samedi 31 août 2019

LOUISE PENNY AND HER NEW BOOK - 2019


LOUISE PENNY AND HER NEW BOOK - 2019 
By Bernard Bujold -
Louise Penny has just published her 15th novel, A BETTER MAN, featuring police inspector Armand Gamache, a kind of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the American NCIS series. 
I met Louise at the time of her first novel STILL LIFE in 2005. One could say that she was then an author at the beginning and an author who is just starting is always a little alone in front of his audience that discovers her. I could then talk with Louise who had time to talk... 
This is obviously no longer the case in 2019 as the author has become an internationally acclaimed and sought-after star, comparable to a Kathy Reichs. 
Penny's writing style is truly unique and she has a perfect command of the art of storytelling. Her stories generally take place in the same fictional village that we imagine in the Eastern Townships, but it could be anywhere in the world depending on the reader's choice and culture. That's what makes Louise Penny's talent. She is able to take the reader on a fictional journey where everyone finds their reality. The new book will be a best-seller and booksellers are playing the game. In the Montreal area alone, Indigo Chapter has placed nearly 500 copies in its stores.... 
As far as I am concerned, I lost contact with Louise Penny after her first novel, but I continued to read her with great pleasure in each of her books. She would may be a bit shocked if she knew that I am reading her new 2019 book while drinking coffee from a cup of my idol Donald Trump 2020... (Louise is a great friend of Hillary Clinton's) 
But if the author is in total control of her story, the reader has every right in the way to read it... Anyway, the Louise I knew in 2005 had an excellent sense of humour! 
SEE PHOTOS

vendredi 30 août 2019

THE FALL SEASON 2019 WILL BE ROBUST...


AUTUMN 2019 
By Bernard Bujold -
The fall of 2019 will not be relaxing ... 
Montreal city traffic is expected to be hell on earth; a Canadian federal election that could be violent in terms of political debates; and a merciless war between Quebecor and the Quebec media identified as leftist ideologies. 
Fortunately with the year 2020 on our doorstep, calm will come again, probably... www.lestudio1.com

mercredi 28 août 2019

THE WORLD PRESS PHOTO MONTREAL 2019




WORLD PRESS PHOTO MONTRÉAL 2019 -
By Bernard Bujold -
The World Press Photo Montreal Exhibition runs from August 28 to September 29, 2019 at the Marché Bonsecours in Old Montreal. 
In all, the 150 international winning images are displayed in the Market Room with a series of additional local photo exhibitions or complementary activities on the second floor. 
The photos in the 2019 international edition are much less violent than those of recent years, but the main theme remains political current events in the world. Immigration, the situation of the environment, the place of women or men in various countries, the protection of wildlife, cultural customs, are all themes highlighted in the photos on display. 
We will note a section devoted to the phenomenon of twins, the authors of which are the two photographers Bénédicte Kurzen (France) and Sanne De Wilde (Belgium). This section was chosen to illustrate the outdoor exhibit installed along the canal at the corner of Queen Street in the Old Port. 
At the local level, a section produced by the newspaper l'Itinéraire on the second floor of the Marché Bonsecours is particularly noteworthy. 
The official Curator in Montreal representing the World Press Photo 2019 exhibition, which is headquartered in Amsterdam, is Samira Damato. 
SEE PHOTO STORY (Bernard Bujold)

lundi 26 août 2019

COFFEE TIME AND THE ELECTION RACE




COFFEE TIME AND THE ELECTION RACE -
By Bernard Bujold
The magnificent cup that Gaspard Fauteux, my Facebook friend, gave me in the colors of our idol Donald Trump, now has a partner. Indeed, I bought a cup in the colors of my favorite candidate for the next Canadian election on October 21, 2019. 
Maxime is not the favorite to win the race but should make an excellent figure and who knows, Maxime Bernier will perhaps make the experts lie as our friend Donald did.... 
Anyway, coffee is much better in a beautiful and inspiring cup! 
SEE PHOTOS

samedi 24 août 2019

MORNING NEWSPAPER - 2019


MORNING NEWSPAPER - 2019 
By Bernard Bujold -
I have always liked reading the newspapers and since the early 1980s, I have emotionally attached myself to a few one, in particular, The Wall Street Journal. 
I read The WSJ daily with a passion and pleasure that is always renewed. 
I agree with one point in the current debate on the survival of Quebec dailies: when you love a newspaper, you are willing to pay to read it. Guy Crevier also liked the WSJ and subscribed to it, but he was convinced that readers of La Presse would not accept to pay for a subscription as we gladly did for the WSJ. I believe that his mistake was there and that this lack of confidence in his original product (paper edition) caused the crisis we are currently experiencing in the former dailies of Power Corporation... 
Unfortunately, it is a little late to correct the error because the difficulties have become financially impossible to correct, in my opinion.... 
It will be necessary to see what happens next, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm reassured to be able to read my favourite newspaper (WSJ) for some time to come even if it costs me a few dollars a month. Note that I also like to read Le Devoir, a paper subscription that is paid for and delivered every morning to the door! I was also a faithful reader of La Presse, during the heyday of its paper edition... Have a good reading! 
SEE PHOTO

PK SUBBAN IS IN LOVE AND ENGAGED...


PK SUBBAN IS IN LOVE AND ENGAGED... WITH LINDSEY VONN!
See story Vogue magazine
See video

mercredi 21 août 2019

REVIEW OF THE QUEBEC DAILY NEWSPAPERS FILE




REVIEW OF THE QUEBEC DAILY NEWSPAPERS FILE 
By Bernard Bujold - 
The assessment of the future of Power Corporation's 6 former newspapers is becoming more and more obvious! It will be difficult to avoid final bankruptcy...
Pierre-Karl Péladeau is no longer even sure if he will make an offer to the trustee because the procedure is more unpredictable than a private company offer such as the one he made last week (August 12, 2019) and which was refused by François Legault's government. In addition, an informal survey of other media groups in Quebec shows very little serious interest in buying back the 6 dailies... 
The auction process by the trustee will begin after Labour Day on September 2 and the conclusion should be fairly quick. It will be either a takeover by another group or a liquidation sale of assets at the public auction. Moreover.
La Presse Plus could well be the next in serious difficulties because, according to the minister responsible for the file at the Quebec Government (Pierre Fitzgibbon), the public fundraising campaign is not obtaining the results necessary for the survival of the media. The operating deficit would be $30 to $50 million for one year...
In the end, the only winner is the Power Corporation group, because it is no longer the legal owner, can avoid this whole saga and save its money...
In business, you have to know how to make the right decisions! Pierre Péladeau Sr. always rehearsed: "...Don't throw good money after bad money..."
SEE REPORTS 
1. AUCTION SALE 
2. LA PRESSE PLUS IN DIFFICULTY 
3. THE POWER CORPORATION GROUP BIG WINNER 

mardi 20 août 2019

A NEWSPAPER IS A COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE


A NEWSPAPER IS A COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE 
By Bernard Bujold- 
A policy statement has just been published in the United States by 181 giant U.S. corporations, a statement that is intended to be a social commitment. 
The text of the statement reminds us that a commercial enterprise belongs to all the society and the company must aim to meet the needs of all owners ranging from shareholder investors, suppliers, customers, the surrounding community and of course employees. And it is all its owners who decide on the success or failure of each of a company who can offer a product that meets the needs of all owners. 
In a sense, this statement is perfectly applicable to the crisis situation at Quebec's daily newspapers. Newspapers must meet the needs of all their owners, shareholders and community. 
SEE TEXT OF AMERICAN CORPORATIONS 

THE FUTURE OF QUEBEC'S DAILY NEWSPAPERS


THE FUTURE OF QUEBEC'S DAILY NEWSPAPERS 
By Bernard Bujold - 
If there is a conclusion to the crisis in Quebec's daily newspapers, it is that Guy Crevier's bet on regional free access have been lost. 
The media crisis is not the fault of Google and Facebook, which offer a free but universal product, while a regional media is something else to be local. 
The one editor who seems to understand the situation well and who offers the best reflection on the crisis at Power Corporation's old newspapers is the publisher of Le Devoir, Brian Myles. 
I have never been a fan of his editorial opinions, but he is right about regional and urban media, free is not viable and he proves it with the Le Devoir business plan. A modest newspaper with modest but viable ambitions. 
We can conclude that Guy Crevier was too ambitious or unlucky in his bet. However, the conclusion is always the same when you lose a bet: you also lose your stake and the fortune bet. 
The solution is now, as the publisher of Le Devoir writes, in the hands of the regional population, who may or may not agree to pay for regional information. The solution is also in the hands of new managers who will be more modest in their ambitions. 
To be continued! 
SEE EDITORIAL LE DEVOIR
SEE RADIO CANADA STORY