Mr. Jan Kubis, the United Nations (UN) Special Coordinator for Lebanon, tweeted the following harsh yet true words, as you can see below.
Is anyone from the Lebanese political elite, with at least one lobe in their brains, listening (yes, Lebanese politicians can survive with just one brain lobe)?
In other terms, we have already established they are heartless, but what about their brains? Is there hope still?
Why are they still aligning their country
to foreign entities?
When will they learn that Lebanon’s
only salvation is when it is put first?
Is it too much for them to put the Lebanese people whom they are supposed to be representing and serving FIRST, before their own interests?
To conclude this post, thank you Mr. Kubis for this message.
Every now and then, Bambi spends time searching the
internet for new updates on the degradation of the situation in Canada.
She finds it particularly
worrisome when one of our major sectors of the economy, and not one usually
known for political correctness, is becoming illuminated (or woke):
We are talking about a
sector that contributes about $110 billion to our national gross domestic product
(or GDP).
In other terms, this
sector is neither about our federal government’s institutions, nor about a
bunch of young activists still idealistic and easily influenced by trendy
movements.
Anyhow, below you can
find the official statement by the Mining Association of Canada about
its commitment to the so-called “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion”.
To conclude this post,
using the statement’s own words, who can be for “inequity, discrimination
and hatred in all its forms”? Are you for it yourself? Of course
not. Neither is Bambi.
This is of course noble
in and by itself, but why does this mining sector of Canada feel the need to endorse
such statements and pledges?
Is it being forced by our government? Or is it simply afraid of not being perceived as being a follower of trends (like other people in our society)? Or is it under pressure from radical or interest groups?
Bambi would like to thank her friend Aline for sharing the TFI News documentary.
In this video shown below, you can watch Lebanese glass blowers (a Phoenician tradition, which is 3000 years old) recycling the MANY pieces of shattered glass from the surrealistic Beirut port explosion of August 4, 2020.
From products of destruction and death, they made Lebanese traditional water pitchers (called “Ibrik“) and creative Christmas decoration.
Although beautiful, it is moving as those shattered glass pieces have injured 6000 citizens, killed 204 others, made many families homeless, and scared so many more people in tiny, bankrupt yet always beautiful Lebanon.
One must say that it is very thoughtful of France to encourage those Lebanese artists by importing their Christmas decoration. As one Lebanese glass blower said, France has always imported their art products. Today more than ever in show of solidarity with the Lebanese people.
Bambi is thinking of her friend Jean from Sackville now. She asked back in August if such an initiative could be done in Beirut. Jean, if you are reading this post, you will be happy to have an answer to your excellent question on glass recycling.
After watching the TFI video below, if you wish, further below, you can hear a beautiful song from Corsica that two young Lebanese artists performed and dedicated to the victims of the Beirut port explosion. This production happened on September 21st, as reported by the Lebanese l’Orient Le Jour. Bambi discovered their talent only yesterday night before going to sleep. She was moved by the song, especially that she had visited the charming Corsica with her family. She loves the language and especially the music of this European Island. It always pulls on her heartstrings. Today more than ever.
To conclude this post, Christmas will always be Christmas, even when if it is filled with challenges or sorrow for our whole planet… and especially for Lebanon, which has more challenges before and beyond the pandemic.
Indeed, Christmas season is about hope and the joy of hope to the world, about love, about modesty too (check the way baby Jesus chose to come to the world…), about surprising a loved one with a gift or with a gesture of tenderness, and it is about knowing how to receive others’ love and attention. It is about gratitude too. Gratitude of being alive and of appreciating people’s kindness.
It is in this spirit that Bambi touched base with all her loved ones, seniors and younger, in Beirut on this Christmas to give them her best wishes for 2021 (sadly, not in person this year). It was hard for her to wish them a Merry Christmas, that is with the word “Merry” (many are grieving or just struggling), but she found her own words to express what she meant. They even managed to sarcastically joke, and remember to be grateful.
It is Bambi’s hope that Lebanon has reached it lowest point in 2019-2020. It is now time to begin its’ journey toward recovery! This being said, unfortunately, one must remain realistic, no new government there yet… and even if they will have elections sometime soon, they are stuck with the same corrupt and useless leaders. They are also stuck with powerful people whose ideology is larger than their love of their OWN country. They are also stuck in a tough geopolitical place. Without a political will to keep the country as neutral as it can be (i.e., at equal distance to all those sharks around it), Lebanon remains one of the most vulnerable tiny countries of our world.
To conclude this post on a more optimistic note, there is a French saying about how smaller people/entities must be “smarter” in order to survive (“le plus petit doit être le plus malin“). Please Lebanon, be that clever small country!
The more Bambi reads woke articles or hear woke speeches, the more she is convinced that those who pretend to be fighting racism are stupidly and shamelessly promoting racism.
If you do not see what
Bambi means, and if you have the luxury of wasting your free time, you may wish
to read this article in the Globe and Mail entitled “The reluctance
of Canadian businesses to collect race-based data needs to end”:
Yes, it is one of these articles that uses terms like “race”
and “ethnicity” in the same sentence, like “intersectionality” (of victimhood),
like Diversity and Inclusion (of course, not Intellectual diversity…),
blahblahblah.
When will this intimidation stop?
And why are Canadian businesses endorsing this movement?
From the Tehran Times, Bambi learned the following: “Iranian artist Mohammad Asadi Jozani has said that his portraits of ten resistance martyrs will be presented to Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon“:
Well, first, may all the dead people of all the world rest in peace, whether their actions were good for humanity or not. Bambi has always said so, not just tonight on this beautiful Christmas eve.
Anyhow, the death of those “ten resistance martyrs” is not the focus of this post.
The topic is rather the beauty of Beirut, from an architectural perspective.
Second, here is the gift in question, if you are curious:
A picture taken from the Tehran Times
Third, Bambi has addressed the issue of such portraits of Iranian leaders (military, religious, or whatever) that we see in Beirut, in an earlier post entitled “Is Mr. Nasrallah, leader of the (Lebanese) Hezbollah, more catholic than the pope?” (see below).
In contrast to Beirut’s legendary charm, the last memory Bambi has from her trip to Beirut last year was actually the view of those portraits. Indeed, this is what she saw last, from the cab window, in her 5-10-minute ride to the airport. Not an aesthetic scene, especially after having driving through the very beautiful parts of Beirut (tragically, a great extent of Beirut’s architectural heritage has been destroyed in the surrealistic port explosion pf August 4, 2020).
Fourth, and related to the above, can Mr. Nasrallah stop making Beirut ugly, please?
Fifth, and whilst we are at it, can he try to remember that the name of his country’s capital is Beirut, not Tehran? Bambi is saying so with all due respect to the Iranian capital and the Iranian people.
Finally, if Mr. Nasrallah would like professional advice from experts in urbanism or architecture, his country is FULL of talented professionals and recent graduates.
Sadly, the entire 4-6 million Lebanese citizens are still held hostage by his fellow corrupt politicians/Governor of Lebanon’s central bank, and… of course, by his own toxic loyalty to a foreign country/ideology OVER Lebanon’s best interests.
To conclude this post on a less sarcastic note, Bambi wonders if the Lebanese people be one day able to have access again to their bank savings (if the latter still exist following the crash of October 17, 2019?).
Will the families of the victims of the Beirut port blast as well as all the citizens heavily devastated see a resemblance of justice by at least knowing the truth of what led to this tragedy?
Will justice be also served, with quick and serious investigations, of the mysterious recent assassinations, including the one of a young dad whose family has a Canada immigration visa?
Many questions and not a single answer yet… So, at least whilst still awaiting public answers, please give your fellow citizens a break from additional Iranian portraits.
Bambi adores this singer. Yes, she is talented and simply sweet :).
As you can see further below, in an earlier post from April 2020, her love song about the quarantine times was fun to listen to. It became a hit in Lebanon and the whole Arab world!
Well, in August 2020, after the Beirut explosion, she also sang for her capital and fellow citizens hit hard by the port surrealistic explosion.
Now, in December 2020, she is offering us a beautiful short Christmas Medley. Thank you Ms. Bitar.
May this Christmas bring hope, healing, rest, and entertainment to the people of Lebanon… and to all of us in NB, across Canada, and around the world!
According to the Financial
Times,“Iran nuclear deal signatories push for US return once Biden takes
office. Europeans commit to revival of accord as first priority ahead of any
talks on expanding it”.
Despite any good intentions of Mr. Obama’s administration, this nuclear deal was already useless before expanding it. So, imagine how it would look like after. Why? Because Iran has not been respecting it, as simple as that. Perhaps there is a reason why it takes a risk-taker in politics, as crazy as Mr. Trump, to decide to get out of it.
Plus, let’s also recall that two countries of the co-signers
of the agreement of Obama-Biden with Iran are China and Russia:
Can someone tell Bambi how we can trust China… or even
Russia?
We are talking about the same Russia already heavily involved in the Syrian war, along with Iran, Assad’s regime, and Hezbollah… Yes, this same Russia, even if perhaps it could/would know how to honour a deal once it is signed.
We are talking about that same China and what it is
currently doing to Taiwan:
In life, sadly yet realistically, only tough means can
stop those who do not care about others’ safety and well-being.
Iran is determined to have its nuclear weapons, and
nothing will stop it.
In an ideal romanticized world, Bambi would have preferred not to see any country having nuclear weapons (i.e., including Israel, of course). It would be fair to all. However, this is not how our world works to cite our own Mr. Trudeau in a virtual address to the UN General Assembly on September 25, 2020 and with two Russian pranksters (for the record, see further below).
So, what is the solution then? Or is there any?
Whatever will happen, Bambi fears that it is Lebanon that would be paying the price… once again!
“Alain Bifani resigned suddenly at the end of June from his position as director general of Lebanon’s finance ministry, a post he had held for 20 years. The former top official had supported an IMF-backed recovery plan for the heavily indebted country, but this was blocked by the political elite. Speaking to FRANCE 24, Bifani says the plan was about “having those who benefited most from the system contribute most”. He says its failure will lead to more “huge inequalities” and warns that Lebanon is “going towards some kind of a Somalia [of] a few years ago”.”
Thanks to both Mr. Mark Perelman and Mr. Alain Bifani for this informative interview.
Could and when will Lebanon be saved from itself?
From where to start to fix a country’s corrupt systems?
How could we protect the Lebanese people from their own politicians?!
As Mr. Bifani said as an answer to a question, corruption at the high top levels of governance is not just a Lebanese problem. Indeed, this problem spills beyond its borders, affecting the rest of the world.
For Bambi, it is deeply disturbing to see a beautiful country like Lebanon with resourceful citizens (i.e., resilient, entrepreneurs/risk-takers in business/life, creative, productive, and open to the world) in such a BAD shape.
This being said, it is also refreshing to listen to a former politician (whom Bambi is seeing for the first time) being that transparent in an interview.
Best wishes to Lebanon in re-inventing its economy whilst embracing the MUCH needed financial reforms.
May Lebanon also know how to commit to love and peace in the world over criminality and stupid self-destruction!
Will the officials identify those behind this crime?
The Mayor of the village of this family and his fellow
citizens are demanding answers within 24-48 hours. Will anyone listen to them?
Or will this case be closed like the Beirut port surrealistic
deadly explosion and many other possibly related recent murders?
Mr. Bejanni is not a politician. He was loved by everyone,
it seems.
According to the MTV News channel (first link below) that interviewed his wife, he was employed by a local telecommunication company. However, the latter position was not a sensitive one (i.e., he was an artistic trainer). He also worked as a freelance journalist. One of his clients was the Lebanese Army Forces (i.e., he was a certified photographer for their private parties).
Still according to MTV, some local media stated that he may have collaborated with French an American investigators of the port explosion. However, his family reported when he asked for a permission to take pictures after the explosion, his request was denied by the officials.
Last Saturday, he visited a village with someone who is currently being or will be investigated. If Bambi understood well and recalls the geography of Lebanon, this village would be located near the South border. One hypothesis is that he may have taken pictures with his phone and this may explain why his cell phone was taken away by the two gunmen (after killing him).
What sensitive pictures did he have? Was he killed
because of that?
According to the MTV, his phone is still functional up to now… and his daughter is still asking about him. Her mom said that she thinks he will come back from the hospital. Mind you, he was on his way to take her and her younger sister to school and to the daycare when the tragedy happened. Instead of a ride to school, she got to see her dad in their car agonizing in front of her young eyes.
Bambi’s heart goes to this girl and to her family. She cannot even dare to imagine the pain of her mother. How sad that they could have been travelling in early 2021 altogether to start a new life in their new home, Canada. Instead, they are coping with the unimaginable. May they find the inner strength to face this tragedy and may he rest in peace…
A couple of other Lebanese families are also grieving.
The crimes have been suspected to be related to the Beirut port explosion, yet
no serious investigations have been conducted.
Who is supposed to usually protect citizens if it is not
their own official authorities?
Until when the mafia-militia forces ruling Lebanon will keep getting away with crimes without any accountability?!
If you recall, as shown below, Bambi posted a story about Ms. Joëlle Melki on July 4th, 2020. She runs a marathon for her country every year. Indeed, she is notoriously known for her unique “jump” in the air to express her joy at the arrival at the finish line. If you do not believe Bambi, ask the professional photographers of this annual event about her jump :).
Without repeating the whole professional journey and multi-talent of Ms. Melki from child development and education to health care services, Bambi will just remind us of the following: Joëlle (yes our own Jojo!) is a healthcare provider, working in the digestive and liver diseases clinic at the IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and at a medical clinic. She is also certified in CPR First Aid from the American Heart Association and former certification with the Lebanese red cross in which she has been a volunteer during civil war times. Of course, in addition to all this, Ms. Melki is the MOST amazing daughter, sister, and friend anyone can have!
Well, first there has been the coronavirus pandemic. Then, more recently, life has been cruel to her/her family… However, Ms. Joëlle Melki is wise enough to know that, at the end of the day, life is just life. Yes, it does surprise us in sad ways. However, it can also bring us blessings in so many other ways.
Well, keeping all this in mind, check the picture of the plaque below about the latest achievement of Ms. Melki (despite her tough year!)! Yes, you and Bambi can read the following: Joëlle Melki, MA, Springmill Employee of the Year 2020, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Indiana University School of Medicine!!!
BRAVO to Ms. Melki!! Thank you for your patient care at all times and especially during this Covid-19 public health crisis!
Fond regards to you Joëlle, from across the border, from your proud childhood friend Bambi who loves you very much. Please keep on inspiring her… and take good care!
