Bambi's Thoughts
This is for you Nina đ and for your beautiful country.
Yes, today is July 14… The beauty of working from home is that Bambi can sing this song all day long, without bothering her colleagues :)!
By the way, Happy Birthday to Amale too!
Yesterday evening, a friend from Montreal called Bambi. They naturally spoke about Lebanonâs saga of political corruption that led to the countryâs financial fiasco. They also talked about Mr. Trudeau, as both were long-term Liberal voters. âWhy did you do that Mr. Trudeau?â, her friend said.
Bambiâs friend then added: âIn Lebanon, people have been asking for the resignation of their political leaders since October, 2019. There, even if they change them, they remain influential. At least, here if people go to the street, Trudeau will step down immediatelyâ ?.
Bambi smiled and said: âI am not that sure of that, you know?â
Bambi predicted that Mr. Trudeau will say he is sorry and try to get out of this again with a little fine. He will remain in power, so will his financial minister, most likely⊠More than that, Canadians may even vote for him again âč!
This is the difference between the Lebanese and Canadian populations. There, they are more lucid. They do not let themselves be deceived by the media and politicians. Sadly, this does not change the outcome.
In Canada, people prefer to keep their eyes closed. It is more convenient or reassuring. It gives a sense of security, especially in uncertain times like a pandemic. Sadly, the outcome is not surprising, at least to Bambi.
If you are wondering about the title of this post, this award is the MOST prestigious one in Lebanon. Bambi feels sorry for insulting her birth country with this joke. The idea is just to show that Mr. Trudeau is not that different from those Lebanese politicians after all. He may just be more hypocritical. He may also think we are stupid⊠and who knows? He may be right: his apologies may work on many of us⊠They donât/wonât on Bambi. He is no longer funny⊠He should resign. Period.
Oh, if he wishes, perhaps the âWe Charityâ can organize a âWe Dayâ for him in Beirut ?. Whilst there, he can receive his National Order of the Cedar and get a selfie with his colleagues!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-sorry-we-contract-1.5647515
Beirut has been destroyed and re-built seven times throughout history.
It will surely survive again… but for now, Beirut is just tired… of being tired.
Here is a song for you Beirut by Mr. Enrico Macias (video # 1) with beautiful pictures, followed by a short movie Bambi just discovered by Mr. Elie Fahed & Ms. Carmen Bsaibes (video # 2).
Hang on Beirut! It is not for nothing that you have been called âSit el Dounyaâ (the Lady of the world). Further below you can see a translation of this beautiful poem by Mr. Nizar Quabbani written during war, which later became a famous song by Majida (video # 3).
Some used to call Beirut the âParis of the Orientâ or âthe Switzerland of the Middle Eastâ.
These days seem far away⊠and yet when we are a true lady, deep inside, we remain one even in our misery. Indeed, Bambi recalls very well the wise words that her grandmother Asma used to say: âThe rich remains rich despite poverty⊠and the poor remains poor despite all the richnessâ. She meant the richness of the spirit, of course (not of the pocket).
Beirut you will surely rise again eventually, hoping your people will recover what has been stolen from their own pockets, along with their dreams!
Beirut Lady of the world (a poem by Mr. Nizar Quabbani)
âYa Beirut
Ya Beirut…Lady of the World
We confess to the one and only God:
That we were envious of you
And your beauty was harming us
We confess now:
We maltreated you and we were not merciful
We did neither understand you nor excuse you
We handed you a dagger (or knife) instead of a rose
We confess to the just God:
We injured you and made you tired
We burnt you and made you weep
We burdened you O Beirut with our sins
Ya Beirut
The world is not enough
We now know your roots are deep within us
We now know what our hands had committed
Rise…Rise…Rise
Rise from beneath the rubble
Like an almond’s flower in April
Rise from your grief… Rise
For revolution is born from the womb of misery
Rise from beneath the rubble
Rise in honour of the forests
Rise for the love of rivers
Rise in honour of the rivers, valleys, and mankindâŠ
Rise for the love of mankind
Rise oh Beirut ….Rise
Revolution is born from the womb of sorrows
Ya Beirut….Ya Beirut!â
To begin with, here is the tweet by Mr. Maxime Bernier. Is there someone left out there who can justify this?
If so, please help yourself on this blog. Unlike the CBC, comments are always open here.
Bambi is saying so and she is a former LONG-TERM liberal voter. She remains a classical âliberalâ, mind you.
To conclude this post on a funny note (despite the seriousness of Canadaâs matters), here is a cartoon published lately in the Journal de QuĂ©bec. Mr. Dion (Ethics Commissioner) is saying: âAnother conflict of interestâ! Mr. Trudeau (check the heart on our PMâs belt ?) is giving us a speech, saying: âWell-ordered charity begins with yourselfâ ?. We can see his mom, spouse, and brother with their hands in a big âWE Charityâ pot filled with dollars and we can read: âIt is the CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) for rich familiesâ.
Bambi would like to thank her friend Amale for sharing the last two videos shown further below. Of note, in the first one, you can see/hear the American University of Beirut (AUB) President, Dr. Fadlo R. Khuri saying: âNow I am going to be blunt to you. This is the worst government in Lebanese history with regard to their understanding or of care of higher education…â.
Before sharing these videos, Bambi will thank Ms. Jane Ferguson for her journalistic piece for the PBS News Hour. It describes the tragedy of Lebanon very well…
Lebanon deserves much better than this financial/economic fiasco.
No, it is neither the covid-19 nor the USAâs fault. This is a homemade tragedyâŠ
Here is Ms. Durocherâs hilarious article published today in the Journal de MontrĂ©al:
https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/07/09/we-love-justin-trudeau
Here is a quick English translation:
âWe recap
– Justin Trudeau’s wife is an ambassador for WE.
– Justin Trudeau’s wife hosts a podcast for WE.
– In one of the WE podcasts hosted by Justin Trudeauâs wife, Justin Trudeauâs wife interviews Justin Trudeauâs mother.
– Many photos on his social media show Justin Trudeau’s wife in front of a WE logo, holding a WE microphone or wearing clothes with the WE logo.
– In his first public appearance after his election, Justin Trudeau participated with his wife in a WE event.
– In March, Justin Trudeau’s mother, Justin Trudeau’s wife, Justin Trudeau’s daughter and Justin Trudeau’s half-sister went to London to participate in a WE event.
– Trudeau’s mother was paid $ 250,000 for her various conferences for WE.
– Trudeau’s brother was paid $ 32,000 for lectures he gave for WE.
And despite all that, at NO point did Justin Trudeau see that he was in a conflict of interest by entrusting WE with the mandate to manage a contract of 900 million, contract for which WE was going to put 19 million in its pockets?
Are you pulling a fast one on us?â
End of Ms. Durocherâs funny article.
Now here is Mr. Blanchetâs serious request: He is requesting that the PM steps asides, at least during the ethics investigation (as he also said in an interview with TVA News channel), leaving the âresponsibilities to the deputy PMâ.
Will anyone listen?
First, Mr. Trudeau “forgot” about our constitution and started distributing student loans (usually a provincial responsibility).
Second, after billions of expenses and public debt since Trudeau I era, Mr. Trudeau decided to pay students for their volunteering work. He even argued that the WE charity is the only program capable of administering the program ?. WE Charity would receive $19.5 million in order to administer a $900 million program meant to subsidize youth volunteering.
Third, we learn that this charity is CLOSELY related to him, to his family clan and to his political party: about $300K honoraria to his mother, brother, and spouse, in addition to the maximum donation possible to the Liberal party during his last electoral campaign.
Now, the federal government is fit again to administer the program above đ but Mr. Trudeau is in trouble again… He is being investigated by the Ethics Commissioner FOR THE THIRD TIME.
Here are links in the media:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/margaret-justin-trudeau-we-charity-1.5643586
This story is worse than the older sponsorship scandal.
This story is worse than his own Aga Khan vacation scandal.
This story is worse than his own Bombardier saga.
This story is VERY serious⊠In addition to being a bad leader (no vision, no talent… just beautiful words and socks), Mr. Trudeau is ethically NOT fit be the PM of Canada.
If he wishes, Bambi can offer him a ticket to the “Banana Republic” of Syria :).
Seriously, Assad Junior & Asma will be happy to hang out with him.
Whilst there, he may wish to jump and visit the corrupt Lebanese politicians.
To conclude this post, he and the media should stop âfavourablyâ comparing him to the USA (i.e., Mr. Trump). It is about time to focus on our OWN problems at home!
——
Here is an earlier post from Bambi:
Today, Bambi woke up to sad news (see videos below) relayed by her own sister, journalist Roula Douglas.
A woman seems to have attempted to commit suicide. Did she survive? Bambi closed her eyes and prayed for her⊠In the first video, we hear the shocking lamentations of her friends (from the balcony). In the second video, we see the Lebanese Red Cross ambulance. We assume she died⊠but then Bambi heard that she has survived (it all depends on how she fell down⊠Miracles do happen). Letâs hope she will hang on to life to heal from whichever hospital bed she may be lying in now!
The tragedy is that that there is a shortage of US$ in Lebanon and there is a HUGE inflation. The whole country is suffering, sadly including this community of foreign workers âč. They are usually paid in US money, as per their working contract. Their bosses can no longer afford to feed themselves (and them) to be able to pay their salary. Some of these bosses may have lost their humanity (who knows?) or their sanity?! So, these workers found themselves kicked out to the streets. Luckily, community organizations and big-hearted people remain there to help⊠even the bankrupt government did something good at one point (finding shelter for some of them).
Activists have been urging the Ethiopian government and the UN to help repatriate them!
There are about 250,000 foreign workers in Lebanon, it seems, mostly Ethiopian. Others are from other African and Asian countries.
Some activists are reporting up to two suicides per day in this group âč. Can you imagine?
Can someone do something PLEASE!?!
To begin with, here is an article from Global News, informing us that Dr. Ngola will no longer face criminal charges AND that “he seeks apology”:
Good for him, he and his family must be relieved⊠but why this impolite sense of entitlement?
He is the one who should be apologizing to NB and not the other way around.
Mr. Higgs, you did nothing wrong. You should not be apologizing!
——-
Here are earlier posts by Bambi about this story:
Mr. Nasrallah gave a press conference, as per Naharnet.
Below the screenshot, you will see Bambiâs reply to his speech, point by point ?.
Nasrallah on economy: One should think of all those living on Lebanese soil, including refugees.
Mr. Nasrallah, if you mean the Syrian refugees, you should have thought about these innocent people before going to war in Syria behind the back of the Lebanese government. You should have thought about them before supporting Mr. Assad in his ethnic cleansing âč.
If you meant the Palestinian refugees, please stop using them âč.
Nasrallah: We need to rectify some issues to be on the right track. As for the issue of “turning east,” this does not mean turning against the West.
Mr. Nasrallah, can we just turn inward (self-reflection, self-interest, etc.), neither East nor West⊠but rather BOTH East and West + North and South and all the directions, as needed! Enough of alignment on Iran⊠and further East on China, if this is your second best dream⊠unless you are saying this, thinking it will scare the USA ?.
Nasrallah: We are open to help from any country in the world except for Israel.
Do you really meant it Mr. Nasrallah: Would you collaborate with the United States ??
Nasrallah: No one is trying to put Lebanon in a certain axis.
Really, Mr. Nasrallah ? ??
Nasrallah: We are not seeking to cut off “Western oxygen” from anyone in Lebanon.
You mean the opposite, of course.
Nasrallah: No one has called for changing Lebanon’s cultural face.
Sadly, the Western world is changing its cultural face in front of our eyes⊠and it looks more like a self-destructive process. Letâs hope Lebanon will know how to avoid collective stupidity, preserve its sanity, and dynamic culture, as a meeting point of the East & West!
Nasrallah: We won’t be an obstacle if America wants to help Lebanon.
Time will tellâŠ
Nasrallah: We have not called for endorsing the Iranian model.
No need to call for it. You are living it and breathing it⊠and suffocating Lebanon with it âč.
Nasrallah: If we said that China should come invest in Lebanon, this does not mean turning the country into a communist system.
Letâs hope China will not buy Lebanon as it did with Africa and with some famous brains here in North AmericaâŠ
Mr. Nasrallah, your fellow Lebanese people may be in a sinking boat right now⊠but they are too lucid and smart to embrace communism. The latter has proved itself as a failed model. It looks appealing on papers (in the abstract) ONLY. Lebanese people are entrepreneurs and creative people. With all due respect to the one communist party in Lebanon, your fellow citizens will kill communism before it kills their spirit and imagination ?.
Nasrallah: We should not stick to only one path and we should not await the outcome of negotiations with the IMF without seeking other choices, seeing as these talks might take time or fail. The idea of turning East came from here.
Mr. Nasrallah, arenât you tired of taking Lebanon hostage? At every milestone of its good days and bad days, of its troubles and potential solutions, you could have made the choice of Lebanon first. It is never too late, Mr. Nasrallah!
Nasrallah: The Americans waged a fierce campaign against the Chinese choice to scare the Lebanese and prevent them from cooperating with China.
Ha!Ha!Ha! ? or âč.
Nasrallah: What we are going through today is the most dangerous threat that can face a people and a state, but we are capable as Lebanese state and people to turn the threat into a chance. We have an opportunity to carry out very important steps towards economic stability.
PLEASE leave Lebanon to the new generation of talented people⊠please stop the BS. Please!
Nasrallah: Iraq represents a great chance for Lebanon.
What does this mean Mr. Nasrallah? Is Iraq an example of a successful, prosperous state right now? They are in trouble like Lebanon, likely because of you or people like you⊠or because of their Iranian neighbour that wants to keep controlling them (and controlling the whole region).
Nasrallah: Openness towards Iraq, China, Iran and other countries gives hope to the Lebanese and sends a strong message to Americans and others that the country has other choices and courses.
Mr. Nasrallah, who died and made you the King of Lebanon? You do not have the monopoly of the countries that Lebanon wants to be friend with! You have the weapons, we get it, but you do not decide for the Lebanese people BY YOURSELF. Shame on those allied with you who keep giving you this cover âč.
Nasrallah: We are a consumer country and today there is a chance to become a productive country and the State has a responsibility to revive the agricultural and industrial sectors.
OK, you make more sense here.
Nasrallah: We should wage “agricultural and industrial jihad and resistance.”
You are back to your delusion and silly (fake too) religious rhetoric. What does âagricultural and industrial jihad and resistanceâ mean, for Godâs sake? Should Bambi laugh or cry here!?
Nasrallah: The U.S. State Department is playing an exposed role in Lebanon.
What do you mean Mr. Nasrallah ??
Nasrallah: The U.S. ambassador is acting like a military ruler and what business does she have in intervening in the financial appointments?
You are probably not saying the truth here Mr. Nasrallah, with all due respect. Please respect Ms. Shea.
Nasrallah: Colonial countries act this way and not friendly ones.
Ha!Ha!Ha! Nasrallah is using the term âcolonialâ, speaking the language of our radical left and some of the political class (we can wonder from where all this is coming now ?). So, Mr. Nasrallah, when Iran colonizes us, including your own brain, it this that different from the other colonial countries you are referring to?
If you are thinking of France, please do not tarnish the beautiful relationship of France with Lebanon. It wonât work. People are MUCH smarter than you think.
Nasrallah: The U.S. ambassador has no right to say if the government should leave. She is also interfering in the nature of the next government and this is a blatant intervention.
No clue if this is the truth or not. However, it smells like a lie. The logic would be that it is you who does not want to let Lebanon reform or be accountable to the funders of the IMF, etc. You are imposing your will on this government, most likely.
Nasrallah: The U.S. ambassador is inciting the Lebanese against each other.
Ha!ha!ha! No one believes you, Mr. Nasrallah.
Nasrallah: Why didn’t some people defend Lebanese sovereignty like they defended media freedom?
Coming from a smart man, this seems like a silly statement⊠You have tried to silence Ambassador Dorothy Shea but it did not work. Thankfully, Lebanese people love their freedom and are attached to their sovereignty⊠or what is left of it.
Nasrallah has expressed pride in Judge Mohammed Mazeh’s ruling.
No clue what itâs all about. Probably this is the name of the Judge that ended up resigning after having ruled something not orthodox (shutting the freedom of expression).
Nasrallah: The U.S. is exploiting the accumulations of 40 years in Lebanon.
Ha!Ha!Ha! You are projecting⊠At the same time, of course, the US is thinking of its interests, as always (just like you!!).
Nasrallah: The U.S. is trying to weaken and isolate Hizbullah through starving the people and turning them against the resistance.
NO, it is not true. Bambi read about this act and listened to Lebanese experts in the media. The USA had the decency of giving Lebanon a one-year time to prepare itself for this Act. You are saying this in order to make the people turn against the US Caesar Act, which is against the Syrian dictatorship (war and corruption of Mr. Assad, his spouse, cousins, clan, etc.). The second wave may be likely your group⊠this is why you feel cornered now and this is why you are giving this speech at this time.
Nasrallah: This will not work and Hizbullah and the Resistance will not surrender.
No comment. Can you just keep the political part of your job and leave out the military part? Can you choose Lebanon FIRST? Is it too much to ask for?
Nasrallah to Americans: The policy of siege and sanctions you are following against Lebanon won’t weaken Hizbullah but rather your allies and influence.
No comment. Just to say that what impoverished the Lebanese people is YOUR corruption, you and your peers! Not just you, not just them⊠ALL of you, even if you may not be as bad as them in this corruption! âKiloun YaanĂ© Kilounâ = âAll of them means all of themâ!
