As usual, Mr. Trudeau’s first reaction was to avoid answering the question of a journalist (in French). The latter insisted by telling him: You did not answer my question, Mr. Trudeau, so I will repeat it again. Well, Mr. Trudeau surprised Bambi by providing a direct answer at the end of his second reply. He said: “Companies using tax havens will still be eligible for the wage subsidy, as the money goes to payroll and workers”.
Bambi agrees with Mr. Trudeau on this issue for the
following reasons:
First, how would we know who is paying taxes or not
for sure?
Second, why should we punish the employees if their
bosses use tax havens or reduces their taxes in different ways?
Mmm… with such an article, we can perhaps guess that Mr. Lilley or his newspaper are not counting on bailout from the federal government ?.
Ok, more seriously, this article is a sharp analysis of what happened yesterday.
Mr. Trudeau has the art of using dramatic language and
tone.
Yesterday, our PM spoke about the tragedy in Nova Scotia and expressed kind and compassionate words to everyone affected by this senseless tragedy. He also reassured our NS neighbours that they will not be forgotten, getting the needed help. For this, thank you and bravo.
However, what Mr. Lilley is focusing on is how Mr. Trudeau used “the present moment” to move a political agenda, namely his wish to pass a legislation that would affect legal (or licensed) firearms owners. This would be about 2 million Canadians, as reported by Mr. Lilley.
Ironically, Bambi can suspect that many of these affected licensed people would be from Nova Scotia itself (farmers, hunters, trappers, perhaps recreational users, etc.). Will targeting them effectively target future criminals? Can’t people use a car or a knife to commit crimes, as it has been done in Toronto and in Montreal?
Anyhow, this is not the topic here and it is not her expertise (although she has an opinion about guns, for having experienced civil war). The topic of this post is China or rather Mr. Trudeau’s attitude toward it.
Anyhow, to come back to Mr. Lilley’s article, his points are relevant: Is this the time to talk about this, Mr. Trudeau, when we are still in the immediate after-shock of the carnage? Indeed, the grieving RCMP did not complete its investigation yet. So, why are you in a rush to build a political momentum with our tragedy?
Plus, most importantly here, as Mr. Lilley sarcastically wrote, what a contrast with your attitude toward China, whose carelessness has caused the death of so many people in Canada and around the world.
How sad that you keep dismissing the journalists’ questions about China. When you do reply, you say that it is not the time for finger-pointing; we will assess different countries’ responses to the pandemic later, etc.
Besides gun issues, Bambi had wished you would have at least also addressed mental health issues, especially in times of massive job losses, collective grief and fear, increased domestic tensions/violence, etc.
Anyhow, let’s move now to Mr. Facal’s article. It is
sarcastic in a different way ?:
First, here is his French article published today in the Journal de Montréal, to begin with. It is entitled “Erectile dysfunction” [“Dysfonction erectile”]
“Rest assured, gentlemen, I’m not saying that one of the consequences of COVID-19, if you catch it, is that you will be flaccid forever.
Let’s review China’s behaviour for a moment.
China first silenced the whistleblowers and denied the onset of the virus, then downplayed its severity, wasting precious time that the world could have spent preparing for.
China then lied about its death toll, argued that everything would have been worse for the planet if it had not been so fabulous, and then suggested that the virus may have been a foreign plot.
Tragicomic
There remains dessert.
China is now pointing at the slightest criticism, continues to conceal, lectures the world saying that it is necessary to rise above petty politics … and reopens the public market from which the disaster started.
Shall I continue or stop? A digestif after dessert?
However, in this tragedy, I see comic, or rather tragicomic, dawn.
The tragicomic is the reaction of Western leaders. Angry, they say they are going to hold China to account, that it will not be the same.
Trump says of the pandemic, “It could have been stopped in China and it was not.” “And now the whole world is suffering because of this.”
Macron says that we must no longer be “naive”.
France foreign minister said, “We want to be respected as China wants to be respected.”
Other leaders have toughened the tone. We roll up our sleeves to show our biceps to Beijing.
Our cute or handsome Justin [in French Canadian, “beau Justin”] says that his fear is the increase in discrimination against Chinese Canadians.
Don’t tell me you didn’t see it coming, this one …
All of this is pathetic.
China is restraining itself from laughing at our leaders.
For China, Trump is a clown with the psychology of a spoiled child, fascinated by dictatorships, convinced that he can solve everything with a telephone conversation.
For China, the European Union is a “thing”, which cannot be discredited any more since it no longer has any credibility left.
For China, Macron is a beautiful suave talker, whose natural inclination is to flee conflicts.
For China, Trudeau is a Macron with two differences.
Macron speaks French, while Justin speaks bilingual, and Macron has read more than two books in his life.
Local
Today we are paying the price for having, in the name of limitless capitalism, ceded to China all our leverage to increase our profits or save a few pennies.
We should, if we can afford it, buy as much local products as possible.
Our leaders let this collective dispossession take place.
They are toughening the tone now, but what will they do for real when the time comes to draw conclusions against China?
My prediction? Re-read the title of the column.”
Thankfully, there is Viagra… but let’s hope not sold to us by China. Hopefully also, not below standard or defective like Chinese masks (OK, Bambi’s sarcasm for today ?!)
Sadly, 18 victims+ lost their lives ☹, including devoted community members like an RCMP police officer (+ a mother), two nurses (one serving elderly people), two correction officers, a teacher, family of three, and many more (still identified):
She joins her heart to all the grieving families, local community members, sister province, Atlantic Canada, and our whole country!
If she may, she would like to dedicate a song to everyone touched by this senseless tragedy, and especially to those who lost their lives.
This beautiful French song, written in 1967 by Mr. Pierre Delanoë for Mr. Michel Fugain, tells us how much life is short… even in 100 years, we will not have enough time to fully live, love, and dream.
So, imagine, when our life ends SO abruptly like that…
Anyhow, below you can find an English translation of the lyrics, followed by a link to the song entitled “I will not have time” [“Je n’aurai pas le temps”]. No time Same While running Faster than the wind Faster than time Same Flying I will not have time No time To visit All the vastness From such a big universe Even in a hundred years I will not have time To do everything I open my heart wide I love with all my eyes It’s not enough For so many hearts And so many flowers Thousands of days It’s way too short It’s way too short And To love As one must love When we really love Same In a hundred years I will not have time No time I will not have time No time”
This being said, Bambi would like to end this post on a positive note. Thank you again, Mr. Mike George (Ben’s dad), from Soaring Families, for your thoughtful piece of wisdom about life “before & after Covid-19”.
Once again, Bambi enjoyed listening to your comforting words. In addition to your advice, she learned that soon you will become a grandfather. Bravo/Congrats ?!
To conclude, Bambi hopes you/your family will find the video helpful. Below, she added the website of Soaring Families, which assists “families impacted by a serious health condition or disability”.
The video is entitled “Coronavirus in Europe: Is it a myth that life is going on as normal in Sweden?”
The article
above, published today, ends with the following Swedish data:
“As of
Friday (April 17) Sweden has reported more than 12,500 cases of COVID-19 – half
of them in the past 14 days only – with more than 1,300 deaths, according to
the European Centre for Disease and Prevention Control (ECDC)”.
At the very end of the same article about this denial, we can read: “This week authorities in the city admitted mistakes in counting its death toll and abruptly raised the figure by 50 percent.”
To confirm this HUGE increase in figures, Bambi consulted
other sources. She found several articles, including one by the BBC, CNN, and
even the CBC:
“France’s leadership has admitted the
number of deaths from coronavirus is not accurate because it only reflects
people who died in hospitals, excluding people, especially old people, who died
either at home or in retirement homes (where the pandemic is taking the lives
of many)”.
Sometimes, errors can happen in crises like wars or
even without crises. Of course, this can happen in all countries. Bambi recalls
having read numerous articles about this phenomenon. For instance, during one
of the rounds of wars in Lebanon, one adolescent girl was wrongly declared dead
(massacre). She woke up after some time in the morgue.
However, to come back to China, one must recall that
this country (i.e., a dictatorship, as a reminder) has acted like Russia with
Chernobyl, hiding the tragedy from the rest of the world. Who knows? Perhaps in
the hope of addressing it silently… but, obviously, it failed and we all are
where we are at now.
Bambi’s problem is not China per se, as China is true
to itself. It has been like that before the pandemic.
Bambi’s issue is with our own Minister of Heath, Ms.
Hajdu, who declared that she has “confidence on those public health
officials working so closely on this issue since late December-Early January”.
Furthermore, as reported by an earlier post by Bambi, she
replied to a question from a reporter asking “… whether the WHO’s data could be
relied upon if China’s isn’t accurate”:
“Your question is feeding into
conspiracy theories that many people have been perpetuating on the Internet”.
Mmm, Bambi now wonders whether Ms. Hajdu will take a
closer look at the Chinese data and if her answer will still be the same as the
above. Perhaps with further time, and with any new legislation about misinformation,
there will be no journalist who would dare to ask such a question to Ms. Hajdu.
Perhaps Ms. Hajdu can consult Australian peers, such
as Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who is calling for an independent investigation
into “China’s early response to the outbreak in Wuhan, the city where
COVID-19 emerged late last year”.
According to the article Channel News Asia above,
“Payne said Australia shared similar concerns to the United States, whose
President Donald Trump has accused the WHO of “mismanaging” the
crisis and covering up the seriousness of China’s outbreak before it spread”.
Bambi also shares Mr. Trump’s concerns. Even if he has orange hair, he can be right sometimes. On this one, he is right. On this one, Ms. Hajdu is wrong.
This being said, Bambi has wished to see a wiser Mr. Trump in the circumstances (but this is too much to ask for, given his personality ?). Perhaps the USA should not rush into cutting funding to the WHO at this critical time, that is in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the WHO badly needs a serious reform.
To conclude this post, we do not need to be world leaders or reporters to understand that the WHO seems to have been hijacked by China. For example, as Bambi posted on April 5, 2020 (in the middle of this Covid-19 tragedy!), China has been appointed to the UNHRC panel. Does that make any sense? Mind you, it shares this responsibility with other dictatorships or other authoritarian countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, etc. Once again, are these wise choices?
This five-star hotel survived a long and devastating civil war.
It became even a symbol of peace. Indeed, it was a sort of tribune longing for peace in the middle of the barbaric civil war, welcoming politicians during endless crisis talks. Thus, this closure is symbolically moving…
Here is the website of the Le Bristol in Beirut, Lebanon:
According to the Daily Star (April 18, 2020), “Prince
Albert of Monaco, Princess Soraya of Iran and famous Syrian poet Nizar Kabbani,
who was a regular at the hotel, are some of the well-known figures who chose Le
Bristol during their visits to Lebanon”:
Below, you can find a promotional video of the hotel. Best wishes to its soon-to-be former staff… In a normal country, we would have been reassured to know that these “laid-off employees will receive pensions according to the Ministry of Labor standards”. However, Lebanon is far from being the norm (thank goodness for other countries). When received, these employees’ pensions will be paid in Lebanese pounds. The latter has been in a scary free fall, even before the Covid-19 pandemic.
To conclude this post, knowing the tenacity of the Lebanese people, this business will perhaps revive one day? Who knows?
Best wishes to all the businesses of the world, smaller and larger ones, in poorer and richer countries.
Mr. Pierre Elliott Trudeau & her Majesty the Queen
First, this “Charter of Rights and Freedom” was never signed by the province of Québec (it was rather imposed on it).
Mind you, Québec had its own Charter, adopted seven years earlier that this charter. How many Canadians know this? For the record, you can read an old article by Ms. Josée Legault in the Journal de Montréal from 2017:
Second, Mr. Trudeau…. “Rights and Freedom”? Did Bambi hear the last word well: “Freedom”, right?
Below is an earlier post with her thoughts written in the form of an open letter to Mr. Dominic Leblanc: In the name of our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, please do not let Covid-19 be a political opportunity to curtail freedom of expression!
More than ever our journalists need that freedom of expression (many may have to look for new jobs after the pandemic crisis?). For our own sanity and for the sake of democracy in our world, everyone needs it. Yes, we need it for us Canadians… and we also need it in order to keep giving hope to other nations living under dictatorships. Can we please keep being a beacon of freedom and hope to the rest of the world, Mr. Trudeau?
His real name is Mr. Daniel Bevilacqua. His artistic
name is Christophe.
This great French singer died yesterday at age 74, likely
from emphysema (a lung condition that leads to shortness of breath). In the
media, some journalists talked about Covid-19. However, his spouse did not mention
the latter in her official press releases.
Regardless, as they say in Arabic, “the causes of
death differ, but death is the same”.
Bambi would like to begin this post by thanking her sister (hi Rania ?) for sharing the following video. It shows a concert by an NGO meant for patients and staff of the Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH) in Beirut, Lebanon.
A Lebanese public healthcare centre, the RHUC is the leading COVID-19 testing and treatment centre in this country. Its devoted staff and volunteers took a break from patient care. For a few minutes, they allowed themselves to “forget” about physical distancing and economic hardship:
If you are curious about the latest coronavirus update from Lebanon, here is a brief video (dated April 15, 2020; with 5 news cases today and same total of 21 deaths):
When Bambi searched the Internet to read about the RHUC,
she discovered a very short video, featuring Lebanon, posted by the Lebanese
Ministry of information.
The video in question is neither related to the pandemic nor to the financial tragedy of the country, along with their joint devastating effect on the economy… Perhaps, it is meant to remind us that Lebanon is still hanging on, with its eternal beauty and resilience. Yes, one day (no clue when!), there will be a “normal” life post-pandemic, for all the countries of the world, including us here and tiny bankrupt Lebanon.
In the case of Lebanon, Bambi hopes that normality will finally mean a dignified life. Lebanese people are not asking for the moon. They JUST need the basics: being able to put bread on the table… and sleep at night, reassured that their savings are not lost. Is this too much to ask for, even before a pandemic?
Although they greatly appreciate their government smart management of the Covid-19 pandemic, they are far from being dumb… they know how to recognize different types of haircuts, when they see them.
Yes, they do understand that their government is bankrupt. Plus, the pandemic was the icing on the cake. Nevertheless, even when quarantined, they do not forget about the epidemic of public corruption.
OK, Bambi is not confusing the days here, although she
almost called her parents today, thinking it was already Friday.
It was funny to hear her spouse clarifying that “we
are not Friday yet… and Good Friday was last week ?”.
Bambi celebrated Easter last week (with the majority
of Christians in Canada). Her parents, sisters, and half of her relatives are
celebrating this weekend. The other half of the Christian family members celebrated
last weekend.
Sometimes, the two Catholic and Orthodox Easters co-occur.
Sometimes they do not (one week apart, like this year).
Anyhow, Bambi loves the Byzantine chants of the Greek
Orthodox church. They remind her of her happy childhood.
Well, this evening, her cousin Elham made her day when she shared the first video below. In it, you can hear/see her talented second cousin (hello Zeina!) praying, with her choir and kids. They seem to have used a platform like Zoom. How well done, bravo!
Further below, you can see the same prayer by Father Elias (hello “Abouna” ?!). The latter happens to be Elham’s spouse. According to Bambi, he may have the most powerful voice she has even heard (solid and moving like the sound of a bell).
What is somehow moving in these two videos is the contrast between the first and second videos. In the first, everyone is quarantined. The second shows a dynamic church filled to its full capacity. This service traditionally ends with a procession on the streets of Beirut around Saint-Mary’s church. After a busy evening, in the early hours of the next day (Holy Saturday before Easter), Abouna flies to Jordan in order to bring the light from the tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem. This candle serves to light ALL the little candles of all parishioners of all the churches. Bambi’s parents bring this candle back home to bless their place (a VERY old Christian tradition).
To Father Elias, Bambi would like to say: Thank you
for all what you do to your parish. She will say the same to your family too.
In three days, you/we all be greeting each other by
saying: “Christ is risen. Truly risen! This is how they say Happy Easter
in the Middle East.
The resurrection is at the heart of the Christian
faith… In other terms, the joy and hope that Easter brings remains the same, when
we have faith in our hearts. Regardless of wars, economic hardships, pandemics,
or simply being away from loved ones, we celebrate and hope for better days
ahead.
Those who believe, nurturing their faith, aspire to feel a renewal of hope in life. Those who do not believe in Jesus story can still just enjoy the beautiful music and the delicious Easter food. Bambi considers herself to be among the lucky ones who enjoy both… twice per year ?.
