that wants to keep moving on. For that, Bambi will thank the lawyers who have developed the Free North Declaration: https://www.freenorthdeclaration.ca/ .

To briefly conclude this post, here is the video in question. Best wishes to Germany! Same for Canada… and all the countries of the world.

First, thanks to Mr. Jonathan Kay for bringing this story to our attention. Thanks also to another colleague, Mr. Jamil Jivani as well as to Dr. Bruce Pardy for re-tweeting it.

What is the story about? Well, as you can see in Mr. Kay’s original tweet below, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (https://www.osstf.on.ca/) has changed its voting rules, so each so-called “non-white” union member would have “his/her vote weighed more than” so-called “white members“. They even provide slides to justify this absurdity. Should we laugh or cry to such collective insanity?

Mr. Jamil Jivani started his tweet by reaching out to “Ontario friends“. Well, since Bambi considers herself a loving friend of Ontario (for having lived and worked in Toronto for 4 years), she will say the following:

She is grateful to the friend who attracted her attention to the place where this union of teachers may have perhaps taken its idea. It is South Africa under Apartheid with its Tricameral Parliament (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricameral_Parliament#Structure). Can you imagine?!

Indeed, in the Tricameral Parliament, there were three separate elected chambers as follows, as per Wikipidia:

• “A 178-member (White) House of Assembly (Afrikaans: Volksraad), which was in effect the existing single-chamber Parliament.
• An 85-member (Coloured) House of Representatives (Afrikaans: Raad van Verteënwoordigers)
• A 45-member (Indian) House of Delegates (Afrikaans: Raad van Afgevaardigdes).”

Does that make any sense to you from a democratic, human, and ethical perspective?

Imagine such proposal being offered in the Lebanese Parliament. Imagine that the members of this or that religious affiliation will have more democratic weight than members of the other affiliation! A second civil war would break out immediately… or a revolt like the one of October, 2019!!

Imagine such proposal would be practised in countries like Iran (with its Sunni Muslim minority) or like Saudi Arabia (with its Shia Muslim minority)? Will that be fair respectively?

If the cream of the educated Ontarians find Apartheid outrageous when it is in South Africa (or perhaps push to boycott Israel because of an ongoing occupation that they call Apartheid), why are they bringing this odd and toxic idea to their own unions and workplaces?

To conclude this post, Bambi will share that she is still under shock since she read about this early in the morning. When will we see more pushback to the excesses of our collectively insane times in our beautiful Canada?

Bambi would like to thank Mr. Ezra Levant for a couple of tweets about a CHEK News article where we could listen to a video in which Dr. David Suzuki said that pipelines will be “blown up” if our “politicians or global leaders fail to act on climate change“. His comment was made at an Extinction Rebellion protest in Victoria, Vancouver Island (entitled “A funeral for the future“).

In our world, we have passionate environmentalists, thank Goodness. Indeed, thanks to them for pushing for a greener environment. However, when a passion reaches extreme levels of activism that start sounding like fanaticism or a covert call for ecoviolence, should we start worrying about any slippery slope in our country?

Bambi does not know about you, but words referring to explosions are a turnoff for her. Plus, instead of mobilizing people around the cause, they may actually harm the environmental cause. Dr. Suzuki is a smart scientist/environmentalist with a long career in broadcasting. His words have a weight. They can influence our youth and older passionate Canadians. With all due respect, perhaps he should be more careful with the choice of his words next time… unless he truly meant the word “blown up“, which would be truly scary.

To conclude this post, of course, you do not have to agree with neither Bambi’s question nor her concern for the fanaticism of environmentalism. After all, the “funeral” may take place for real and perhaps sooner than we think… but it would be not in the way this radical environmental group meant it.

David Suzuki says pipelines will be ‘blown up’ if leaders don’t act on climate change

Tomorrow (in an hour in Beirut) on November 22, Lebanon will “celebrate” its “independence”. The latter refers to the end of the French Mandate, in 1943, after 23 years of rule.

Sadly, Lebanon is VERY far from being an independent nation– today more than ever. Indeed, its fate depends on so many countries of the world. The fate of its residents is at the mercy of the tyrants of their country.

One of Lebanon’s residents is Bambi’s dear friend whose name is Georges. Mr. Georges Abu Arraj expressed the sad reality of his country so elegantly in the language of Voltaire. Bambi will share his beautiful poem with you below, along with a quick English translation. Thank you Georges for moving Bambi’s heart today. Thanks also for your generosity when she asked you if she can share your writing on her blog. She is honoured that you kindly accepted.

“Indépendance et Dépendance…

Chaque année, nous fêtons notre liberté
acquise, d’un mandat gouverneur.
Chaque année, nous célébrons avec fierté,
défilés, choeurs, et péroraisons d’orateurs.

Serons nous un jour assez perspicaces?
Pour regarder notre reflet, dans la glace?
Et décréter notre indépendance,
du besoin, de la corruption, et, de l’ascendance.

Serons nous un jour perspicaces,
et reconnaître un système inefficace.
Qui nous a mené  à la résilience,
à  un occupant des plus coriaces?

Chacun son tour, pour décider de notre sort.
L’un s’en va, l’autre s’en vient.
Le pays scindé, entre oui ou non, au consort,
puis arpenter sûrement, vers l’est, le chemin.

Indépendance où  est tu?
Ceux qui t’ont conquis, ne sont plus,
les géants sont partis
emportant, la gloire de ma patrie!”

Georges Abou Arrage
21 Novembre 2021

Here is a quick English translation, and please Georges forgive Google Translate (Bambi’s faithful friend… so indirectly yours too :)) for not being able to do justice to your talent:

“Every year we celebrate our freedom acquired, of a governance mandate. Every year we proudly celebrate, parades, choirs, and perorations of speakers. Will we one day be insightful enough? To look at our reflection in the mirror? And decree our independence, of want, of corruption, and, of ancestry. Will we one day be insightful, and recognize an inefficient system. That led us to resilience, to one of the determined occupants? Each in turn, to decide our fate. One is going, the other is coming. The country divided, between yes or no, to the consort, then surely walk east along the path. Independence where are you? Those who conquered you are no more the giants are gone carrying, the glory of my homeland! “ Georges Abu Arraj November 21, 2021

To conclude this post on a friendly, optimistic, and patriotic notes, Bambi will end with the following:

(1) Georges Abu Arraj is multi-talented (entrepreneurship, engineering, languages, and… good citizenship!). Bambi featured his writing/him in an older post from July 24, 2020 (shown at the end of this post, if you are interested);

(2) If nothing surprises us until then, Lebanon seems to be heading toward elections in March, 2022. It seems that about 231,717 expats from around the world (over 33 countries) registered to vote. MANY from North America. Will their vote help bring some seeds of change? Time will tell. We just know that for now, these non-resident citizens were highly motivated to vote (a total number 2.79 greater than in the last elections in 2018; imagine that one double-citizen deer who has never ever voted in her birth country is proud to be among them, even if this will not make any major difference on the ground). They/we are all simply heart-broken to see what is happening to their birth country (Bambi suspects that most of them are recent migrants after the Beirut blast or following the worst economic crisis of the world since 1850s; and

(3). Regardless of their vision for Lebanon, whether trapped in it or expats, Lebanese people love their country so much (minus its multiple crises or wars). To each one of them, Bambi will dedicate the Lebanese National anthem (sub-titled in English). It is perhaps one of the most beautiful anthems in the world, starting with “Koulouna Lilwatan“. This means: “All for the country, for the glory, for the flag“. May the glory of Lebanon know how to shine again, even if it will take many years. May its flag always know how to unite and keep uniting all its people!

—

Mr. Boris Vian would have been proud: Inspired by “The deserter”, Mr. Georges Abu Araj wrote moving verses about Lebanon!