Of course, we do not need an official set day to celebrate our beloved mothers or to wish mothers of our circle, or strangers, all the best and/or to enjoy being part of a village that is raising a child, as per the famous saying. This means that every day we can honour our mothers, maternal figures, mothers-in-law (coucou Bernadette!), in more discrete ways.
This being said, over 70 countries, including Canada, celebrate motherhood on the second Sunday of May (https://shorturl.at/hrZ67). If you are reading this post from any one them and you are a mother yourself, or maybe even a grandmother, Happy Mother’s Day to you! Bambi also sends her heartfelt wishes to your own mom or the significant maternal figures of your lives!
If your mom travelled to heaven, like Robine, Bambi’ mother, did, may her memory be eternal. Same for your grandmother or your beloved maternal figures. May we know how to pay tribute to them, not just this weekend but anytime we wish to.
If, tragically, you happen to be a mom with an aching soul, grieving your late child or fearful for his/her safety, may peace of mind find its way into your heart.
Lat but not least, for those of you who do not care about mothers, for any reason, or who find the day to be too commercial, Bambi wishes you a good one minus the festivities.
Heaven received Mr. Rex Murphy while Canada lost one its GREAT journalists.
Bambi feels a deep sense of loss mixed with LOTS of continuous gratitude.
Indeed, when her censorship saga took place in 2021 because of her blog, three public figures made an incredible difference in the process and, most likely the outcome, of this case. In chronological order, Bambi will first name Mr. Jonathan Kay, another highly talented journalist; https://shorturl.at/mKLVX) . Second, the now late yet eternal Mr. Murphy (https://shorturl.at/gmrHJ). Last but not least, the unique and highly talented Dr. Jordan Peterson (https://shorturl.at/uxFX8). The first two authors shifted the unkind narrative, in both the media and social media, by telling Bambi’s life story as an immigrant and speaking to her values as a Canadian and human being. As for Dr. Peterson, he extended a hand of humanity to her, making her story public. The latter interview contributed to her successful fundraiser and likely supported her legal battle. How can she not be grateful then?
To come back to Mr. Rex Murphy, Bambi had the chance to search for his contact after reading his article. She expressed her deep gratitude by email. What a compassionate man, in addition to his high intellectual calibre. Today, it means a lot for her to thank him in public.
Bambi’s story could have been your own, as a reader. By writing about it, regardless of who Bambi is, Mr. Murphy defended the principle of academic freedom and freedom of expression in our beautiful country. He rejected intimidation to all, again as a principle, regardless of the expressed opinion. Thanks to Mr. Murphy for his devotion to Canada as well as to freedom of thought and of expression.
Indeed, we live in a troubled world where any historical, political, or social problem is treated in a shallow or authoritarian manner… or a mix of both. We dismiss the nuances and the complexities. We prefer to be selective with both the source and content of the information we read about or interact with. We cannot stand different opinions and we refuse to challenges our evolving thoughts. We only read journalists we agree with and make fun of those we disagree with. We even call them names instead of exchanging/debating ideas with them. We sometimes try to make them get fired or rejoice for their misery. Many find themselves resorting to self-censorship to follow the latest trend or out of fear of being cancelled.
Mr. Murphy was the target of unkind behaviours such as those described above. Yet he remained principled and thorough. He always expressed his opinions with conviction, evidence, depth, clarity, and a wonderful English. He assumed his opinions, even when it did not please radicals. For this, he has Bambi’s utmost respect.
To conclude this tribute, Bambi will end with music as usual. She will also send her heartfelt condolences to Mr. Rex Murphy’s family, friends, colleagues, readers, and many fans domestically and/or abroad. May his intellectual, and political, legacy be remembered. May his soul rest in peace and may his memory be eternal.
Bambi heard about Ms. Shaden Fakih for the first time today. An article in This is Beirut (https://shorturl.at/doT59) attracted her attention to her ordeal. This is how she discovered a hilarious artist :). Bravo to her for being a productive stand-up comedian (competing in an industry traditionally reserved to men!).
According to This is Beirut (https://shorturl.at/doT59), “Dar Al-Fatwa Complaint Against Comedian Shaden Fakih for Offending Islam“. For those of you who do not know it, Dar El Fatwa is the highest Sunni Muslim authority in the Republic of Lebanon. Bambi remembers this institution from when she was a child and a teenager growing up in her birth country. She has the utmost respect for it. However, today, she finds herself shocked, disappointed, and upset because it is is attempting to kill not just the right of Ms. Fakih to artistic freedom, but also humour in the country at large, along with freedom.
According to This is Beirut (https://shorturl.at/doT59), “The reason behind this legal action pertains to a video clip that was widely shared on social media Wednesday, in which Shaden Fakih jested about Islamic and Christian prayer rituals. This clip, which was taken from a performance by the comedian at awk.word, sparked public outrage in Tripoli. A sit-in was staged at al-Nour Square, during which she was asked to face the consequences of her actions“.
Of note, Lebanese people have been through MANY adversities in recent years, including an ongoing war in some parts of the country. The least for them now would be to be able to still laugh at themselves, even in jokes related to religion (regardless of the latter!).
To conclude this post, Bambi stands in full solidarity with Ms. Fakih whether she jokes about religion, politics, sex, or any topic. In her mind, there must be no limit imposed on freedom of expression, especially artistic one, except defamation and threats of violence.
In a large country like ours, MANY Canadians fly domestically, or abroad, for reasons related to business, family, or simply for tourism and pleasure. Who knows? Perhaps more citizens would have travelled had it not been ridiculously expensive to fly in Canada.
Indeed, one pays more on flight connections from Moncton to Toronto than from a Canadian city to Europe OR within Europe OR even from Europe to the Middle East. Does this make sense to you?
In an older post shown further below, Bambi wrote about the sky-high prices of flying in Canada. Thus, she rejoiced when she learned that, two days ago, Dr. Gabor Lukács testified before the House of Commons of Canada‘ s Standing Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities. Of note, the latter committee is currently examining the state of airline competition in our beautiful country.
Mathematician, Dr. Lukács is the president of Air Passenger Rights (https://shorturl.at/wH256). To use his clever words, he speaks in the name of customers, that is without taking money from the government and without business ties to the industry. He testified the high concentration of the domestic air travel market. He spoke about the lack of available data on the airlines’ operations, in comparison to the USA.
Of note, Dr. Lukács recommended the following: (1) opening up Canada’s domestic air travel market to trustworthy foreign airlines; and (2) adopting airline data reporting and dissemination rules similar to the US 14 CFR Part 241.
Bravo Dr. Lukács for your continuous efforts and practical ideas, which give Bambi hope for a change in Canada. Thanks and all the best to the committee in question!
To begin with, what is this day all about, you may be perhaps wondering now? World Donkey Day, which recognizes donkeys and raises awareness around their great characteristics, is the brainchild of Dr. Raziq Ark (https://shorturl.at/ehpV9).
For those of you who do not know it, there are many sizes and colours of donkeys. Indeed, these animals come in 186 separate breeds. Adult donkeys can weigh from 80 to up to 480 kg, that is 180 to 1 060 lbs (https://shorturl.at/KQRY3). Interestingly, some donkeys are miniature (https://shorturl.at/egitY).
In addition to being very cute and historically useful to humans, donkeys are known for the following characteristics (https://shorturl.at/KQRY3): they are highly intelligent, they have a good memory, and are great learners (of course, like humans, with inter-individual differences).
Although each individual has its own temperament, donkeys tend to be affectionate and thus genuinely friendly in general. They are notoriously known to establish strong pair-bonds with other donkeys (https://shorturl.at/bmGQW). Thus, when confronted to the death of a paired animal, it is necessary for humans to allow the surviving donkey time and space to grieve its friend (e.g., spending some time with the dead body). If not, this animal’s distress levels can become extreme. Isn’t it sad to sometimes see it unsuccessfully searching for the deceased donkey everywhere (https://shorturl.at/lvwY8)?
Of note, donkeys are able to sleep either laying their body down or standing up, like horses (https://shorturl.at/oxC89; https://shorturl.at/KQRY3). Believe it or not, Bambi knows at least one doe/human, herself when she was young, who can sleep standing up :). At least, she resorted to this way of sleeping as a child when she was stuck in a crowded shelter. You do what you can to rest under heaving shelling, without enough space or mattresses.
Last but not least, donkeys tend to express themselves well with their body. They refuse to move if they sense a danger. They can be stoic and, at times, literally be perceived as being stubborn. According to The Donkey Sanctuary, despite these smart animal’s capacity to experience pain and distress, “appearing strong and normal reduces the chances of predation, as predators are likely to select weaker, easier targets” (https://shorturl.at/jlrL1).
Given all the above, Bambi does not understand why, in the Arabic language/culture, people insult someone by calling him “Hmar” (or Hmara for females) [donkey in English] when they mean to say “stupid“. Could this stem from human’s misunderstanding, or frustration with, donkeys’ perceived stubbornness? Regardless, the term “Hmar/Hmara” seems to be ignorant while being mean to both donkeys and less gifted humans.
To conclude, this post will end with music as usual. The song below is a Lebanese kids’ song related to a donkey and it is sub-titled in English. Long live all the wild and domesticated donkeys of the world!
Mr. Pivot’s picture was taken from an archived page by the BBC. “Reposez en paix, Monsieur Pivot”.
Bambi grew up seeing Mr. Pivot on the French TV her late mom used to watch on a daily basis. For those of you who do not know this great journalist who just died at age 89, he received the highest distinctions from both Québec (2001) and Canada (2008) for his passion for words.
As per to The Governor General of Canada website (https://shorturl.at/msIQY), “Bernard Pivot has been sharing his passion for reading and words for the past 50 years. His television programs, “Apostrophes” and “Bouillon de Culture,” as well as his famous spelling bees, have made an incomparable contribution to French culture. Over the years, he has helped make a number of Canadian authors known beyond our borders and famous within La Francophonie. He has a great love for words and continues his important work as a member of the Conseil supérieur de la langue française and the jury for the Prix Goncourt”.
Last but not least, on the BBC archived online page (https://shorturl.at/kpEIX), we can appreciate Mr. Pivot’s own words and their translations as follows:
“La langue, c’est notre mère, on suce la langue en suçant le lait maternel. La langue, c’est notre oxygène, c’est notre chlorophylle. On est inséparables de notre langue. La langue, elle est à l’intérieur de nous. Elle est dans notre tête, mais elle est dans nos mains, elle est dans notre sexe, elle est dans notre corps. Vous arrachez notre langue, c’est comme vous arrachez une demi-livre de chair”.
“Language is our mother. We absorb language with our mother’s milk. Language is our oxygen. Language is inside us. It’s in our heads, our hands, our sexual organs, our bodies. Ripping our language from us is like ripping out half a pound of flesh”.
Thank you, Mr. Pivot for your legacy. Long live the beautiful French language and… may your memory be eternal!
Mr. Amine Hachem has many fans not just in the United States of America, but also beyond including Canada and his birth country, Lebanon. In this brief musical post, Bambi thanks Mr. Hachem for having sung Fairuz’ song about hope last month at the St. Jude’s Hope & Heritage Gala in New York City (https://shorturl.at/gwCS1). Of note, the latter event raised over US$720,000 for St.Jude Children’s Research Hospital whose patients face childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases (https://shorturl.at/ewXY8). Bravo! For your convenience, following the Lebanese-Arabic song shared below, you can find an English translation taken from Mr. Hachem’s YouTube channel.
In a just a few hours, it will be Sunday. Happy Easter to those of you who happen to be celebrating, including Bambi’s dad et al. in Beirut and abroad.
Happy Birthday to Stéphanie too! Much love to her from her aunt Bambi 🙂 ❤️!
A few days ago, Bambi and her spouse saw a deer with a white tail in their backyard. They stopped all their respective activities to admire its peaceful beauty. The guest was eating some grass and stayed for a long time before disappearing in the tiny forest behind the house.
Well, this evening, Bambi told herself (out loud on top of that): “I have a dream. I wish history can repeat itself and the deer will be outside when I will look through the window“. As soon as she finished her expressed wish and looked outside, she immediately saw the same guest (now a reliable friend)! He was having dinner outside while she just finished having hers inside. Cool, isn’t it?
She spent a long time looking at her friend, sadly behind the glass door. Unfortunately, she does not have a good picture to share with you. Who knows? Maybe during his next visit :)?
Anyhow, happy weekend to all of you, hoping that your little as well as bigger dreams will all come true. Until then, please keep dreaming like Bambi. Life can be rewarding in mysterious as well as predictable ways.
This morning when she was driving back to town, Bambi listened to Mr. Aznavour’s song “Hier encore” [Yesterday when I was 20]. It was performed by Mr. Mario Pelchat. While singing with him, of course with her frog’s voice, she made a mental effort to remember where she was in her personal development and attitude toward life at 20. Back then, she was living in Montreal (Québec) where she has many wonderful memories.
The above car ride trip made Bambi envision this post in which she invites you to take a few moments to think about your own life, like she enjoyed doing herself. Regardless of your chronological age or heart’s condition, to what extent do you feel “young” in your heart? What about your youth: to what extent did you enjoy your twenties? What was the most rewarding moment of your life then? Finally, in your opinion and regardless of acquired wisdom, to what extent does your personality now resemble what it was like at 20? If you wish, please share a comment. Alternatively, you may wish to communicate more privately. Bambi would love to hear from you, regardless of the platform.
This being said, she will share with you Hier encore, as performed by the late and eternal Charles Aznavour (subtitled in English). Following this song, you can find Mr. Pelchat’s beautiful version. The latter will be followed by a superb performance of this same song by a singer Bambi just discovered while preparing this post. She happens to be from Lebanon and her name is Ms. Amanda el Hachem.
Bearing the above in mind, Bambi was intrigued by Ms. Hachem’s voice. She searched her biography online and found the latter: “Amanda El Hachem was a six-year-old girl when she first revealed a singing talent and learned to play piano and to practice solfeggio. With her masters degree in Musicology, got the chance to visit Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Italy singing religious airs and reviving old oriental melodies. Since 2007, she paved her way to TV shows as singer in “Ghanili Shwey” screened on Dubai and then to talent shows (2015, 2017) as vocal coach in “Celebrity Duets” (https://shorturl.at/mwDSZ). Of note, Ms. El Hachem seems to have a music school called “‘École des talents Amanda El Hachem” and on its website, we can read the following beautiful words: “Inside every person is an artist that is yet to be discovered” (https://shorturl.at/mwDSZ).
Long live music, talent, and our continuous development throughout life!
