Author: Bambi

She does not know about you, but Bambi loves “L’essentiel” [The essential thing] of our GREAT Canadian singer, Ms. Ginette Reno. This morning, she discovered a beautiful interpretation of this song by another artist, also from Québec, whom Bambi had the honour to meet in graduate school. She will name Mr. Nicola Ciccone who is filled with both talent and humanity.

In a world filled with increased intolerance and indifference, thank goodness, there is also the magic and power of love that can transform us to make us better human beings, not just in the face of dramatic adversity, but also simply yet deeply in our daily lives, as per this super French song, which can be translated as follows (https://lyricstranslate.com/en/lessentiel-essential-thing.html):

“The essential thing

Is to be loved

Everything else matters little

The only truth is

To count for someone,

whatever may happen

It is about entering someone’s heart and never leaving it

It is about receiving as much as we wish we could give

To no longer belong to one’s self, to be comforted on account of it

It is to see the joy in another and to melt in happiness

To earn another’s trust and to become a better person

The essential thing

Is to be loved

Notwithstanding what may be claimed

It’s not about being rich or famous

For those are just wind passing through

I believe that what is essential is made of little nothings

Having someone waiting for you at night, running

to greet you

One of the most beautiful gifts

that life has given us

is when our name

seems like a compliment

The most essential thing

Day after day

Is the loud laugh of a child, rushing towards you

And who tugs at your heartstrings as a means of saying hello

What more can you ask for

When those arms are holding you

The rest matters little, the only truth

Is to count for someone

no matter what life has in store

Even if being one day exiled in a foreign country

but to have, in one’s heart, someone to talk to

It is to inspire in another, a feeling so powerful

That it may survive us beyond death

It is about being loved, again and forever

My Love …“

First, meet Mr. Georges Siam, with his own introduction about himself on his Twitter account:

Second, here is a CNN article, featuring this story, and entitled “Former Lebanese ambassador holds sit-in at Beirut bank amid new wave of heists” (https://cnn.it/3RyyJ5C). It seems that Mr. Georges Siam is refusing to leave his bank without his own money. Of note, Mr. Siam is unarmed and peaceful.

As a reminder, what happened to the Lebanese people is surreal. It is a financial crime (i.e., Ponzi scheme). Indeed, depositors still cannot have access to their own savings since October 17, 2019 (in contrast to the country’s most powerful people who have stowed their money abroad).

The country is now bankrupt with hyperinflation and with a dramatically lowered quality of life. As reported in earlier posts citing international media, the World Bank has described the Lebanese economic crisis as the worst in history since the mid-1800s.

Will the gesture of Mr. Siam make any difference? At least, it has captured the attention of international media. For that, thank you Mr. Georges Siam. Of note, from the CNN article above, Bambi also learned that, last month, Mr. Siam has publicly supported a a Lebanese depositor who held-up a bank with a toy gun.

To conclude this post on a note of solidarity with the Lebanese population, if she may, Bambi would like to offer the people of her birth country Mr. Élie Berberyan’s beautiful patriotic song. It is in the lovely Armenian language and is entitled “Lipanan Im Yergir“.

Bambi was searching for another song by Dalida when she came across “Avec le temps” [With time], which was written by Mr. Leo Ferré in 1971. If you wish, you may first read an English translation of its moving lyrics (https://bit.ly/3EicQ7M). Last but not least, this brief musical post will end with Dalida’s masterful interpretation, which was perhaps inspired by the ups and downs of her own life.

“Id meen el youm“? Ye, it is your birthday Joëlle today :). Happy Birthday from Bambi and all her family abroad and at home! May you have a wonderful day and a great year. One thing is sure: You do deserve all the love and happiness of the world ❤️!! Two songs for your today, hoping you will smile, enjoy, and maybe dance too :).

First of all, what is Shariah? It is a religious legal system, which is a code for living for Muslims. It is based on the Quran, Islam’s holy book, and both the Sunnah and Hadith. The latter are the reported acts and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.

Bearing the above in mind, Dubai-based ASDA’A BCW agency published results of a survey conducted with 3,400 Arab youth, aged 18-24 (half of them males and half females) living in 50 urban centres in 17 different Arab countries. The survey asked questions related to identity, politics, livelihood, global citizenship, lifestyle, etc.

One of the survey questions was related to the Shariah’s law. Despite a brief search, Bambi could not find the wording of this survey question or information on the survey errors. Nevertheless, as shown below, it seems that 56% of participants reported that their countries’ laws must be based on Shariah (Islamic law), not on civil/common law (https://arabyouthsurvey.com/en/findings/).

Of note, up to 70% of youth from the Gulf countries expressed their preference to have the laws of their states based on Shariah. In North Africa, 60% of youth reported wanting their countries’ laws to be based on Shariah. In comparison, only 41% of Arab youth in the Levant region expressed a similar view. Bambi suspects that this latter finding would vary across countries of the Levant, with Lebanon likely having the lowest percentage of youth expressing such views.

She does not know about you, but Bambi finds it highly worrisome that young Arabs seem to prefer to live under the Shariah law, which is incompatible with democracy, like in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other countries. Why, Bambi cannot help to wonder? It would be highly informative if the next edition of this survey, and others, ask these youth about their reasons to prefer the Shariah law. Ideally, an open-ended survey question, without any predefined answer, would allow them to answer as they wish, that is with their own insights.

Bambi would like to begin by thanking her friend Rose for sharing Mr. Shervin Hajipoor’s (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shervin_Hajipour) most beautiful song!

It is highly shocking, and very sad, to learn now that he has been arrested days ago by the Iranian regime after he posted his song. It seems that the latter became like the national anthem of the protests in Iran. How sad and unacceptable that no one knows where he is right now.

Bambi is praying for you, Mr. Hajipoor. May you be found and released as soon as possible!!

To begin this brief post, Bambi would like to cite one of her good friends, if she may. Without naming her as she did not have the chance to ask her permission to do so, her friend will surely partly recognize her own words below: “In the name of religion: in some parts of the world, women are banned from wearing a hijab, when they wish to do so, like in India ( https://reut.rs/3CrpgbR). In contrast, in other parts of the world, women can be beaten to death if they show hair under a hijab, like in Iran, or do not wear a burka, like in Afghanistan” (ps://bit.ly/3Crvzw9).

This being said, Bambi will leave you with “the picture of the day”, which was taken from Orient Today (https://bit.ly/3y9c4po). For those who do not read Arabic, the signs of the demonstrators read as follows: “My hair and my body only belong to me” and “our bodies are ours“.

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Earlier posts on the topic:

Shocking world news: From the battle of Iranian women for their human rights to the sea tragedy of Lebanon migrants

Thanks to journalists, Roula Douglas (Beirut) and Thomas Snegaroff (Paris): Yes, “the power of the images is” indeed “incredible”!

Bravo to Ms. Katayoun Riahi, Iranian actress, and ALL the courageous women for removing their forced hijab in protest to the killing of Ms. Masha Amini!

Cruelty of Islamism in Iran: Ms. Masha Amini, 22 year-old, beaten to death for not “properly” wearing her hijab!

Bambi is speechless… MANY of you know why, including you dear “Samo”. She loves you beyond words, thanking God because we are family ❤️️!

Before going to sleep, Bambi remembered the musical discovery she accidentally made three nights ago. She took the time to listen again to the angelic voice of Ms. Shireen Abusaad, featured in an older post shown further below. She would like to share with you two famous songs of Fairuz, as interpreted by this young Lebanese song writer/singer. She hopes you will enjoy them too. As for you Ms. Abusaad, please keep singing :)!

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Anastasia’s “Once Upon A December” in Arabic: Thank you, Ms. Shireen Abusaad, for your angelic voice!

Today’s post will be musical and brief. It is simply about Mr. Waked singing an Egyptian song that usually has a faster rhythm, which is literally a call to dance. Here, this melody is being sung by Mr. Paul Waked with his soul, not just his voice and guitar, as instruments. Bravo and thanks to him.

There is nothing like love and music in life. In Bambi’s mind, this song is and will forever be associated with celebrations of love with music at her sister’s wedding in Montreal MANY years ago [hello Roula/Doudou :)]. Yes, we had fun and danced until the early hours of the morning when Bambi had to literally run to her university to write a statistics undergraduate final exam in the middle of a HUGE snow storm.

To conclude, and If she may, Bambi would like to offer this song to three dear persons: Roula and Doudou, of course, and… you Fatma who also danced to this song and who may be reading this post now. Long live the Egyptian music :)!

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Older post mentioning Mr. Paul Waked’s talent:

Aren’t the chipmunks cute and talented when singing the “three dakat [heartbeats]” Egyptian love song?