Good-bye, Mr. Romeo Lahoud: Thanks for your artistic legacy!

As per l’Orient Today (https://bit.ly/3Evxbou), “Lebanese composer Romeo Lahoud passes away aged 92. The author-composer created dozens of shows, presented at prestigious festivals around the world“.

From L’Orient Today, we also learn that Mr. “Lahoud was behind dozens of musical theater shows that were presented in prestigious festivals around the world, including Baalbeck, Jarash (Jordan) and Jbeil (which he had contributed to creating in 1997), as well as at the Imperial Opera in Tehran, at L’Olympia in Paris and the Palais Royal des Beaux-Arts in Brussels“.

Bambi will always remember his Lebanese adaptation of “My Fair Lady” [in Arabic “Bint El Jabal “] and, of course, one her favourite love songs, entitled “Khidni maak” [“Take me with you“]. She celebrated this melody on her blog in two earlier posts, shown at the end of this one.

May your memory be eternal, Mr. Romeo Lahoud. Thank you for having enriched Lebanon. If she may, Bambi would like to offer her condolences to your family, friends, and fans, including your niece, Ms. Aline Lahoud. The song mentioned above and shared below was originally written/composed by her uncle to her late and great mother, Ms. Salwa El Katrib.

Believe it or not: today is Lebanon’s “Independence” Day

Independence from whom? From what?

From external forces that keep pushing it into this or that direction?

Or internal forces of systemic corruption or of other kind of selfish interests and ambitions?

Regardless, Bambi loves you Lebanon. She will always do, despite any component of a “love-hate” relationship that the people of this tiny, now bankrupt, yet old and beautiful country may feel.

She wishes you stability, respect (self- and from others), prosperity, peace, love… and hopefully a President, along with functional institutions.

Yes, a country that comes FIRST, regardless of who is in charge (behind the official scenes or for real). A country for all its citizens. A country, not just to keep “dreaming of” (like in the song below), but also a country to honour and to be respected by.

Stay positive: An uplifting, and funny, piece of wisdom related to snow

I am there all the time, even in the winter season!

Bambi would like to thank Roula Azar-Douglas for this funny, yet powerful, tweet:

We may love snow or we may dislike it. Who knows? We may genuinely enjoy cleaning our car, even on a windy morning; yes, even in -20 degrees Celsius. In contrast, we may hate both the cold and snow. We may start the winter season with patience and a welcoming attitude. However, we may get sick and tired of the long snow season.

Regardless of all the above, in our daily lives and in the bigger scheme of things, our attitude is our biggest asset: it can make the entire difference between thriving and fading like a flower. But how do we chose an optimistic outlook when facing adversity or daily hassles, which could be snow for some of us? How can we develop a positive attitude in life? How do we stay positive? How do we keep enjoying all the seasons and their products, including snow? How do we make the best out of every challenging encounter or life circumstance?

So many questions, but the answer lies within each one of us in a unique way. We learn to find our ways in life, in every season whether tough or tender. Some of us may lose and then find their strike force. Some may reconnect with their inner child with a sense of playfulness (with snow or with anything else) and hopefully with humour. Some may fantasize about trips in warmer places or actually take a break from winter, if they can afford time and money. Some may be more patient, knowing that spring and summer will always follow the winter. Some may sing for the snow, as per the melodies below in several languages.

Whatever your own coping strategy, Bambi wishes you safety on the roads and gratitude in your heart!

Why are the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, which use our tax money, into woke ideologies now?

Today, without naming the precise program, Bambi declined an invitation to act as a peer reviewer for the CIHR, which stands for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research). Why? She did it because she does not want to complete the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Self-Identification Questionnaire , that is now a requirement for peer reviewers of grant applications since September 23, 2022 (https://bit.ly/3UV6OPT).

Of note, our government has been increasingly driving what is called a pro-diversity ideology, that has led to documented new forms of discrimination based on identity, including the good example of Dr. Patanjali Kambhampati, Professor at the department of chemistry at McGill University whom Bambi had the honour to interview (https://bit.ly/3TTCAv9) following a National Post article about him (https://bit.ly/3EQOMZm). As a reminder, he was denied research grants because he clearly wrote that that he would hire researchers based on merit, not skin hue. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada turned down his grant application, worth $450,000, on the justification that “the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion considerations in [his] application were deemed insufficient.”

Now, the CIHR is telling us that “our research entreprise” is “systemically racist” (https://bit.ly/3tQFl62; https://bit.ly/3UTSQ0l); now our country is into the business of “eliminating systemic racism in Canada’s health research funding system“. No, it is no longer about merit and about advancing science. It is about advancing ideologies.

Can someone tell Bambi why should the CIHR, or any other funding agency, care to know about her identity, self- or otherwise, characteristics? The only metric that should matter must be the quality of the review, period.

Iran: Shame on Lebanon…

Once again, without much surprise, Beirut has voted against a resolution condemning the Iranian regime for repressing protesters and for violating human rights (https://bit.ly/3XlckN6).

As a human being AND as a female Canadian deer born in Beirut, Bambi echoes the title of the Orient Today/L’Orient Le Jour article cited above: How sad to see Lebanon “retaining its place on UN ‘list of shame’ for stance on Iran“.

Shame!

International Children’s Day: Re-visiting three great French songs honouring kids


This post is meant to celebrate the International Children’s Day with three beautiful French songs: The first, entitled “Taking A Child By the Hand“, is sub-titled in English. The second melody is about “Children from All Countries“. As for the third song, its title in English could be “Woe To The One Who Hurts a Child“.

Before sharing these songs, Bambi will pause to think of ALL the children around the world, including Canada: those are who are raised in loving homes, enjoying their happy childhood, and those being neglected or abused. Those entering a foster care system, sometimes bouncing from one family to the other. Those who cannot play or go to school, perhaps forced to sell products in the middle of polluted streets, or to go to war. Those who lost their lives, parents, or eyes in surrealistic explosions. Those who have suffered from cholera or are growing up in extreme poverty, refugee camps, or on the streets. Those who died, in front of their parents’ eyes, in illegal migrant boats. Those lacking respect, love, and unable to develop healthy attachment. Those deprived of liberty, dignity, or exploited in one way or another, often forced to grow up too fast. Those at risk of turning to violence, drugs, or fanaticism.

To the kids, whether safe or in danger, to their parents and the caring adults in their lives. To our inner children, as adults, too. Happy International Children’s Day. Long live peace of mind, playfulness, and the joys of childhood… for all and at any age!

Thank you, Mr. Nagi Zeidan, for having been a “friend of the Jews”. May your memory be eternal

Mr. Nagi Zeidan with his book “Juifs du Liban” [The Jews of Lebanon]. A picture taken from “Jewishrefugees.org.uk“. May your memory be eternal…

It is with deep sadness that Bambi learned of the death of Mr. Nagi Zeidan, a Belgian-Lebanese author, full of curiosity and compassion, who devoted 28 years of his life researching the Jews of his birth country (https://bit.ly/3VchSYt). May his soul rest in peace.

First, Bambi will send her condolences to his spouse in Brussels, family and friends in Lebanon (where he died), Belgium, and literally around the world. Second, she would like to express her gratitude for all the lessons she learned from him, over the past few years, about one of the integral parts of the fabric of Lebanon (i.e. one of its 18 religions). Yes, without his meticulous legacy, the Lebanese society would have continued to miss a meaningful piece of its rich puzzle.

To come back to the sad news from out of Lebanon, Bambi learned from the L’Orient Le Jour (https://bit.ly/3VchSYt) that Mr. Zeidan fell down in his apartment about a month ago. After spending an entire month in the coma, he left our world on the night of November 12-13.

Of note, Mr. Nagi Zeidan’s 2021 book, entitled “Les juifs du Liban” includes the family trees of Lebanese Jews. As for his title “Ami des juifs” [“Friend of the Jews“], he earned it as a passionate and talented specialist of the Jewish community of Lebanon.

Thank you, Mr. Zeidan for your hard work. May your own memory be eternal, precisely like in the drive you had to honour the memory as well as the remaining, tiny community of Lebanese people of Jewish ancestry.

Surprise, Liliane!

Surprise, dearest “Lilo”. Yes, this post is devoted to you!

Bambi does not know from where to start; she loves you beyond words ❤️.

For her, you are an inspiration at many levels, including spirituality and humanity. Yes, you have a deep faith in both God and goodness in our world. You always seem to find ways to reconnect with hope, even in your country’s darkest days.

You are an inspiring caregiver to your mother as well as to your nephew and niece.

Yes, who needs the official title of motherhood to win its top prize?

You are an uplifting educator and a great teacher with a scientific mindset.

You are also a creative entrepreneur skilled in sales.

You are a beloved cousin surely not just to Bambi, but also to all your larger family.

All in all, you are a beautiful woman and a human being.

Bambi thanks you for existing while wishing you a wonderful birthday!

Good-bye, Mr. Lapointe, thank you for your great legacy: Long live your “Jean Lapointe rehabilitation centre”!

From the Montreal Gazette (https://bit.ly/3Gv4FWM), Bambi just learned that Mr. Jean Lapointe left our world at the age of 86. He was a spouse, a father, a grandfather, a great Canadian filled with multiple talent. Yes, he was an actor, a song writer, a singer, a Senator even, and, last but not least, the founder of an amazing non-profit addiction treatment centre, La Maison Jean Lapointe. From its website shown below, we can read the following information about this resource:

“La Maison Jean Lapointe is a non-profit addiction treatment centre located in Montreal, Quebec. La Maison is primarily focuses on assisting men and women with drug and alcohol addictions, problem gambling, and family therapy. Their treatment program is typically 3-4 weeks, including detox. They also offer a 12-week aftercare program to prevent relapse. La Maison Jean Lapointe recently received $1.5 million of funding from the Quebenc government to put towards a free youth drug abuse program”.

It is not a secret to anyone that Mr. Lapointe suffered from alcoholism, which was the drive that motivated him to help others overcome their addictions. Indeed, in 1982, he created the great centre shown below (https://bit.ly/3Gv4F).

Among his achievements, Mr. Lapointe was named an Officer of the Order of Canada (1984). He was also named to the Senate by Mr. Jean Chrétien (2001). Bravo!

Merci/Thank you Mr. Jean Lapointe for your artistic talent and for helping generations of your fellow citizens in coping with addictions. May your memory be eternal. May God comfort your grieving family, colleagues, staff, fans, and loved ones.

To conclude this post, how about the own, unique, voice and beautiful lyrics of Mr. Jean Lapointe himself? Yes, “why don’t we sing together words that look like us while uniting us? Why don’t we sing for life? Why don’t we sing only for love?

BC schools’ handouts to French teachers on “inclusive and non-binary French”: Isn’t it sad to kill the beauty of the French language?

What does the future hold for the French language
in our schools?

Bambi would like to thank Mr. Jonathan Kay for informing us of the following:

It is getting late on the East Coast now. Bambi is about to go to sleep. This post will be very brief: (1). It will feature and older post on this topic by Dr. Mathieu Bock-Côté; and (2) once again, it will end with a song honouring the French language in North America. If what we are doing to the latter is not a form of modern “colonization“, to use the word of a relative, what is it then? And what will be the end result of all this linguistic non-sense? Bambi refuses to use this “Newspeak“, whether she lives in France, Lebanon, Québec, New Brunswick, or BC. She prefers to stick to the beautiful French language she started learning at age 3. Yes, she will do so, even if the entire planet, including her birth country, starts writing and speaking French like this.