Category: Sackville’s Memorial park

Today is Labour Day.

It is also the last long weekend of the summer preceding our beautiful fall season.

Later today, a New Year begins for some of us.  As they say, “Shana Tova” (or Happy New Year)!

Both Labour Day and an end/start of a chapter in life provide an opportunity for reflection on the meaning of labour.

Labour means work. Often, it refers to hard physical work (but not only).

In many countries of the world, including France and Lebanon, there is no Labour Day (or long weekend). What is celebrated instead is the International Workers’ Day or May 1^st Day. The latter is a celebration of the labourers (not the labour per se)/working classes.

Regardless, this brief reflection is relevant to both celebrations as well as to the start of a new year.

Some of us are lucky, even blessed, to love our jobs. Not everyone wakes up excited to go to work on every day.

Others work to earn a living without satisfaction in the work or… workplace.

Others may be devoted workers while being underpaid or taken advantage of in one or another way.

Yet others keep working hard in their search for a job after being laid out or upon migrating.

There are also those rare ones who can afford not to work in life.

And, of course, there are those who despite being passionate and diligent about work, they have been prevented from doing it or from even having physical access to it; ironically sometimes by their own employers.

Anyhow, regardless of our labour types or conditions, Happy Labour Day to you!

To conclude this post in music and maybe to also practice your French, how about two famous, work-related songs, one by the Mr. Zachary Richard and the other by the Colocs?

Bambi and her spouse join their hearts (and prayers) to everyone mourning with Abeer’s family.

If she may, Bambi would like to offer two songs not just to Abeer, but also to all her loved ones: Mom, dad, brother, sisters, cousins, grand-parents, relatives, and friends in the Maritimes and abroad.

Abeer means perfume in Arabic… May the memory of Abeer’s beautiful perfume (and smile!) be eternal.

We learned from Reuters today that “Lebanon deported a Reuters correspondent after questioning him on arrival at Beirut airport at the start of a reporting assignment last month, detaining him overnight before putting him on a flight to Jordan.”

This Reuters senior correspondent is Mr. Suleiman al-Khalidi from Jordan. Can you imagine? The Lebanese authorities “took him aside for questioning and asked him to surrender his company laptop computer and mobile phone“.

After Mr. al-Khalidi refused to hand his material, they transferred him to a deportation centre and sent him back to Jordan the next day (https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/lebanon-deported-reuters-journalist-after-questioning-2021-09-03/).

Reuters asked Lebanon to reverse the decision.

To conclude this post, it is worrisome to see the official Lebanon (i.e., with its powerful forces) treating reporters in this shocking manner. Sadly, such stories are becoming more frequent (Bambi has older posts on the topic). It is not surprising then to read that this tiny, bankrupt yet (always) beautiful country has been recently ranked “#107 out of 180 countries in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index“. Sadly, the limitation on press freedom is also observed worldwide, not just in Lebanon (including Canada, mind you). However, the attack on press freedom/freedom of expression is acutely alarming in Lebanon.

Lebanon Ranked #107 In The 2021 World Press Freedom Index

In several older posts, Bambi paid tribute to Isaac Ohlers, the youngest victim of the surrealistic Beirut blast of August 4, 2020 (she once posted an interview with his mother too, Ms. Sarah Copland).

Yesterday, the Australian Embassy in Beirut unveiled a swing in the garden of the Sursock Museum in Isaac’s memory.

According to L‘Orient Le Jour and An Nahar, the ceremony was attended in person by the honourable Ms. Rebekah Grindlay (Ambassador of Australia in Lebanon) and the families of the other victims. Isaac’s mom and dad, Ms. Copeland and Mr. Craig Ohlers, watched the ceremony live from Australia (https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1273750/balancoire-au-musee-sursock-en-memoire-disaac-oehlers.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=balancoire-au-musee-sursock-en-memoire-disaac-oehlers ; https://www.annahar.com/arabic/section/77-%D9%85%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%B9/03092021085659204).

In a moving tweet, Ms. Copland shared that Issac used to enjoy playing in the courtyard, climbing trees, and greetings cats. She and her spouse are grateful to Ambassador Grindlay, to the Australian Embassy, and to the Sursock Museum.

In turn, as shown below, the museum thanked the families of the victims and all those who made this event possible.

As a reminder, and for over a year now, Isaac’s parents and the families of the other 219 victims of the surrealistic Beirut port explosion are still seeking justice for their loved ones. When will impunity finally end in Lebanon?!

To conclude this post, Bambi will begin by sharing with you a few pictures of the ceremony (taken from An Nahar and the Sursock Museum Twitter account). Finally, and if she may, she would like to end by offering Isaac two songs inspired by his memorial.

May his memory be eternal… and heartfelt best wishes to his family.

Mr. Yannick Lemay’s cartoon in the Journal de Québec…

Canada is suffocating under political correctness.

Indeed, in our collectively insane times, more and more Canadians say the opposite of what they think privately out of fear. Perhaps other Canadians do not see what Bambi means. Some Canadians even repeat empty slogans, one after the other. Of course, some others are true believers. Yet others may convince themselves (and others) that they are believers or observant. Some even benefit from slogans to advance their careers or agendas.

Anyhow, tonight Canadians (who are still interested in politics) will watch the first 2021 federal debate on TV (in French)… but which “debate” are we talking about precisely?

And which leaders? Bambi is asking because the federal debate is once again among leaders who have been pre-selected?

Of course, the themes to be debated will be carefully chosen. Yes, they will be socially acceptable and accepted.

Again, political correctness or ideologies affect us all.

Indeed, some of our decent political leaders who are supposed to champion the environment have drifted their political focus to interfere in provincial issues/bills that are neither under their jurisdiction nor expertise (not even political power).

Other excellent politicians who would be expected to defend the French language (and likely language demographics) do not dare to even debate immigration in terms of numbers or the values of newcomers (to facilitate their integration).

Yet other perhaps mediocre politicians keep telling us and writing platforms where diversity is presented as our strength. A beautiful slogan again… but is there room still for intellectual diversity? And what about our unity? From all union and people’s movements, we historically and intuitively know that it is rather unity that is our real strength. Not (just?) diversity, even if the latter is enriching in life.

Some politicians have exploited or pushed the diversity card (modern forms of sectarianism) too far to the point of having a name for each type of injustice (racism or discrimination) affecting this or that community… of course in addition to a new empire of corporate business called “diversity, inclusion, and equity”. Once again, intellectual diversity is missing from all this.

Instead of a country of the rule of law for all, we lately saw justice being envisioned to be tailored to skin hue (instead of being the same laws for all with, of course, a consideration for attenuating factors, including possible personal experiences of racism). Is this race-based approach (limited to one’s skin colour) wise and even fair for all, including to the alleged criminal offender? In other terms, what about the sense of personal responsibility in life? Isn’t it worth encouraging and rewarding anymore in tribunals or in rehabilitation following a sentence?

Instead of honouring our collective democracy, we stopped caring to preserve everyone’s right to publicly express an opinion? Instead, we are becoming like a “neo-monarchy” of censorship and of double standards? Approved public discourse is allowed and encouraged. Any dissidence is viciously attacked.   

Canada’ elitists (those in power, their cliques, or dependants in the media/intellectual circles) are sometimes acting in the most tribal and disconnected manner from ordinary people. All this, of course, often in the name of modern forms of puritan morality (and its orthodoxies).  

For sure, at first, politicians’ care for ordinary people may have been genuine, not just to earn their vote. Now, our political leaders are too disconnected from people that they do not even care to fake care.

Who knows? Perhaps our political leaders are trapped in their elitism or, like the population, suffocating under political correctness. Mind you, it is also possible that they may have found another source of political supply.

To conclude this post, you may perhaps think that Bambi is being too cynical today. Maybe just lucid, even if she remains convinced that our Canada remains beautiful, despite our collectively insane times and despite an increased mediocrity in politicians worldwide. However, comparing us to less fortunate countries of the world, including Lebanon, helps in bringing perspectives and… in keeping faith in our country alive. In the end, even collectively insane times shall pass, even if they may last for many years.

This post is about a love song that reminds Bambi of her childhood in Lebanon.

The song is question is performed by a talented singer whom Bambi just discovered: Ms. Carla Chamoun. It is actually a very famous love song, entitled “Khidni maak” [“Take me with you”] by the late Ms. Salwa el Katrib. Bambi had the chance to share this song with you once in an older post featuring El Katrib’s own daughter. The latter, called Ms. Aline Lahoud, is a talented singer (like her mom).

This being said, Bambi would like to thank a certain Mr. Alaa Eddine Taktak from Paris for having kindly publicly shared the translation of this great song on YouTube. Following French, if you wish, you can read a quick English translation [thanks to the assistance of Bambi’s faithful friend, Mr. Google Translate :)].

To conclude this post, and before sharing the lyrics and the song, bravo to Ms. Carla Chamoun for her beautiful voice and interpretation! Congratulations to the musicians for their talent!

LYRICS TRANSLATED INTO FRENCH:

“Emmène-moi avec toi sur un sentier/chemin lointain

Là où nous étions petits enfants/jeunes

Et chauffe mon printemps avec un nouveau soleil

Et fais-moi oublier le jour où nous sommes devenus grands/vieux

Emmène-moi avec toi ô mon amour, ô mon amour

Là où la couleur bleue s’est évanouie (le soir)

Nous marchons ensemble ô mon amour, ô mon amour

Sur un chemin en sable verdoyant

Cache-moi,entoure-moi, par ton amour

Et laisse-moi m’y perdre pour un jour

Et laisse l’amour me faire oublier

Le jour où nous sommes devenus grands/vieux

Demande au vent de l’amour de nous emmener/emporter

Au dessus des montagnes qui n’ont pas de limites

Demain, le temps effacera  nous noms

Et les barrera de traits noirs

Vole-moi,  vole-moi et laisse-moi

Cueillir le printemps, rose par rose

Emmène-moi avec toi, emmène-moi et fais-moi oublier

Fais-moi oublier le jour où nous sommes devenus grands.”

LYRICS TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH:

“Take me with you on a far trail

Where we were younger

And heat my spring with a new sun

And make me forget the day we got old/older

Take me with you oh my love, oh my love

Where the colour blue has faded (in the evening)

We walk together oh my love, oh my love

On a green sand path

Hide me, surround me, with your love

And let me get lost in it for a day

And let love make me forget

The day we got old/older

Ask the wind of love to take us away

Above the mountains that have no limits

Tomorrow time will erase our names

And cross them out with black lines

Steal me, steal me and leave me

pick spring rose by rose

Take me with you, take me and make me forget,

Make me forget the day we grew up”.

Today, the journalists asked Ms. Ensaf Haidar why she publicly supported Mr. Maxime Bernier in the past. The Bloc Québécois (BQ) leader, namely the eloquent Mr. Yves-François Blanchet kindly defended his candidate in Sherbrooke during his press conference.

Perhaps he did so himself because: 1. She is going through a hell of a personal, endless saga with her spouse still in jail (and being tortured) in her birth country, Saudi Arabia (simply because of a personal blog!) and 2. Obviously, despite her intelligence and determination, she still lacks political experience.

However, the video shows us that the courageous Ms. Haidar later chatted with the media herself, as you can see in the Journal de Montréal video/article below:

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/08/31/yves-francois-blanchet-refuse-de-laisser-une-candidate-repondre-aux-journalistes-1

As she said so well, this is a personal story in which she supported and supports everyone who kindly calls her, showing concern for Mr. Badawi. Bravo to Mr. Maxime Bernier for having been that kind of a compassionate public servant. As she added, in politics, things are different (since she is running now for the BQ).

Mind you, bravo for the BQ for their good attitude in the electoral campaign. Bambi read about two candidates, Liberal and BQ, running in a harmonious manner in Trois-Rivières (i.e., Mr. Martin Francoeur and Mr. René Villemure respectively).

It is is Bambi’s hope that one of our journalists will also ask Mr. Trudeau one day (or even one of his senior fellow colleagues) why didn’t they follow up on the motion of the BQ that everyone in the Parliament voted for, including Mr. Trudeau himself. Can they give us, and more specifically give Ms. Haidar and her children, a genuine answer as to why they did not give Mr. Badawi the Canadian citizenship in order to facilitate his return home to join his family? Why didn’t they have the courage to do so?

As for the BQ, thanks for this federal party for defending freedom of expression abroad (and bringing home Canadian fellow citizens in trouble elsewhere). Indeed, this party supported Mr. William Sampson. In the end, the latter sadly died in England in 2012, according to the National Post (https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/william-sampson-dead-canadian-survived-prison-torture-in-saudi-arabia). According to Radio-Canada (or the French CBC) in addition to several other media (https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/114050/sampson-torture), the BQ helped free him from jail (the UK too helped him since he held the double citizenship). A BQ politician even travelled to Saudi Arabia to meet him in jail. The tragedy was that Mr. Sampson was accused of false yet very serious accusations. He was also tortured. However, thankfully, he survived his ordeal. He spent the entire last ten years of his (free) life clearing his name.

—

FYI, Bambi has several posts on Ms. Haidar/Mr. Badawi, including this last one with a touch of humour:

A vote for Ms. Nabila Ben Youssef’s authenticity can also serve to give Mr. Trudeau a well-deserved vacation!

Bambi heard this song on her Lebanese-American internet radio that plays French songs twice per day (for a whole hour). She cannot recall when precisely, today or was it yesterday? Anyhow, since then, it has been on her mind.

The song was written in 1989, a year before the end of a bloody 15-year civil war. Mr. Guy Béart visited Lebanon on a famous boat trip from France to show his solidarity with the civilians of his parents’ birth country.

Mr. Béart’ song is entitled “Liban Libre” [which means The Free Lebanon]. It is against war and violence. It is for peace, love, and especially for freedom in Lebanon and for its children. It also mentions the hospitality of Lebanon to the persecuted populations and it pays tribute to all the Lebanese war victims, “Christians and Muslims” (as per the song’s lyrics). Mr. Béart performed his song in both Paris and Beirut.

Many French artists have supported Lebanon during its civil war (and beyond). Thus, Bambi has always thought that Mr. Béart was a talented French songwriter and singer. Today, she learned that he was Lebanese too (born in Egypt): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_B%C3%A9art. His real name was “Guy Béhart-Hasson (originally spelled Béhar-Hassan)“. Indeed, his parents were “Jewish (of Shephardic Jewish assent)”, according to Wikipedia. As usual, it is moving to see the love of Lebanese people for their birth country (whomever they are or from wherever adoptive country they came from)!

Mr. Béart left our world in 2015 at age 85 (may his memory be eternal). Bambi does not know if he heard about the synagogue of Beirut before his death. It was renovated post-war (+ re-fixed after the surrealistic port blast of August 4, 2020). It is called the Maghen Abraham synagogue and it is beautiful, as you can see in 961 below.

The Jewish community is one of the 18 different religious-based communities of Lebanon. Before 1948, there were over 20,000 Lebanese families from this community, it seems. Today and tragically, there are just about 30 Jewish families left, most likely living discreetly (https://www.nouvelobs.com/rue89/rue89-rue89-culture/20091219.RUE4044/les-juifs-du-liban-une-partie-oubliee-de-l-histoire-du-pays.html) .

Beirut’s Last Synagogue Got Damaged In The Blast

Anyhow, thanks to Mr. Béart for his beautiful song dedicated to his beloved Lebanon. Below you can listen to it and read the French lyrics, if you wish.

To conclude this post, what is both reassuring and moving is to witness the concern/respect of the younger Lebanese generations for the collective historical memory of their fellow citizens of Jewish faith. This memory is like a missing or weaker piece of the puzzle of their beautiful country, historically a land of pluralism and tolerance. For Bambi, all this gives her hope for both Lebanon and humanity…

Liban Libre

Liban libre 
Libre Liban 
Enfants libres 
Libres enfants 

E tous les martyrs 
Chrétiens Musulmans 
Avant de partir 
Ont crié ce chant 

Liban libre 
Libre Liban 
Enfants libres 
Libres enfants 

Toi qui nous montras 
Tant d’humanité 
Qui ouvris les bras 
Aux déshérités 
Liban libre 
Libre Liban 

Si ton rivage fraternel 
A Dieu ne plaise allait mourir 
Je ne crois pas que l’arc-en-ciel 
Sur Terre pourra revenir 

Pour qu’un beau jour le monde entier 
Ne vive pas dans la terreur 
Je ne dois jamais oublier 
Le petit Liban au grand cœur 

Qui offrit l’hospitalité 
A tous les peuples poursuivis 
De l’eau vive aux persécutés 
De la vie 

Liban libre 
Libre Liban 
Enfants libres 
Libres enfants 

Libre sur la mer 
Libre sur les routes 
Dans les cœurs ouverts 
Et libre à Beyrouth 
Liban libre 
Libre Liban 

Ah ya Loubnane 
Ya salame ya zamane 

Liban libre 
Libre Liban 
Enfants libres 
Libres enfants 

Tes montagnes pures 
On les a salies 
Avec les blessures 
De l’argent folie 
Liban libre 
Libre Liban 

Avec la drogue avec les armes 
Au lieu des fruits de tes vallées 
On fait de l’or on fait des larmes 
On fait du sang avec du lait 

On s’est même payé la corde 
La corde pour être pendu 
Payé pour la miséricorde 
Et payé pour être vendu 

Payé pour devenir esclave 
Payé pour être massacré 
Payé pour vivre dans les caves 
Enterré 

Liban libre 
Libre Liban 
Ton chant vivre 
Vibre ton chant 

Vibre dans nos cœurs 
Vibre dans nos corps 
Pour que le bonheur 
Nous survive encore 
Liban libre 
Libre Liban 

Ah ya Loubnane
Ya salame ya zamane
Ah ya Loubnane
Ya salame ya zamane

Que tous tes enfants
Avec l’harmonie
Du ciel et du temps
Retrouvent leur nid
Liban libre
Libre Liban

Levons le vert de l’espérance
Ensemble partout mieux qu’avant
Réunis pour la renaissance
Du monde en paix pour les enfants
Liban libre
Libre Liban

Ah ya Loubnane
Ya salame ya zamane

Ah ya Loubnane
Ya salame ya zamane

In his “Ministerial Mandate Letter” to Minister Steven Guilbeault, Mr. Trudeau asked the latter the following (https://pm.gc.ca/en/mandate-letters/2021/01/15/minister-canadian-heritage-supplementary-mandate-letter):

“…Work with the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to take action on combatting hate groups and online hate and harassment, ideologically motivated violent extremism and terrorist organizations. You will be supported in this work by the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.“

Well, just as a reminder, the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Development is Ms. Maryam Monsef who read a written statement (prepared for or by her?) in which she called the Talibans (who killed at least 159 of our soldiers in addition to civilians and other allies) “our brothers“. Aye… Bambi hopes your own brothers (if any) are nicer than these guys who also stone women and force them into sexual slavery!

First, the “work in question” likely refers to the proposed Bill C-36, which, in the name of online anti-hate, will serve to silence citizens in an rather arbitrary manner. Indeed, what is “hate”, to begin with? Who would define this so-called online “hate” and how? If Bambi understands the proposed bill well, citizens can be fined up to $50K and their online platforms would close. Some citizens would act as anonymous informers. Others would be their target. Our bureaucrats would act as those censoring forces. All this in the name of a noble cleaning of the internet from “hate” content. Do you see the slippery slope and… or the deep ditch too?

Once again, why is our government even envisioning such bills when we already have criminal laws, namely about the call for violence and defamation?

Furthermore, why are our so-called opposition parties (the official one and all the others) silent about this?

Indeed, if Bambi is not mistaken, the only party criticizing this bill is the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) of Mr. Maxime Bernier who is, once again, not invited to the TV debates. By doing so, an important part of the population is getting the message: You are not worth hearing or worth being governed by us. We do not care about you.

Most importantly, why are we leaving the defence of our freedom of expression to a party that is more right-wing or more conservative than the official opposition? Why aren’t the centre-right and centre left BOTH worried about those potential excesses? This is even more absurd as some Canadians may even call this party “far-right”. So, can someone tell Bambi why are we leaving the defence our freedom of expression to just this party? Is this normal/healthy in a (still) democratic, Western country?

To conclude this post, Bambi is concerned not just about the proposed bill C-36 (that she rejects!), but also about the intellectual judgment of Mr. Trudeau [+ his party for which Bambi voted for most of her voting life 🙁 ] AS WELL AS the relevance of Minister Maryam Monsef in a team that would protect us by taking “action on combatting hate groups and online hate and harassment, ideologically motivated violent extremism and terrorist organizations“. How can someone who thinks that the Talibans are her brothers effectively combat terrorist organizations?