Author: Bambi

As a comment to the following article, Bambi will resort to some sarcasm, just for some fun:

Sackville’s mayor apologizes to council, staff and citizens for not correcting false claims

While apologizing to Mr. Burke (for whatever hidden reasons, genuine or not), why doesn’t our Mayor take the opportunity to apologize to all the former Heritage Board members, and especially to Bambi’s spouse, Mr. Louis Béliveau. The latter was wrongly accused of misconduct by a town wanting to badly hide its own legal misconduct.

If the Mayor (or Councillor Black earlier), will say she is fabricating facts, well the whole story is documented in several past articles on the New Wark Times where Mr. Wark cleverly shared the “secret” Lordon Report, which ended being not too secret, we learned from the Supreme Court of Canada (https://warktimes.com/?s=Lordon+report).

Following the above, Bambi has expressed her hope for our town’s public apologies to Louis and to the other Heritage Board volunteers at two opportunities, if her memory is accurate, on the New Wark Times’ blog platform. She then quickly realized that not everyone is capable of introspection to generate authentic apologies. Who cares about apologies when we know the truth and we stand by our values? Plus, life is way too short. We preferred to move on and keep enjoying our daily lives.

Anyhow, according to Bambi, our Mayor takes good decisions sometimes and, when this happens, she is the first to write in appreciation. For instance, she can think of decisions for the Industrial park, bringing more businesses (mind you, even Louis wrote something positive about it), of the beautiful decorations for Remembrance Day, minus of course the rather odd management of the Memorial Park saga over the summer.

All the above being said, our town is notoriously known for overspending, especially on this highly expensive pond project (is it really needed?) and also on the Sackville Arts Wall that has cost us $43K (Bambi has called it in the past the “Wall of China” ?), or more recently the idea of an $80K dog park. Of course, Bambi adores dogs but is this project a good use of public funds, as Councillor O’Neil recently wondered (https://warktimes.com/)?

Regardless, our Mayor is free if he wants to apologize or to defend a town’s specific staff member, but Bambi does not agree with him on the way he is telling this story or this truth (or should she say “his” truth, to borrow a famous word we heard from a famous Canadian working in Ottawa).

Specifically, she is talking about the word “fabrication” used by our Mayor, which seems to insinuate that Mr. Percy Best is not reporting the evidence or the truth accurately. Mr. Percy Best is one of the most decent men Bambi has met. Or was it meant as a shot against Mr. Estabrooks (former Deputy Mayor) rather?

Our Mayor’s choice of words also seems to insinuate that Mr. Wark is not honest or accurate, as a reporter. Mr. Wark is one of the most professional and decent journalists she has ever met (see earlier post, reply to Councillor Black: https://tinyurl.com/tmnj58c).

Bambi does not understand, or care to understand, all the internal politics of our town. However, she cannot help not to wonder: Why this comment, this apology, and why now?

Bambi recalls only one encounter with Mr. Burke that was not particularly pleasant, and she is usually someone who naturally tends to see the good side of folks first and fast.

Mr. Burke may have not noticed that she has witnessed this interaction, between him and her spouse, that occurred at the Champlain Mall in Moncton where they had company with them. The incident happened during the saga of the Heritage Board before the legal action. It was the first time she met this Mr. Burke actually.

Anyhow, Mr. Burke’s attitude was more “childish” than anything else, if she may use the term. It made everyone smile ?. Perhaps this was his way of reacting when triggered. Maybe Louis “triggered” him when he politely greeted him. Luckily, she has seen him acting much more professionally on the town’s social media.

Because there is hope for more noble behaviour, she hopes Mr. Burke will have the decency to apologize to Mr. Best and Mr. Estabrooks. Whether he meant to be rude to them or not in the incident involving Crandall Engineering company, his action spoke volumes about the state of democracy in our small town.

If he apologizes (just like his/our Mayor did), despite overspending issues in this project or despite any error (mistakes do happen, we are human), like Bambi, Sackville citizens would appreciate his politeness. Perhaps they would also become more convinced/impressed by our Mayor’s recent public comment and apologies.

https://www.sackvilletribunepost.com/news/local/in-their-own-words-marshview-middle-school-students-share-their-reflections-on-remembrance-day-374755/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-protests-economy/we-cant-take-it-anymore-as-lebanon-economy-skids-jobs-in-firing-line-idUSKBN1XR0I0

Above is the link to the article in question (a 2 min read).

The picture above shows the Bank of Beirut.

Bambi is now thinking of her dearest cousin and her spouse who work there.

Bambi is also thinking of all her other relatives and friends, also bankers elsewhere.

Sadly, “S&P Global Ratings said on Friday that it lowered Lebanon’s long-term and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings to ‘CCC/C’ from ‘B-/B’, citing rising financial and monetary risks”:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-ratings-s-p/sp-downgrades-lebanons-credit-rating-amidst-ongoing-protests-idUSKBN1XP2DP

If Bambi understands well, “a sovereign credit rating” refers to the credit rating of a “sovereign” entity (national governments). It is an indicator of the risk level of the investing context of this sovereign jurisdiction’s debt. Investors usually use such indicators before deciding to invest in a jurisdiction. Obviously, this indicator also takes into account political risk.

Keeping this in mind, it seems that three top Lebanese banks (Bank Audi, Blom Bank, & Bankmed) were downgraded by S&P Global Ratings, as reported by both Reuters (please see above) and Bloomberg (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-14/banks-on-the-frontline-of-lebanon-s-crisis-get-downgraded-by-s-p).

Bambi hopes that this VERY dark financial cloud will be managed as wisely as possible.

Clearly, tough management decisions will have to be taken by businesses (small or large), especially but not only by banks, as well as maybe by hospitals, other organizations, and/or by citizens at large, in the days, weeks, or even years ahead.

By the way, in the picture above, the sign in Arabic on the wall reads as: “The return of the stolen money“.

Bambi is unsure if those public funds have been stolen in the true sense or just very badly (i.e., criminally) mismanaged by politicians… or both? In either case, the consequence on citizens is tragic.

One thing is also sure: The country’s financial situation seems to remain a total mess.

At the time being, whether for geopolitical reasons or pure incompetence, there seems to be an incapacity of the government (or what is left of it?) to solve this deep financial crisis.

“Bon courage” to all the citizens of Lebanon! Hang on, please.

Above is an interesting English report by Ms. Nadia Massih and Mr. Mohamed Farhat (France 24; published on November 16, 2019).

Bambi discovered “Megaphone“, which is a news platform that gives voices to Lebanon’s uprising. Thank you France 24.

First, it is somehow ironic, and even amusing, to see the smiling faces of the police officers. I guess it is not every day that they see so many people happily waiting for citizens to be released from their police station :).

Second, and more alarmingly, it is Bambi’s hope that Lebanese people’s right to freedom of expression will keep on being protected, now more than ever.

First, here is the original French article:

https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/le-liban-dans-l-impasse-politique-20191115

Second, this article, by Sybille Rizk, sheds light on the tragic situation in Lebanon.

Big issues for such as small country.

Below is a translation from French to English, if you have the time or if you care to read:

“In Beirut

If Ubu had been multi-headed, he could have symbolized the Lebanese political class. As a “solution” to the unprecedented crisis in the country since the end of the war, the name of Mohammad Safadi was leaked in the media: an agreement was found to succeed him to Saad Hariri at the head of the government. The mere fact of pretending to consider this way out of the crisis is a testimony about the extent of the gap that divides the political class from the street. Not to mention the context in which the decision would have been taken: an informal meeting, outside any institutional framework. The constitution requires the prime minister to be appointed by the President of the Republic after formal consultations of deputies.

As soon as the news spread in the middle of night, the slogans flourished to discredit this former minister, a billionaire whose name is associated with a complex accused of encroaching on the public property of the waterfront of Beirut and trade of Saudi armament.

Oligarchic regime

Analysts hesitate between two readings. Either the announcement involves maneuvers to “grill” an option in order to “sell” then another. Either it shows a flagrant inability of the authorities to take on the reality. In both cases, it signals the extent of the crisis -some of the collapse-of the oligarchic political regime that began at the end of the 1975-1990 war.

One after the other, the poles of this system have shown their extreme vulnerability. The Prime Minister threw in the towel on October 29. His 72-hour rescue plan, in response to the popular uprising, was deemed as unreliable as inadequate. Its main “measure” was the zeroing of the budget deficit, while it has been two years since the authorities were able to reduce it to 7% of GDP.

It was then the irremovable president of Parliament, Nabih Berri, who was forced to postpone a parliamentary session whose appearance was perceived as an affront to popular demands. Ditto for the agenda: a general amnesty law, comparable to that which had absolved all warlords in 1991. Under the excuse of pardon to people who suffer from a denial of justice (because of a criminal justice system plagued by years of political interference), the proposed amnesty also concerns an impressive array of financial and fiscal crimes.

Popular revolt is carried by its geographical, social and confessional transversality.

Finally, during a televised interview, the President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, aroused the popular anger by suggesting to the dissatisfied citizens the path of emigration. A flagrant clumsiness in a country whose youth, the main driving force of the revolt, is overwhelmingly forced to expatriate failing to find work.

Although flickering, these different components of power refuse to give way. They are supported by Hezbollah, which, although shaken as well, remains the main organized force of the country, with an armament whose power exceeds that of the regular army. Iran’s Allied Shiite party fears the emergence of a new political configuration that would directly target it, transposing the conflict between Washington and Tehran to Lebanon, while it has managed to protect itself from it.

In front of them, the popular revolt is anchored in its demands, and carried by its geographic, social and confessional transversality. But it is not yet catalyzed around a political project carried by one or more opposition movements. Hence the risk that the timing of the current political transition is not fast enough compared to that of the economic and financial crisis whose social consequences are potentially devastating”.

The earlier post was about bad leaders. The current post is a 101 political science course about mismanagement of revolts.

Kids went to school today, at least some of them. Private hospitals across the country were on strike. Banks remain closed. Bank employees are still on strike. People are still massively AND peacefully protesting on the streets.

Whilst the financial crisis is critical, Lebanese politicians keep recycling themselves in order to remain in power.

Is stability of the “shit” safer than the “shit” that some fear in the unknown?

Please excuse Bambi’s language. She is usually polite. Luckily English is not her first language. Thus, this word sounds milder than its equivalent word in Arabic that she will spare you :).

May respect, common sense, and peace prevail.

May impunity and political stupidity truly end!

Mr. Mike George was featured on Huddol’s Lifecast this week, that is in November 2019:

https://soaringfamilies.com/yt-post-3

He is the father of the amazing Ben who recently graduated from UNB Saint John!

Mike George & his spouse Jan co-founded Soaring Families in 2015 to support anyone who cares for a loved one with complex care needs due to a chronic health condition or a disability.

Dr. Mirella De Civita is the President of Papillon MDC Inc. (Montréal, Québec).

Her background is in medicine ( Postdoctoral Fellowship in Behavioral Medicine, McGill University) and psychology (PhD from the Université de Montréal). Among her numerous accomplishments is an inspiring book entitled “The Courage to Fall Into Life: The Tao of Purposeful Existence” .

She was featured on a podcast, recorded in August, aired in November, 2019.

Keep Leading!® Podcast Episode 035: The Psychology of Bad Leadership

Bambi listened to these two enriching podcasts yesterday whilst working.

She is thankful for both Mr. George and Dr. De Civita for the inspiration.

As a father, as a caregiver, as an entrepreneur, and as a human being, Mr. George is a true leader. Along with Dr. De Civita, he shares authenticity, talent, and wisdom.

Bambi is convinced that her colleagues, one from NB and one from Québec, will enjoy listening to each other’s podcasts!

Whilst listening to Dr. De Civita, Bambi learned about leaders, about why some are bad, and what to do when we have to deal with bad leaders.

Ironically, she could not help not to think of bad political leaders (not just business leaders). She was amused when this was also brought up by the interviewer.

Dr De Civita also talked about coaching and clinical psychology. She also shared her observations of women, as leaders.

Bambi hopes you will take the time to listen… and simply enjoy. She also hopes this can help people in need of support.

If you happen to know anyone, please do share!

The New Wark Times‘ article, dated November 13 and entitled “Artistic drawings on Sackville’s Sports Wall of Fame may not be scrapped after all” reported Councillor Black’s following comments:

“Please don’t let yourself fall into the swampy mire of news blogs, improperly moderated social media sites or non-town affiliated Facebook pages that thrive on conjecture, misinformation, populist opinion and falsehoods,” Black said.

Bambi would like to echo a wise comment by her fellow Sackville citizen Mr. Les Hicks (appearing at the bottom of the article above):

“… his advice to instead contact “the people who can make a difference, your elected officials and competent town staff.” I have three issues with this statement. First of all, his ‘swampy mire’ comment appears that it could be directed at The New Wark Times, a news source that to my knowledge has always strived to report the ‘facts’, and in the rare instance where there has been an inadvertent error, I have read Bruce’s written apology for the error along with a correction. Secondly, I have personally contacted members of the town staff and town councillors by email expressing my concerns about various decisions that were made and apart from one reply from a councillor (not councillor Black, by the way) I have received no acknowledgement of my concerns or replies explaining the reasons that certain decisions were made. It seems that factual reporting by reporters like Bruce is the only way to keep up with decisions made by town staff and councillors”.

Bambi has been a regular commentator on the New Wark Times for a very long time. Whether she comments on this news blog or not, she would like to weigh in here:

1. We are lucky to have Mr. Wark in our community. He cleverly and professionally reports news from our town. Bambi admires his professionalism, senior journalism/rigour, passion, and of course humility (yes, he even apologizes for minor inadvertent errors, as mentioned above).

2. Bambi enjoys reading every article by Mr. Wark. She has taken the time to comment and she has enjoyed doing so. At times, she may have been perhaps too direct. She has for sure succeeded in “triggering” an anonymous “Wrayton” who has accused her of being racist twice (just for loving Canada :)). At times, she may have expressed an opinion that may have been perhaps a bit hard to swallow by Mr. Wark himself. Despite this, only once, he did not allow her to reply to the anonymous “Mysterious yet impolite Wrayton”. ALL the other times, he has posted her comments (and her spouses’ comments). Some of these comments could have even been perhaps “risky” for him, who knows? Bambi is referring to the legal saga between her spouse and the Town of Sackville that went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Bambi will forever be grateful for Mr. Wark for being an independent journalist. Bambi knows from her own sister how much it is necessary for journalists to be honest in addition to being rigorous. Mr. Wark is all this at once, in addition to being humble. Indeed, he even published Councillor’s black words above :).

3. Mr. Wark allows us, the citizens of Sackville, not only to be informed but also to have a platform where we can comment (rare in our current times!). Readers can express their concerns, appreciations, frustrations, or simply raise questions. Mr. Wark gives voice to all the citizens, even to those with whom he may not personally agree on some or most matters (Sally, Bambi is thinking of you here :)).

4. To Councillor Black, Bambi would like to say the following: between “populist opinions” (to use his own words) of her Sackville fellow citizens who write blogs or comment on them and the “hypocrisy of elitism” of some of our politicians, Bambi prefers the genuine opinions of regular people. They are usually grounded in reality and filled with pragmatic wisdom. They teach us a lesson, if we want to listen. They can inspire us, if we want to learn. They are valid just because they are the voices of citizens at a particular point in time. Yes, those same citizens whom politicians may forget that they are representing them all. Bambi is not talking about Councillor Black (she hopes he knows that). She is talking in general, even if she may have other examples in mind. She is saying this, recognizing that this observation is valid not only for Sackville but also for Fredericton, Ottawa, Beirut, or any other part of the world.

To conclude this post, thank you Mr. Wark for your amazing journalism. Please keep it up!

Roula Azar-Douglas, a Lebanese-Canadian journalist, editor, author, and PhD candidate living in Beirut, Lebanon, wrote the following on her Facebook Page (Bambi will translate her sister’s words further below):

“Au moment où des partisans du pouvoir, aveuglés par leur servitude envers leurs leaders et leur haine de l’autre, fabriquent des mensonges sur ce père de famille, honnête, intègre, pacifique, aimé de tous ceux qui le connaissent, qui a mené les dernières élections municipales contre les partis politiques et qui a réussi à percer leur liste, sauvagement et froidement tué alors qu’il manifestait pacifiquement avec son épouse et l’un de ses enfants, d’autres compatriotes de différentes confessions se portent volontaires pour soutenir sa famille. Ci-dessous la Shouf National College promet d’assurer gratuitement l’éducation de ses enfants” (Roula Azar-Douglas, Faceboook Page, November 14, 2019).

Ms. Azar-Douglas wrote her FB message before the latest additional good news from the American University of Beirut (AUB) came out.

Both the Shouf National College & the AUB promised to ensure a free-of-charge education to Mr. Alaa Abu Fakher’s children, from now until their university graduation. This will not make the tragedy disappear but hopefully this will help support his widow and her family for years to come.

Here is Bambi’s translation of her sister’s text:

“While supporters of those in power, blinded by their loyalty to their leaders and their hatred of others, are fabricating lies about this father who was decent, peaceful, loved by all who know him, who led the recent municipal elections against political parties and who managed to break through their list, and who was brutally and coldy killed while demonstrating peacefully with his wife and one of his children, other compatriots of different faiths volunteered to support his family. Below the Shouf National College promises to provide free education for his children“ (taken from Roula Azar-Douglas, Faceboook Page, November 14, 2019; translated from French to English by Bambi).

May Mr. Alaa Abu Fakher rest in peace. May his family, slowly but surely, find inner peace despite the injustice and the absurdity.

May freedom of expression knows how to keep prevailing.

May democracy win, not just in Lebanon but also everywhere in the world.

May we keep caring for each other, in small and big ways, like those described in this post.

The title of this post is a follow-up to Bambi’s post from yesterday.

Aoun is the President of the Republic of Lebanon. He still has three years of his mandate (he is half-way through).

The country is totally paralyzed: No schools, no banks, no work, no dollars, and no signs of a government yet. Perhaps by the end of the week? Perhaps next week? Perhaps not.

Bambi is not sure if this is the first death as per the video link below, perhaps the second (one may have occurred earlier in Tripoli)? Regardless, this is the first mortality immediately following the President’s interview. How sad all this.

Below is a painting that sweet artists did in Tripoli’s downtown to honour Mr. Alaa Abu Fakher who sadly died yesterday, in Beirut. According to LBC TV Group, “Artist Ghayath al-Rawbe painted Abou Fakher’s portrait, in cooperation with other painters who said that they are willing to complete the portrait with portraits of his family members (his wife and children)”.

End of the quote from LBC TV Group.

Clearly in Bambi’s mind, despite any good intentions, President Aoun appears to be the weakest president of Lebanon in as far as she can remember. Actually, even a two-year-old knows who is running the show in reality [you may think Bambi is exaggerating but young Lebanese toddlers are very smart :)].

Seriously, President Aoun contradicted himself even further today. Yesterday, he reassured people about finances, saying money is out of the banks and safe (in houses, to use his words, or something like that). Today, it seems that he is saying that “the economic conditions are deteriorating”:

https://www.reuters.com/article/lebanon-protests-aoun/lebanons-aoun-says-economic-conditions-deteriorating-idUSL9N27N004

So which statement is the most accurate here? Anyhow, below is the Bloomberg documentary (November 13, 2019).