Author: Bambi

Yes, in the middle of a Covid-19 pandemic, our neighbouring province of Nova Scotia is mourning following a senseless carnage (https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/18-dead-plus-the-shooter-in-nova-scotia-rampage-1.4903398).

Sadly, 18 victims+ lost their lives ☹, including devoted community members like an RCMP police officer (+ a mother), two nurses (one serving elderly people), two correction officers, a teacher, family of three, and many more (still identified):

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/mass-killing-shooting-victims-remembered-1.5538032

Bambi is speechless… like all of us.

She joins her heart to all the grieving families, local community members, sister province, Atlantic Canada, and our whole country!

If she may, she would like to dedicate a song to everyone touched by this senseless tragedy, and especially to those who lost their lives.

This beautiful French song, written in 1967 by Mr. Pierre Delanoë for Mr. Michel Fugain, tells us how much life is short… even in 100 years, we will not have enough time to fully live, love, and dream.

So, imagine, when our life ends SO abruptly like that…

Anyhow, below you can find an English translation of the lyrics, followed by a link to the song entitled “I will not have time” [“Je n’aurai pas le temps”].
No time
Same
While running
Faster than the wind
Faster than time
Same
Flying
I will not have time
No time
To visit
All the vastness
From such a big universe
Even in a hundred years
I will not have time
To do everything
I open my heart wide
I love with all my eyes
It’s not enough
For so many hearts
And so many flowers
Thousands of days
It’s way too short
It’s way too short
And
To love
As one must love
When we really love
Same
In a hundred years
I will not have time
No time
I will not have time
No time”

This being said, Bambi would like to end this post on a positive note. Thank you again, Mr. Mike George (Ben’s dad), from Soaring Families, for your thoughtful piece of wisdom about life “before & after Covid-19”.

Once again, Bambi enjoyed listening to your comforting words. In addition to your advice, she learned that soon you will become a grandfather. Bravo/Congrats ?!

To conclude, Bambi hopes you/your family will find the video helpful. Below, she added the website of Soaring Families, which assists “families impacted by a serious health condition or disability”.

https://www.soaringfamilies.com/

Bambi came across these Euronews interesting article and video:

The article is entitled “Coronavirus in Sweden: ‘It’s a myth that life is going on as normal,’ says Swedish government”

https://www.euronews.com/2020/04/17/coronavirus-in-sweden-it-s-a-myth-that-life-is-going-on-as-normal-says-swedish-government

The video is entitled “Coronavirus in Europe: Is it a myth that life is going on as normal in Sweden?”

The article above, published today, ends with the following Swedish data:

“As of Friday (April 17) Sweden has reported more than 12,500 cases of COVID-19 – half of them in the past 14 days only – with more than 1,300 deaths, according to the European Centre for Disease and Prevention Control (ECDC)”.

According to a Naharnet article (April 19, 2020), the Wuhan lab director denies virus link: http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/271176-director-of-wuhan-lab-denies-virus-link .

At the very end of the same article about this denial, we can read: “This week authorities in the city admitted mistakes in counting its death toll and abruptly raised the figure by 50 percent.”

To confirm this HUGE increase in figures, Bambi consulted other sources. She found several articles, including one by the BBC, CNN, and even the CBC:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-52321529

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/17/asia/china-wuhan-coronavirus-death-toll-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/wuhan-health-officials-raise-death-toll-linked-to-covid-19-by-50-1.5535543

Of course, accurately counting mortality during a pandemic is challenging for several reasons described in the article below from France 24, perhaps well summarized in this tweet from France’s health authorities (https://www.france24.com/en/20200401-nursing-homes-in-europe-struggle-with-pandemic-s-uncounted-dead):

“France’s leadership has admitted the number of deaths from coronavirus is not accurate because it only reflects people who died in hospitals, excluding people, especially old people, who died either at home or in retirement homes (where the pandemic is taking the lives of many)”.

Sometimes, errors can happen in crises like wars or even without crises. Of course, this can happen in all countries. Bambi recalls having read numerous articles about this phenomenon. For instance, during one of the rounds of wars in Lebanon, one adolescent girl was wrongly declared dead (massacre). She woke up after some time in the morgue.

However, to come back to China, one must recall that this country (i.e., a dictatorship, as a reminder) has acted like Russia with Chernobyl, hiding the tragedy from the rest of the world. Who knows? Perhaps in the hope of addressing it silently… but, obviously, it failed and we all are where we are at now.

Bambi’s problem is not China per se, as China is true to itself. It has been like that before the pandemic.

Bambi’s issue is with our own Minister of Heath, Ms. Hajdu, who declared that she has “confidence on those public health officials working so closely on this issue since late December-Early January”.

Furthermore, as reported by an earlier post by Bambi, she replied to a question from a reporter asking “… whether the WHO’s data could be relied upon if China’s isn’t accurate”:

 “Your question is feeding into conspiracy theories that many people have been perpetuating on the Internet”.

GOLDSTEIN: Patty Hajdu’s China Syndrome

Mmm, Bambi now wonders whether Ms. Hajdu will take a closer look at the Chinese data and if her answer will still be the same as the above. Perhaps with further time, and with any new legislation about misinformation, there will be no journalist who would dare to ask such a question to Ms. Hajdu.

Perhaps Ms. Hajdu can consult Australian peers, such as Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who is calling for an independent investigation into “China’s early response to the outbreak in Wuhan, the city where COVID-19 emerged late last year”.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/australia-calls-for-independent-probe-into-global-covid-19-12656596

According to the article Channel News Asia above, “Payne said Australia shared similar concerns to the United States, whose President Donald Trump has accused the WHO of “mismanaging” the crisis and covering up the seriousness of China’s outbreak before it spread”.

Bambi also shares Mr. Trump’s concerns. Even if he has orange hair, he can be right sometimes. On this one, he is right. On this one, Ms. Hajdu is wrong.

This being said, Bambi has wished to see a wiser Mr. Trump in the circumstances (but this is too much to ask for, given his personality ?). Perhaps the USA should not rush into cutting funding to the WHO at this critical time, that is in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the WHO badly needs a serious reform.

To conclude this post, we do not need to be world leaders or reporters to understand that the WHO seems to have been hijacked by China. For example, as Bambi posted on April 5, 2020 (in the middle of this Covid-19 tragedy!), China has been appointed to the UNHRC panel. Does that make any sense? Mind you, it shares this responsibility with other dictatorships or other authoritarian countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, etc. Once again, are these wise choices?

After Saudi Arabia (in 2019), the UN appointed China to its “Human Rights Panel” (in April 3, 2020). Are these wise choices?

This five-star hotel survived a long and devastating civil war.

It became even a symbol of peace. Indeed, it was a sort of tribune longing for peace in the middle of the barbaric civil war, welcoming politicians during endless crisis talks. Thus, this closure is symbolically moving…

Here is the website of the Le Bristol in Beirut, Lebanon:

https://www.lebristolbeirut.com/

According to the Daily Star (April 18, 2020), “Prince Albert of Monaco, Princess Soraya of Iran and famous Syrian poet Nizar Kabbani, who was a regular at the hotel, are some of the well-known figures who chose Le Bristol during their visits to Lebanon”:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2020/Apr-18/504578-famed-hotel-le-bristol-closes-after-69-years.ashx

Below, you can find a promotional video of the hotel. Best wishes to its soon-to-be former staff… In a normal country, we would have been reassured to know that these “laid-off employees will receive pensions according to the Ministry of Labor standards”. However, Lebanon is far from being the norm (thank goodness for other countries). When received, these employees’ pensions will be paid in Lebanese pounds. The latter has been in a scary free fall, even before the Covid-19 pandemic.

To conclude this post, knowing the tenacity of the Lebanese people, this business will perhaps revive one day? Who knows?

Best wishes to all the businesses of the world, smaller and larger ones, in poorer and richer countries.

Mr. Trudeau’s Tweet from today:

First, this “Charter of Rights and Freedom” was never signed by the province of Québec (it was rather imposed on it).

Mind you, Québec had its own Charter, adopted seven years earlier that this charter. How many Canadians know this? For the record, you can read an old article by Ms. Josée Legault in the Journal de Montréal from 2017:

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2017/04/18/la-charte-oubliee

An English translation below (thanks Google Translate :)):

https://translate.google.ca/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.journaldemontreal.com%2F2017%2F04%2F18%2Fla-charte-oubliee

Second, Mr. Trudeau…. “Rights and Freedom”? Did Bambi hear the last word well: “Freedom”, right?

Below is an earlier post with her thoughts written in the form of an open letter to Mr. Dominic Leblanc: In the name of our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, please do not let Covid-19 be a political opportunity to curtail freedom of expression!

More than ever our journalists need that freedom of expression (many may have to look for new jobs after the pandemic crisis?). For our own sanity and for the sake of democracy in our world, everyone needs it. Yes, we need it for us Canadians… and we also need it in order to keep giving hope to other nations living under dictatorships. Can we please keep being a beacon of freedom and hope to the rest of the world, Mr. Trudeau?

An open letter to our honourable Dominic Leblanc

His real name is Mr. Daniel Bevilacqua. His artistic name is Christophe.

This great French singer died yesterday at age 74, likely from emphysema (a lung condition that leads to shortness of breath). In the media, some journalists talked about Covid-19. However, his spouse did not mention the latter in her official press releases.

Regardless, as they say in Arabic, “the causes of death differ, but death is the same”.

https://www.france24.com/en/20200417-france-chanson-christophe-daniel-bevilacqua-singer-obituary-aline-les-mots-bleus

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1694729/christophe-chanteur-mort-daniel-bevilacqua

Well, Christophe is gone but his heritage will be eternal. Thank you!

Bambi’s favourite song is “Aline”, a melody that has rocked her teenage years in Lebanon. She often listens to this song whilst driving.

Through this post, she would like to pay tribute to Christophe by dedicating his beautiful song to her friend Aline!

Bambi would like to begin this post by thanking her sister (hi Rania ?) for sharing the following video. It shows a concert by an NGO meant for patients and staff of the Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH) in Beirut, Lebanon.

A Lebanese public healthcare centre, the RHUC is the leading COVID-19 testing and treatment centre in this country. Its devoted staff and volunteers took a break from patient care. For a few minutes, they allowed themselves to “forget” about physical distancing and economic hardship:

If you are curious about the latest coronavirus update from Lebanon, here is a brief video (dated April 15, 2020; with 5 news cases today and same total of 21 deaths):

When Bambi searched the Internet to read about the RHUC, she discovered a very short video, featuring Lebanon, posted by the Lebanese Ministry of information.

The video in question is neither related to the pandemic nor to the financial tragedy of the country, along with their joint devastating effect on the economy… Perhaps, it is meant to remind us that Lebanon is still hanging on, with its eternal beauty and resilience. Yes, one day (no clue when!), there will be a “normal” life post-pandemic, for all the countries of the world, including us here and tiny bankrupt Lebanon.

In the case of Lebanon, Bambi hopes that normality will finally mean a dignified life. Lebanese people are not asking for the moon. They JUST need the basics: being able to put bread on the table… and sleep at night, reassured that their savings are not lost. Is this too much to ask for, even before a pandemic?

Although they greatly appreciate their government smart management of the Covid-19 pandemic, they are far from being dumb… they know how to recognize different types of haircuts, when they see them.

Yes, they do understand that their government is bankrupt. Plus, the pandemic was the icing on the cake. Nevertheless, even when quarantined, they do not forget about the epidemic of public corruption.

Tomorrow is the Greek Orthodox Good Friday.

OK, Bambi is not confusing the days here, although she almost called her parents today, thinking it was already Friday.

It was funny to hear her spouse clarifying that “we are not Friday yet… and Good Friday was last week ?”.

Bambi celebrated Easter last week (with the majority of Christians in Canada). Her parents, sisters, and half of her relatives are celebrating this weekend. The other half of the Christian family members celebrated last weekend.

Sometimes, the two Catholic and Orthodox Easters co-occur. Sometimes they do not (one week apart, like this year).

Anyhow, Bambi loves the Byzantine chants of the Greek Orthodox church. They remind her of her happy childhood.

Well, this evening, her cousin Elham made her day when she shared the first video below. In it, you can hear/see her talented second cousin (hello Zeina!) praying, with her choir and kids. They seem to have used a platform like Zoom. How well done, bravo!

Further below, you can see the same prayer by Father Elias (hello “Abouna” ?!). The latter happens to be Elham’s spouse. According to Bambi, he may have the most powerful voice she has even heard (solid and moving like the sound of a bell).

What is somehow moving in these two videos is the contrast between the first and second videos. In the first, everyone is quarantined. The second shows a dynamic church filled to its full capacity. This service traditionally ends with a procession on the streets of Beirut around Saint-Mary’s church. After a busy evening, in the early hours of the next day (Holy Saturday before Easter), Abouna flies to Jordan in order to bring the light from the tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem. This candle serves to light ALL the little candles of all parishioners of all the churches. Bambi’s parents bring this candle back home to bless their place (a VERY old Christian tradition).

To Father Elias, Bambi would like to say: Thank you for all what you do to your parish. She will say the same to your family too.

In three days, you/we all be greeting each other by saying: “Christ is risen. Truly risen! This is how they say Happy Easter in the Middle East.

The resurrection is at the heart of the Christian faith… In other terms, the joy and hope that Easter brings remains the same, when we have faith in our hearts. Regardless of wars, economic hardships, pandemics, or simply being away from loved ones, we celebrate and hope for better days ahead.

Those who believe, nurturing their faith, aspire to feel a renewal of hope in life. Those who do not believe in Jesus story can still just enjoy the beautiful music and the delicious Easter food. Bambi considers herself to be among the lucky ones who enjoy both… twice per year ?.

First, here is an article by Journal de Montréal:

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/04/16/washington-enquete-pour-savoir-si-le-coronavirus-est-issu-dun-laboratoire-de-wuhan

Here is a very quick translation by Google Translate:

https://translate.google.ca/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.journaldemontreal.com%2F2020%2F04%2F16%2Fwashington-enquete-pour-savoir-si-le-coronavirus-est-issu-dun-laboratoire-de-wuhan

Second, here is a BBC article on the topic:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-52305562/coronavirus-trump-says-we-ll-see-about-wuhan-lab-claims

Here is a research project recently funded by Canada:

Le, Xiaochun C., University of Alberta, with researchers from Wuhan Institute of Virology (China) who are “who currently perform the standard diagnostic tests will lead this effort” ($828,046). TITLE: Point-of-care diagnostics of COVID-19 using isothermal amplification and CRISPR technology. See the bold characters in the abstract below:

“This research addresses the urgent need of rapid point-of-care diagnostics of COVID-19. The collaborative research is conducted by a multi-disciplinary team of virologists, chemists, infectious disease specialists, front-line practitioners, and public health researchers from the University of Alberta, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and Wuhan Institute of Virology (China). The immediate priority focuses on developing two complementary techniques to be performed on-site and in resource-limited settings, in support of rapid diagnosis of COVID-19. The diagnostic innovation takes advantage of the most recent advances in chemistry, molecular biology, genome technology, and nanotechnology. Chemical reactions required for efficient amplification and sensitive detection of the viral RNA take place in a single tube at a moderate temperature, simplifying the operation procedures. The specific reaction products are visible to the naked eyes, thus eliminating the need for any elaborate equipment. The first test reads color changes, with red color indicating negative and blue color indicating positive. Readout for the second test is color band on paper strips, similar to those of pregnancy tests, with two red bands indicating positive whereas a single control band indicating negative. The mid-term priority focuses on validating and evaluating the new diagnostic tests for field applications in the epidemic center of COVID-19. Our team members in Wuhan who currently perform the standard diagnostic tests will lead this effort. Once validated and approved, the new diagnostic tools will be used to support screening and diagnosis of COVID-19 at the community level. The mid-term objective also includes adapting the point-of-care diagnostics at other collaborating sites, e.g., Karachi (Pakistan) and Nairobi (Kenya). A longer-term priority of this research includes refining the new diagnostic tools to enable monitoring of mutational changes of the virus as it continues to evolve.”

The abstract above comes from a Canadian government’s website:  https://www.canada.ca/en/institutes-health-research/news/2020/03/government-of-canada-funds-49-additional-covid-19-research-projects-details-of-the-funded-projects.html (website last updated on April 2, 2020).

Those who know Bambi in person may have noticed that she likes the term highlighted in the picture above: “Bravo”. She likes it, especially that we can use it in so many languages, including English, French, Arabic, even German, and of course… Italian.

However, should we always feel obliged to say bravo or applaud entities or individuals, even when witnessing underperformance?

We can of course understand how they may have been frozen by fear or overwhelmed or paralyzed by their ideology or cumbersome bureaucracy, etc. We are all human. However, in pandemics, we do not have the luxury of time to act or take a fast decision.

First, here is the CBC article, she will be referring to below. It is entitled: “The pandemic seems to be giving Canadians warm feelings about government. Can it last?” It is signed by Mr. Aaron Wherry:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/coronavirus-pandemic-covid-government-polling-1.5533700?cmp=rss

Second, the article in question made Bambi remember a TV moment with her dad when she visited her family in Beirut, Lebanon, a few years ago.

The scene, which took place in the Syrian Parliament when Mr. Assad Junior was “re-elected”, predating their civil war. It showed the Syrian politicians applauding. The TV moment lasted for SEVERAL long minutes (5, 10, 15… Bambi lost count ?).

Everyone was applauding and re-applauding… and this seemed to go on forever.

Bambi’s dad, a wise man, asked her: “Do you know why they are not stopping their applause?” Bambi was so amused (and felt sad for the Syrian people) when her dad said: “No one wants to be seen as the first to stop applauding”.

If Bambi can allow herself to draw such a comparison, a bit like the Syrian public servants, our CBC journalists seem to rush to be the first to applaud the federal government, without critical sense (it seems to have been surgically removed a while ago).

This time, this article did not mention Mr. Trump, for a change. Bambi has noticed a classical journalistic pattern in Canada (sometimes even used by our own PM in his answers to journalists during his daily speeches): Mentioning Mr. Trump, as a comparison, makes Canadians feel better. Yes, they can allow themselves to make fun of him WITHOUT questioning their own PM’s inconsistencies or immaturity. They can tell themselves, or our government may perhaps think they would tell themselves: Thank Goodness, Trudeau is not Trump, even if they share the same first letter in their family names.

Is this all what we aspire for as Canadians? To beat Mr. Trump’s style/bad reputation? The bar is not set high then, isn’t it?

Mind you, Bambi wrote the above and she is not a Trump supporter. However, she knows when/how to recognize when he may be right on something or doing something serving the best interests of his country.

Even if she did not vote for Mr. Trudeau a second time, she also knows how to appreciate his good decisions.

Yes, even Mr. Trump, can be right sometimes. Similarly, even Mr. Trudeau, can be wrong at other times. The latter can even be pointless, even if he may have a richer vocabulary and even if he does not have orange hair.