Author: Bambi

Bambi was happy to read this refreshing article by Dr. Joseph Facal:

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/12/29/ce-que-je-retiens-de-2020

She read his article immediately after listening to a French CBC interview of Mr. Stéphane Bureau with Dr. Gaad Saad who told us about his thoughtful book entitled “The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense”:

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/premiere/emissions/bien-entendu/segments/entrevue/337425/gad-saad-critique-monde-universitaire

English Google Translation:

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://ici.radio-canada.ca/premiere/emissions/bien-entendu/segments/entrevue/337425/gad-saad-critique-monde-universitaire

It nice to hear Dr. Saad expressing his ideas in French and it is VERY refreshing to see the French CBC publishing/posting such a beautiful, smart debate in our collectively stupid (and dangerous) times.

Whilst listening to the interview, and every time she reads/hears about a story of cancel culture (or censorship), Bambi cannot help not to think about the contrast between our own cowardice in Canada (or resistance to silly or “pathogenic” ideas, to use Dr. Saad’s own words) and the courage of people who live under unfair situations, oppression, or occupation elsewhere in the world. Of course, she thinks of Lebanon and the courage of citizens like her own dad who did not fear militiamen or all the occupiers of Beirut. She thinks also of her own attitude during civil war. She specially thinks of the current courage of the people of Beirut and Lebanon who dare to express their opinions and dare to defend other citizens and the truth/principles, knowing that they risk jail or the ultimate cancellation (= murder).

So, please Canadians, be courageous, especially those of you in positions of power. Do not surrender to the few who terrorize the silent majority in the name of social justice or of this or that.

Be like the host that Dr. Saad interviewed once (and mentioned in his interview above). The person is from Irak and dared to stand up to ISIS! So why can’t we stand up to a couple or a few triggered individuals? What are we afraid of?

Anyhow, as you can see immigrants/refugees, both older and newer ones, do not usually fall into the trap of “pathogenic ideas”. They have the utmost respect for the Western world that has opened its arms wide open for them. They know it is far from being perfect… but it remains like heaven compared to the wars and armed conflicts they have escaped.

So, if Mr. Trudeau, ever falls on an article like the one below or on an interview/article like the one above, it would be a good idea to keep the above observations about newcomers in mind. They may even decide not to vote for his party anymore because they tend to be true classical liberals like Dr. Saad and Bambi (the latter is even a past Liberal voter). Please Mr. Trudeau stop endorsing our world’s stupid ideas and keep doing the good work you do from time to time. Thank you.

To conclude this post, here is a quick translation of Dr. Facal’s article for you:

“Rest assured, I will not inflict another column on the pandemic on you.

What has not been said on the subject?

Sophie Durocher wrote yesterday that she wonders, at the end of each year, which word best sums up the last twelve months.

I spontaneously thought of “censorship”. Then, I changed my mind in favour of “cowardice”.

Triggered?

2020 will have been a year in which restrictions on freedom of expression continued to escalate.

Buried under the number, I stopped compiling cases of shows or works of art withdrawn due to complaints, of schools suppressing a book, of professors suffering the wrath of susceptible students or of directors who fall into the camp of wolf packs.

At the root of all these censorship cases are people in positions of authority who have refused to stand up and explain why they would not bow to calls for suppression.

They preferred to buy peace on the back of an unfortunate man and a fundamental principle.

It is in this sense that cowardice paves the way for censorship.

You have to admit that we are living in strange times.

You can invoke your individual freedom to go party in an all-inclusive [resort] and turn into a walking viral bomb.

But it becomes problematic to invoke your individual freedom to express an opinion if it offends the sensibilities of just one person in the audience.

You don’t even have to be guilty of anything anymore.

Worse, it is no longer even required to verify the motivations of the one who says he/she is shocked.

If the person says he/she is upset, that’s enough to prove him/her right. He/she holds virtue.

His/her emotion creates a new rule of conduct that he/she wishes to see applied to all who follow.

Since there will always be someone who complains, imagine a society that bends over every protest.

We would be, in the words of jurist Pierre Trudel, “drawn into the wringer of arbitrariness”.

If all it took was a complaint from one person or a small group, it would also spell the end of irony, innuendo and subtlety.

A screed of lead descended on people’s minds, reducing us to talking about the weather and the next supper.

However, the law exists precisely to limit arbitrariness, and our laws, let us repeat, already contain multiple limits on freedom of expression.

If this right needs to be adjusted, let it be discussed and done, but right now it is the selective indignation of a handful of loudmouths that too often sets the limits of what is acceptable.

A wake-up call

Basically, it’s less complicated than you think: if something offends, but cannot be sanctioned by an existing law, it must be allowed.

It is therefore up to the authorities seized of the censorship request to explain why they will not comply.

Yes, that takes courage, the complete opposite of hypocritical, sugar-coated and puritanical cowardice before our eyes.

May 2021 be the year of the wake-up call [“du sursaut”]”.

First, here is the tweet that Bambi is referring to:

Why doesn’t Ms. Harris tell us that the most important demographic factor found in systematic reviews is age (which does not take a genius to guess): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7568488/

The findings of the systematic review above suggest that “older age, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus conferred a significant increased risk of mortality among patients with COVID-19. In the multivariate analysis, only diabetes mellitus demonstrated an independent relationship with increased mortality. Further studies are needed to ascertain the relationship between possible risk factors with COVID-19 mortality.”

Indeed, the authors of the study concluded the following: “Among the demographic factors, age is one of the most important factors affecting mortality, and in our study, age was significantly associated with increased mortality. Studies have shown that the age-related defects in immune cell function and increased production of inflammatory cytokines may play a role”.

Another important demographic factor seems to be the male sex. Indeed, the studies that they included in their systematic review, which were assessed for the quality of their methods, showed that “the male gender is also a risk factor for severity and higher mortality”.

From where is Ms. Harris getting her data? If she is thinking of urban deaths, perhaps yes, more of the groups from the ethnic background she is referring to, live in dense households or urban centres? Perhaps seniors live with younger family members?

Given the above, is “race” (Bambi prefers a term like “ethno-linguistic background”) the closest proxy to the above?

Mind you, it is also likely that some groups (i.e. African-Americans) may tend to have hypertension or other medical comorbidities (or co-occuring compromising health conditions) such as obesity or (related) diabetes mellitus, which may increase the mortality risk.

Perhaps they will be reluctant to seek medical help (i.e., high costs), but are the United States that bad that they do not treat their poorer citizens? Even bankrupt Lebanon is offering public health care to covid-19 patients and all the vaccination (starting only in February) will be free of charge.

Anyhow, to come back to Ms. Harris’s tweet, when we hear or read her saying the “climate crisis is an existential threat to all of us—particularly poor communities and communities of color who bear the greatest riks from polluted air, polluted water, and a failing infrastructure” and that this is what Mr. Biden “will be tackling on day one”, how can we trust she is genuine on that one too?

Maybe it is just Bambi who is skeptical about the authenticity of this politician?

Maybe Bambi is wrong?

Wrong or right, had she been American and with her as a choice to vote for, Bambi would have skipped as she is allergic to identity politics.

BOTH Iran and Saudi Arabia are now ahead of Lebanon, when it comes to the equality between men and women. Can you imagine the irony and the insult to the Lebanese women and the injustice to their children, especially in a supposedly secular and much more open-minded country!?

Indeed, Saudi Arabia has a citizenship law and Iran has just improved its more recent law, allowing Iranian mothers to give the citizenship to their offspring:

https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing/2020/12/5fc5fecf4/75000-children-iran-gain-nationality-under-new-law.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabian_nationality_law

Good for both Saudi Arabia and Iran for these reforms. Bravo for this step forward.

Sadly, in Lebanon, up until today, only fathers married to non-Lebanese citizens can give their citizenship to their children. Not mothers! How logical and fair is that?

Shame on you Lebanon… When will be your turn?!

Mr. Jan Kubis, the United Nations (UN) Special Coordinator for Lebanon, tweeted the following harsh yet true words, as you can see below.

Is anyone from the Lebanese political elite, with at least one lobe in their brains, listening (yes, Lebanese politicians can survive with just one brain lobe)?

In other terms, we have already established they are heartless, but what about their brains? Is there hope still?

Why are they still aligning their country to foreign entities?

When will they learn that Lebanon’s only salvation is when it is put first?

Is it too much for them to put the Lebanese people whom they are supposed to be representing and serving FIRST, before their own interests?

To conclude this post, thank you Mr. Kubis for this message.

Every now and then, Bambi spends time searching the internet for new updates on the degradation of the situation in Canada.

She finds it particularly worrisome when one of our major sectors of the economy, and not one usually known for political correctness, is becoming illuminated (or woke):

We are talking about a sector that contributes about $110 billion to our national gross domestic product (or GDP).

In other terms, this sector is neither about our federal government’s institutions, nor about a bunch of young activists still idealistic and easily influenced by trendy movements.

Anyhow, below you can find the official statement by the Mining Association of Canada about its commitment to the so-called “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion”.

To conclude this post, using the statement’s own words, who can be for “inequity, discrimination and hatred in all its forms”? Are you for it yourself? Of course not. Neither is Bambi.

This is of course noble in and by itself, but why does this mining sector of Canada feel the need to endorse such statements and pledges?

Is it being forced by our government? Or is it simply afraid of not being perceived as being a follower of trends (like other people in our society)? Or is it under pressure from radical or interest groups?

Bambi would like to thank her friend Aline for sharing the TFI News documentary.

In this video shown below, you can watch Lebanese glass blowers (a Phoenician tradition, which is 3000 years old) recycling the MANY pieces of shattered glass from the surrealistic Beirut port explosion of August 4, 2020.

From products of destruction and death, they made Lebanese traditional water pitchers (called “Ibrik“) and creative Christmas decoration.

Although beautiful, it is moving as those shattered glass pieces have injured 6000 citizens, killed 204 others, made many families homeless, and scared so many more people in tiny, bankrupt yet always beautiful Lebanon.

One must say that it is very thoughtful of France to encourage those Lebanese artists by importing their Christmas decoration. As one Lebanese glass blower said, France has always imported their art products. Today more than ever in show of solidarity with the Lebanese people.

Bambi is thinking of her friend Jean from Sackville now. She asked back in August if such an initiative could be done in Beirut. Jean, if you are reading this post, you will be happy to have an answer to your excellent question on glass recycling.

After watching the TFI video below, if you wish, further below, you can hear a beautiful song from Corsica that two young Lebanese artists performed and dedicated to the victims of the Beirut port explosion. This production happened on September 21st, as reported by the Lebanese l’Orient Le Jour. Bambi discovered their talent only yesterday night before going to sleep. She was moved by the song, especially that she had visited the charming Corsica with her family. She loves the language and especially the music of this European Island. It always pulls on her heartstrings. Today more than ever.

To conclude this post, Christmas will always be Christmas, even when if it is filled with challenges or sorrow for our whole planet… and especially for Lebanon, which has more challenges before and beyond the pandemic.

Indeed, Christmas season is about hope and the joy of hope to the world, about love, about modesty too (check the way baby Jesus chose to come to the world…), about surprising a loved one with a gift or with a gesture of tenderness, and it is about knowing how to receive others’ love and attention. It is about gratitude too. Gratitude of being alive and of appreciating people’s kindness.

It is in this spirit that Bambi touched base with all her loved ones, seniors and younger, in Beirut on this Christmas to give them her best wishes for 2021 (sadly, not in person this year). It was hard for her to wish them a Merry Christmas, that is with the word “Merry” (many are grieving or just struggling), but she found her own words to express what she meant. They even managed to sarcastically joke, and remember to be grateful.

It is Bambi’s hope that Lebanon has reached it lowest point in 2019-2020. It is now time to begin its’ journey toward recovery! This being said, unfortunately, one must remain realistic, no new government there yet… and even if they will have elections sometime soon, they are stuck with the same corrupt and useless leaders. They are also stuck with powerful people whose ideology is larger than their love of their OWN country. They are also stuck in a tough geopolitical place. Without a political will to keep the country as neutral as it can be (i.e., at equal distance to all those sharks around it), Lebanon remains one of the most vulnerable tiny countries of our world.

To conclude this post on a more optimistic note, there is a French saying about how smaller people/entities must be “smarter” in order to survive (“le plus petit doit être le plus malin“). Please Lebanon, be that clever small country!

The more Bambi reads woke articles or hear woke speeches, the more she is convinced that those who pretend to be fighting racism are stupidly and shamelessly promoting racism.

If you do not see what Bambi means, and if you have the luxury of wasting your free time, you may wish to read this article in the Globe and Mail entitled “The reluctance of Canadian businesses to collect race-based data needs to end”:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-the-reluctance-of-canadian-businesses-to-collect-race-based-data-needs/#comments

Yes, it is one of these articles that uses terms like “race” and “ethnicity” in the same sentence, like “intersectionality” (of victimhood), like Diversity and Inclusion (of course, not Intellectual diversity…), blahblahblah.

When will this intimidation stop?

And why are Canadian businesses endorsing this movement?

In other terms, what are they afraid of?

From the Tehran Times, Bambi learned the following: “Iranian artist Mohammad Asadi Jozani has said that his portraits of ten resistance martyrs will be presented to Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon“:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/455989/Iranian-artist-to-dedicate-portraits-of-resistance-martyrs-to

Well, first, may all the dead people of all the world rest in peace, whether their actions were good for humanity or not. Bambi has always said so, not just tonight on this beautiful Christmas eve.

Anyhow, the death of those “ten resistance martyrs” is not the focus of this post.

The topic is rather the beauty of Beirut, from an architectural perspective.

Second, here is the gift in question, if you are curious:

Third, Bambi has addressed the issue of such portraits of Iranian leaders (military, religious, or whatever) that we see in Beirut, in an earlier post entitled “Is Mr. Nasrallah, leader of the (Lebanese) Hezbollah, more catholic than the pope?” (see below).

In contrast to Beirut’s legendary charm, the last memory Bambi has from her trip to Beirut last year was actually the view of those portraits. Indeed, this is what she saw last, from the cab window, in her 5-10-minute ride to the airport. Not an aesthetic scene, especially after having driving through the very beautiful parts of Beirut (tragically, a great extent of Beirut’s architectural heritage has been destroyed in the surrealistic port explosion pf August 4, 2020).

Fourth, and related to the above, can Mr. Nasrallah stop making Beirut ugly, please?

Fifth, and whilst we are at it, can he try to remember that the name of his country’s capital is Beirut, not Tehran? Bambi is saying so with all due respect to the Iranian capital and the Iranian people.

Finally, if Mr. Nasrallah would like professional advice from experts in urbanism or architecture, his country is FULL of talented professionals and recent graduates.

Sadly, the entire 4-6 million Lebanese citizens are still held hostage by his fellow corrupt politicians/Governor of Lebanon’s central bank, and… of course, by his own toxic loyalty to a foreign country/ideology OVER Lebanon’s best interests.

To conclude this post on a less sarcastic note, Bambi wonders if the Lebanese people be one day able to have access again to their bank savings (if the latter still exist following the crash of October 17, 2019?).

Will the families of the victims of the Beirut port blast as well as all the citizens heavily devastated see a resemblance of justice by at least knowing the truth of what led to this tragedy?

Will justice be also served, with quick and serious investigations, of the mysterious recent assassinations, including the one of a young dad whose family has a Canada immigration visa?

Many questions and not a single answer yet… So, at least whilst still awaiting public answers, please give your fellow citizens a break from additional Iranian portraits.

Thank you, Mr. Hassan Nasrallah.

——

Is Mr. Nasrallah, leader of the (Lebanese) Hezbollah, more catholic than the pope?

Bambi adores this singer. Yes, she is talented and simply sweet :).

As you can see further below, in an earlier post from April 2020, her love song about the quarantine times was fun to listen to. It became a hit in Lebanon and the whole Arab world!

Well, in August 2020, after the Beirut explosion, she also sang for her capital and fellow citizens hit hard by the port surrealistic explosion.

Now, in December 2020, she is offering us a beautiful short Christmas Medley. Thank you Ms. Bitar.

May this Christmas bring hope, healing, rest, and entertainment to the people of Lebanon… and to all of us in NB, across Canada, and around the world!

“In confinement”: A Lebanese love song by Ms. Chantal Bitar

According to the Financial Times,“Iran nuclear deal signatories push for US return once Biden takes office. Europeans commit to revival of accord as first priority ahead of any talks on expanding it”.

Despite any good intentions of Mr. Obama’s administration, this nuclear deal was already useless before expanding it. So, imagine how it would look like after. Why? Because Iran has not been respecting it, as simple as that. Perhaps there is a reason why it takes a risk-taker in politics, as crazy as Mr. Trump, to decide to get out of it.

Plus, let’s also recall that two countries of the co-signers of the agreement of Obama-Biden with Iran are China and Russia:

https://www.ft.com/content/3f7f61d4-ea05-4bfd-948f-3ee93c7f3c3a

Can someone tell Bambi how we can trust China… or even Russia?

We are talking about the same Russia already heavily involved in the Syrian war, along with Iran, Assad’s regime, and Hezbollah… Yes, this same Russia, even if perhaps it could/would know how to honour a deal once it is signed.

We are talking about that same China and what it is currently doing to Taiwan:

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/hongkong-taiwan-military/

In life, sadly yet realistically, only tough means can stop those who do not care about others’ safety and well-being.

Iran is determined to have its nuclear weapons, and nothing will stop it.

In an ideal romanticized world, Bambi would have preferred not to see any country having nuclear weapons (i.e., including Israel, of course). It would be fair to all. However, this is not how our world works to cite our own Mr. Trudeau in a virtual address to the UN General Assembly on September 25, 2020 and with two Russian pranksters (for the record, see further below).

So, what is the solution then? Or is there any?

Whatever will happen, Bambi fears that it is Lebanon that would be paying the price… once again!

———

Are Mr. Biden & Mr. Blinken more naïve about Iran than our idealistic Mr. Trudeau?