It is always fascinating how old songs come to our brains at unexpected times.
Yes, even deer with ugly voices sing all the time.
Tonight, Bambi heard herself singing a song that she has not heard for over three decades.
This song was composed by the Rahbani Brothers for Feirouz. It is entitled “La tehmelny La Tensany” (or “Do not ignore me, do not forget me“).
Well, is it a song or a prayer? Bambi forgot… Perhaps it is just Feirouz’ pure voice that makes it sound like a prayer?
Well, whatever it is, since it remains timely, Bambi will dedicate it to Lebanon (Fairouz’ beloved country).
If you are interested you can listen to it below. If you are curious about the meaning of the lyrics, Bambi managed to find a translation of the Arabic words in French and Turkish respectively (https://bit.ly/3kSKczg). No English… but thanks to her faithful friend Google Translate, here is a quick translation for you!
“Don’t leave me (Don’t neglect me) My house is yours, and I have no one By dint of calling you, Spaces get bigger (3)
I waited for you at my door, and all the doors I wrote you about my pains On the setting sun (3)
Don’t leave me, don’t forget me, I only have you, don’t forget me (2)
My country has become an exile The streets are covered with thorns and wild grasses Send me tonight, someone to watch over me
My house is yours, and I have no one By dint of calling you, Spaces get bigger (3)
Don’t leave me, don’t forget me… Oh poor sunshine From our land of fear we cry out… Oh sun of the poor The days punished, the looks promised I call you, until your voice enlightens me My promise and my heart cry out for your voice in song
Don’t leave me, don’t forget me… Oh poor sunshine From our land of fear we cry out.. Oh sun of the poor
I am a rose of your flowers, bless me, help me With tears you plant me, with happiness you harvest me
You are overflowing with justice towards me, your generosity enlightens me And if everyone forgets me, you are left alone not to forget me
I called you in my sadness, I knew you with me The spaces widen and the earth kneels
Don’t leave me, don’t forget me… Oh poor sunshine From our land of fear we cry out… Oh sun of the poor”
Are their words empty (just stating the obvious: Do you know anyone who does not want justice, mutuality, equality, accountability, etc.?)? Or do these words hide a concrete agenda for increased bureaucracy of the flourishing industry of so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion“? Or maybe both?
Are our universities in financial crises and is our federal government tying funds (of research chairs) to the promotion of such UN-based ideologies?
Is there a real problem here and, if so, what are the concrete proposed solutions? And where are we heading with all this?
Mind you, Dr. Malinda Smith is also referring to Canada as “the Indigenous territories now known as Canada“, like the language used by the University of Alberta (as per the older post shown further below).
Bambi’s birth country is struggling for its existence due to an endless regional conflict between two powerful countries. It is also struggling to survive its own financial, political, and moral bankruptcy. Despite the hell that the Lebanese people are living in (no gas, no medication, no access to their money, no safety, etc.), and despite the danger of sectarianism, imminent wars, and this continuing history of migration, no one has EVER called his/her doomed country “this place now called Lebanon“! Why? Because they respect it and they are attached to it, despite its MAJOR issues.
So, why did Canadians give up on their country/civilization to that extent? Why the collective self-destruction in our prestigious universities? Aren’t those places meant to generate and test innovative ideas to fix problems and build better futures for societies? Since when were they supposed to fuel destructive ideologies that can literally kill the spirit of a nation… ironically in the name of justice, of course?
Even if you do not agree with Bambi, please check this tweet by Mr. Jonathan Kay, one of our great journalists who has been tirelessly informing us of the extent of destructive (and absurd) ideologies in our beautiful university campuses and in our societies? How can someone working at a public institution call his or her (and our!) own country “a place now called Canada“? And what to say about the rest of the language of this (well-paid) job ad? If this is not propaganda, what is it then? And who is funding all this?
The position in question is called: “Lead Educational Developer, Decolonial Pedagogies and Indigenous Initiatives Lead Educational Developer, Critical Pedagogies and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity“.
What does the above title mean precisely? If you do understand it, Bambi begs you to write a comment to explain it to her. Thank you.
The University of Alberta’s vision is “to inspire the human spirit through outstanding achievements in learning, discovery, and citizenship in a creative community, building one of the world’s great universities for the public good”. Its mission is the following: “Within a vibrant and supportive learning environment, the University of Alberta discovers, disseminates, and applies new knowledge for the benefit of society through teaching and learning, research and creative activity, community involvement, and partnerships. The University of Alberta gives a national and international voice to innovation in our province, taking a lead role in placing Canada at the global forefront” (https://www.ualberta.ca/strategic-plan/overview/our-vision-mission-and-values.html).
So, how does this position and its language help achieve the above? And Can/will our universities stop betraying their educational missions after becoming too dogmatic like that… to the point of absurdity?
Related to this question, Bambi will re-share an older post on the topic, featuring an article by Mr. Jonathan Kay in Quillette that helps us in understanding the broader context of what is afflicting our Canadian universities? Tragically, the latter are a reflection of the worrisome state of our country. They are like a mirror (or the symptoms), so to speak.
Once again, thank you Mr. Kay for your thoughtful article. Is it too late to save our universities from this intellectual corruption? If not, why didn’t his work trigger a societal debate? Bambi recalls having read a French article by Dr. Joseph Facal about this important work in the Journal de Montreal (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/11/13/la-bureaucratisation-de-lideologie-woke). If she is not mistaken, Dr. Gad Saad (also from Québec) made a video about your article. She does not know if others from the rest of Canada interviewed you about your investigation. She is curious.
To conclude this post, in Bambi’s mind, Mr. Kay’s continuous contribution, perhaps especially this thought-provoking article, deserves a journalism award, like the one awarded to Ms. Caroline Hayek (as per the old post shown further below)… Well, whether this will happen soon or not, she is nominating him for an imaginary prestigious pan-Canadian investigative award in her mind right now!
Bambi was delighted to receive an email sharing the happy news directly from her own sister who happens to be a proud colleague of Ms. Hayek at l’Orient Le Jour!!
Bravo to this francophone journalist from Lebanon for her well-deserved prestigious award! Bambi recalls very well her series of articles on the surrealistic Beirut blast all elegantly written and where the readers could see a light of humanity in the middle of all the losses of this tragedy (Who knows? Bambi may have even perhaps shared a link or a picture in some older posts).
While reading more about Ms. Hayek now, Bambi discovered that she speaks Arabic, French, English, and Italian (https://lb.linkedin.com/in/caroline-hayek-2796a79a; https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Hayek). Below are articles featuring her success story from some of the francophone media in Lebanon, France, and Québec. It is both reassuring and thrilling to see that the beautiful language of Molière and Voltaire remains vibrant in Lebanon (thanks to the talented l’Orient Le Jour‘s journalists and contributors like Ms. Hayek):
Here are tweets and re-tweet by Ms. Roula-Douglas:
Ms. Azar-Douglas is proud of her colleague, Ms. Caroline Hayek.
Yes, bravo to Ms. Hayek and, through her, to Lebanon for remaining a hub of the French language.
Félicitations/Mabrouk!
Lebanon badly needs good news these days… What a pride indeed.
To conclude this post, “mabrouk” and bravo again to Ms. Caroline Hayek! Please keep up the excellence of your work and be safe while covering the news from the Middle East, namely about the Syrian conflict and the multiple crises of Lebanon. If Bambi may, she would like to offer you Mr. Jean-Jacques Goldman’s beautiful song: “J’irai au bout de mes rêves” [ which means I will follow my dreams to the end]. Please keep following your dreams… and, by doing so, keep making others dream, work hard to achieve their aspirations (whatever they are), and aim for excellence and professionalism.
She is one of Bambi’s amazing cousins! Not any cousin. Indeed, she is both a cousin and a friend.
She is close even when far away. She is always here in good and in bad times.
She is a wonderful woman, mother, wife, daughter, sister… and of course cousin!
She will surely be a superb mother-in-law and grand-mother too one day [even if it is too soon :)].
She is very smart. She is educated too. She is elegant and down to earth. A real lady basically. She is kind too because she laughs at Bambi’s silly stories even early in the morning at her end (middle of the night here).
Coco, Bambi does not know if you recall when her spouse heard her chatting with you on the phone for the first time. She was calling you “Coocéyé“. Poor guy. He thought Bambi was talking about a drug :), mixed with some Arabic words. By the way, “Coco” is already a shortened version of your name… so really no need to shorten it further, especially when it becomes longer.
Well, Christiane, Coco or Coocéyé, Bambi loves you and misses you so much. She wishes you peace of mind, love, and joy, along with health and prosperity.
To conclude on a joyful note, below are two songs for you. The first one was stolen from YouTube (thanks to whomever made it public). The second one is Ms. Chantal Goya’s famous “Bécassine, c’est ma cousine“. It is meant to make you recall your childhood [since it has been a while now 🙂 :)]!
“The whole concept of requiring the economically developed world to give $100 billion a year to the economically underdeveloped or mismanaged countries of the world is absurd. I believe in development assistance and the wealthy nations of the world certainly should assist less prosperous countries but in projects that generate economic growth and raise standards of living and are given in a proper spirit of fraternal internationalism, not an inundation of falsely extorted Danegeld that will be squandered in the boondoggles of phantasmagorical pseudo-environmentalists”.
Bambi happened to have read his thoughtful article after reading the following piece of news about one of the most mismanaged and corrupt countries of the world, Lebanon (https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/15490-luxembourg-opens-criminal-case-into-lebanon-s-central-bank-governor). The same wealthiest countries who participated in the COP26‘s UN Summit on Climate Change (e.g., France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, etc.) are the ones now opening criminal cases into Lebanon’s central bank governor. Bravo to them to do so (finally). However, why are they doing something for financial accountability with one hand while giving funds to the same problematic governance’s system with the other hand? Even if the latter hand is painted in green, this does not justify such contradiction. So, why the re-distribution of wealth like that and what does it bring to people in power in the wealthiest countries in the world? Is there anything in politics done completely for free? Out of pure compassion?
This beautiful song is like a double tribute: first and foremost, to Mr. Elias Rahbani, (composer, writer, and arranger) and, last but not least, to Beirut. Sadly, Lebanon lost the artistic giant, Mr. Elias Rahbani, to Covid-19 on January 4th, 2021 (https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/lebanese-composer-lyricist-elias-rahbani-dies-82-75036081). May his memory be eternal and MANY thanks to him for having enriched his country’s cultural life. Bravo to Rodge as well as to Ms. Pascale Sakr for this charming interpretation. The scenes from Beirut and Lebanon are very charming…
Yesterday, we read in the Journal de Montréal all an excellent article by Mr. Joseph Facal informing us of how science is “being taken hostage”, to use his own words. Indeed, his article written in French describes the language used in an ad about an academic position at one of Montreal’s four universities (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/11/11/quand-la-science-est-prise-en-otage).
It seems that nowadays to fill a prestigious Research Chair in Canada in the field of nanomaterials for sustainable energy, we need to show a track record of virtue signalling related to wokeism. Indeed, the ad explicitly asks for an important past record of promotion of equity, diversity, and inclusion. The latter being “a considerable asset in science and/or engineering“. The article cleverly raises the following question: How is that different from a promotion of science as conforming to a Christian doctrine or conservatism, etc. ? Plus, will this hiring process favour a woke but less rigorous scientist over an excellent one who is not into any ideologies? If the answer is yes, it is an educational, and possibly industrial (even medical ), tragedy. Yes, that would be the case because such scientific specialization enables technologies in electronics, biotechnology, energy, medicine, etc.
That was yesterday’s story.
Today, we read and heard in the news about two other stories worth commenting on in this post. The first one, which took place in Cranbrook, British Columbia yesterday is shocking to say the least, as you can see in the picture below (https://beta.ctvnews.ca/local/calgary/2021/11/11/1_5663113.amp.html).
A sad picture taken from CTV news.
If you want to grasp how sad this picture is, just read the following comment by one of Bambi’s wisest readers. Bambi will name her new friend Achim (if he happens to be reading this this post now, he could be perhaps smiling :)). Thanks to him again for his beautiful words shared below:
“Remembering, if done well, is an act of love. It’s an act of recognition that, although we are individuals which can choose their own paths and their own new directions, we still owe a lot to the people who have paved a way before us which we can now walk on. Not all we harvest we have sowed ourselves. Sometimes we are on the receiving end of blessings flowing from sacrifices of previous generations. And sometimes remembering is a sobering act of recognition that our ancestors took part in crimes against other human beings in their midst (or looked the other way in willful blindness), combined with the realization how quickly things can go very wrong if we are not watchful and allow the seeds of evil to grow. Which we do in Germany on the 9th of November when we remember the organized vandalism against Jewish businesses by the Nazis in 1938 which ended in the holocaust only a few years later. Thank you Bambi /[Bambi] for your afkar and for reminding us of the importance of remembrance. Greetings and blessings Achim”.
After reading the beautiful words above, please take a look again at the sad graffiti. The latter is comparing people who were vaccinated to veterans who sacrificed their lives to save us from “the seeds of evil“, to borrow Achim’s wise words. What is so heroic about deciding to get a vaccine or not, to choose this vaccine or not, or to catch, recover, or die from an infectious disease or not? And let’s assume for one second that the writer of the graffiti truly thought that getting the vaccine is noble, does it justify the disrespect of his or her veterans?! Will the police forces investigate this incident, as it seems to be written in the media or will the investigations have the same fate as those burned churches… in the name of justice, of course?
This being said, the third story raised in this post is about two great women banned from a book club of the Toronto School Board. The first is Ms. Marie Henein the inspiring Canadian criminal defence lawyer, partner of Henein Hutchison LLP (https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-tdsb-students-wont-be-attending-marie-henein-book-club-event-amid/). Why? Because she has defended Mr. Jian Ghomeshi (famous sexual assault trial). Instead of taking this opportunity as a teaching moment for adolescent girls about how Section 11 of our Canadian Charter “guarantees every individual certain rights when they are charged with a criminal offence” (for “all types of offences“, including “criminal, quasi-criminal, and regulatory offences”).
Of note, as a response to the above, Ms. Henein wrote: “There are words for this. Misunderstanding is not one of them“. Well said.
Now, you may be wondering who is the second woman banned from this book club? Ironically she also has an Arabic name like Ms. Henein (the latter was born in Cairo to Lebanese parents). Well, it is the Nobel Prize-winner and activist, Ms. Nadia Murad. The latter who is of Yazidi Iraqi origins was captured by ISIS (= Daesh) She is the author of “The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State“. Guess what? She was banned today from the same event as Ms. Henein because … “her book would foster Islamaphobia” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadia_Murad). If you are wondering if that was a joke, the answer is no. It is a true story.
So, between the radicals of wokeism and those of Islamism, science, our past , our future, common sense, and critical thinking are all being taken hostage. Welcome to cancel culture in action across the country. Welcome to the Canada of 2021.
Today Bambi did a quick tour of the media about Lebanon. A picture attracted her attention:
A picture published in Now (taken by Mr. Joseph Eid for the Associated France Press)
Then, later in the day, Bambi called her parents in Beirut to check on them. They informed her that they are in the middle of big reparations of all the thick wood blinds of their apartment, all free-of-charge, offered by an active NGO called “Beit El Baraka“, which literally means the “house of blessing (= prosperity)“. Beit El Baraka received donations from generous people around the world, including Europe and North America, etc. They have offered those reparations to Bambi’s parents as well as all their neighbours in the same building. Same for all the buildings in their heavily damaged neighbourhood, which they also painted too (at less than 1.5 km from the port blast).
Tragically, many innocent people died on Saint-George hospital street, in the nearby hospital, and some in their apartments on that doomed August 4, 2020. MANY more were also badly injured (6000+ in total). It is by pure miracle that Bambi’s parents survived, as you can see in the picture of the the older post, at the end of this one.
To come back to Beit El Baraka, here is a description of this NGO:
Here is a description of their program called “Beirut, my first emergency”:
Bambi is both inspired and grateful by the work of all the Lebanese NGO’s, including Beit el Baraka. It is the volunteers from the population who literally took the role of the government and provided kind and efficient support to each other (if you are interested, you can see some older posts at this end of this one).
To Beit El Baraka in particular, Bambi would like to simply say thank you for supporting the Lebanese people, including its vulnerable senior citizens. Thanks for your vision for your country, based on humanity. It provides both youth and older citizens hope for brighter days.
Of note, the video shown below, about the work of Beit el Baraka, moved Bambi’s heart because it begins with scenes from her parent’s neighbourhood (she even saw their building and perhaps even their own balcony!). Most importantly, Ms. Maya Chams Ibrahimchah, Founder and President, is very interesting to listen to in this brief CNBC interview. Her words resonated with Bambi: “Lebanon is not a broke country… Lebanon is a stolen country“. She also reminded us how “a destroyed economy means poverty. Sadly, poverty can breed fundamentalism… and Lebanon does not want to export the latter to the world“. This is why her NGO is contributing to creating jobs, injecting fresh money, and providing hope to people (by facilitating many activities related to cooking, agriculture, commercialization, etc.). Bravo to her competent team, along with over 200 volunteers.
To conclude this post on a musical note, at the end of this post, if you wish, you can listen to a song Bambi posted on her blog in the past. It is called “Vent d’Espoir” by Mr. Anthony Ojeil. It is a beautiful adaptation of Mr. Jacques Brel’s song “Le plat pays“, meant for Beirut a month after its tragic blast. Tu use Mr. Ojeil’s own words, his song was his contribution to plant some seeds of love and hope… Like Beit El Baraka and like each penny donated by each donor.
