VISIT OF THE CHURCH THE GESÙ IN MONTREAL

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1)- 
Although I do not believe in God, I am a deep admirer of church buildings and I love visiting them. 
A media officer friend (Marie Marais) recently invited me to the press conference marking the 150th anniversary of the Church of GESÙ in Montreal, which conference also announced the official opening of the new show area on the ground floor. 
The history of this chapel-church, inaugurated by the Jesuit community on July 10, 1865, is captivating and it is one of the oldest religious buildings in Montreal. The church-chapel has long been affiliated with the Collège Ste Marie formerly located south of the church and destroyed in 1972. The College and the Gesù were both under the direction of the Jesuits. 
If from the outside, the church GESÙ is probably the most discreet of all the churches in Montreal (there is not even a bell tower...), however the interior is worthy of the greatest museums with beautiful and historic frescoes from 1865, and two organs in perfect condition, the smallest is the first one installed from the start. 
Several activities are planned for the 150th anniversary and one can read it by visiting the website of the institution. 
Note that to greet the guests at the press conference, the organizers wanted to give a nod to the Jesuit community and it is with the "sacramental wine" that they closed the presentation... "...Gratias ago tibi Domine..." 
Pictures 1, 2,3,4, and 6:
Église du Gesù; Picture 5: Marie Marais;
SEE PHOTO ALBUM ; 
SEE WEBSITE GESÙ ;

GUY TURCOTTE

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1) - 
Guy Turcotte tragedy is now a story closed. 
This is a sad tragedy for all, including Turcotte! 
Indeed, it is always very sad to lose an exceptional talent like the one of a medical specialist but Turcotte had a serious fault, he was not resilient to cope with everyday life. 
A normal human would have forgotten the existence of his wife who no longer loved him and wanted to be with another man. Turcotte should have moved on. He should also start a new life with another partner, but rare, very rare, are the normal people in our modern society... 
CONCLUSION: We must make the most of life in every passing moment and, above all, never attach to the past! Human life is the now moment, nothing more, nothing less. 
Above all, we must never break down our life for another person. 
In a way, I consider myself lucky because I have lived the same situation as broken couple like Turcotte and Isabelle Gaston, with several nuances and many great differences, and I was able to turn the page, let the children live and forget the existence of the former spouse. 
One must believe that I am, a little bit, normal... 
Photo 1: Guy Turcotte;
Photo 2: Isabelle Gaston;
Photo 3: The two victims Anne-Sophie and Olivier;
SEE STORY LA PRESSE;

GOD, HAPPINESS AND ETERNAL LIFE...

by Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1) - 
The universal question among the people of the earth: "Does God exist and if so, why do not he constantly offers us happiness? Why wars and terrorism? 
This question is particularly relevant now because of the terrorism which is currently raging on the planet earth. 
I thought a lot about this subject and I concluded that the various gods "revered" by humans simply do not exist! The "human gods" are "political" creations in the sense that the various religions, whatever they are, are based on human ideologies rather than on a divine reality. I think the true God is a form of energy as insensitive to the feelings as is a computer... 
Human life is nothing else than energy. 
In reaching my conclusion, I have repeatedly looked in the sky and observed the stars and planets in trying to define, in my mind, the place that I occupy in the infinite universe. Each time, I had to stop my observation because dizziness came over me. The conclusion is inescapable: the religious gods cannot exist! 
That does not mean I do not admire a religious and human character like Pope Francis or some other great human character, but I do not believe in a god who is all-powerful and from who one can expect a new life after our physical death. 
It is also another of my findings: "There is no life after death!" Death is like a switch that closes the lights. Except that the switch of human life has only one use... and therefore one must take in every passing moment and enjoy it! 
It is also useless to pray God for happiness or peace, because this responsibility, minor in the infinite universe, belongs to each one of us. Each of us, in our souls and in our actions, are our god, or our devil. 
Happy Holidays 2015!
Photo 1: God in Michelangelo;
Photo 2: Universe;
Photo 3: Pope Francis;
Photos 4-6: Cathedral of Mary Queen of the World in Montreal;
SEE PHOTO ALBUM CATHEDRAL;

ADELE - A STAR OF THE WORLD ...

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1)- 
The British singer ADELE is the new world star of popular music! How to define her success? If one want to analyze the situation on a Quebec perspective, we can say that Adele has the qualities of four great artists. 1. ADELE's voice is comparable to that of CELINE DION; 2. her writing talent to the one of a LUC PLAMONDON; 3. the beauty of her face friendly as a MITSOU; 4. and finally a physical slightly outside the norms as a GINETTE RENO. ADELE been also very lucky as she admits it herself. In life, no success comes without the chance! CONCLUSION: "For a star like ADELE, there are thousands of nobodies that luck would not welcome ..." 
Photos 1 to 3: ADELE LIVE;
Photo 4: Céline Dion, Luc Plamondon, Ginette Reno and Mitsou;
Photo 5: ADELE ADVERTISING BOARD;
SEE PHOTO ALBUM ; 
SEE STORY THE NEW YORK TIMES;
SEE ADELE LIVE IN LONDON ON BBC ;

MY GIFT FROM SANTA, AT OGILVY?

By Bernard Bujold (leStudio1.com) - 
Montreal merchant Ogilvy has covered all angles to emphasize the period of 2015 celebrations. On the one hand, there are for children, young and old (I am still a young kid in my soul), the traditional showcase of mechanical toys that have been nicknamed "THE MILL IN THE FOREST". 
Then, for adults (I love adult gift...), there are more conventional shop windows that however are not sober and their lights are shining brightly. 
I wonder if my friend Santa will pass by La Maison OGILVY... 
I wish!
Photos 1 to 6: Ogilvy Montreal;
SEE PHOTO ALBUM ;

THE MONTREAL BOOK FAIR 2015

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1) - 
The 2015 Montreal Book Fair takes place from November 18 to 23 at Place Bonaventure. 
While the 2015 version is sober, it has more than 1,500 authors and 250 publishers. 
One absent is Kathy Reichs whose waiting lines to her signings sessions were outstanding. Her admirers will miss her... 
Kathy agenda did not allow her to attend the 2015 Salon. 
The excellent thriller author Louise Penny is also not present! 
Other star authors, however, are present at the Show as Danny Laferrière, Kent Nagano and the immortal Gilles Archambault. 
Good book fair to everyone! 
Photo 1.2, 4 and 5: 2005 Montreal Book Fair;
Photo 2: Dany Laferrière;
SEE PHOTO ALBUM ;

ELECTIONS AND GOVERNANCE - JUSTIN TRUDEAU AND THE EXAMPLE OF BRIAN MULRONEY

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1) - 
The electoral victory of Justin Trudeau was a foreseeable event because he applied all the right techniques to win an election. 
However, there is a total difference between winning an election and run a government. 
An election is an exercise of sale and the winner is the one who best manages to seduce. A government is a project manager who has to operate effectively the organization which he is responsible. 
It is wrong to believe that the voters always choose the best manager because in practice it is usually the emotions that influence their choice. 
Is Justin Trudeau will be a good manager? 
It remains to be seen but the thing is possible if he can recognize his new responsibility. For example, note that Brian Mulroney was a champion of electoral campaigns and he knew better than anyone seduce. Once elected (in 1984) he quickly realized, however, that the team of salesmen who had given him the victory could not effectively manage the country. So he changed his entourage and reached some effectiveness. 
Hopefully Justin Trudeau will take example on Brian Mulroney... 
Picture 1: Justin Trudeau;
Pictures 2 and 3: Brian and Mila Mulroney (Baie-Comeau, September 4, 1984);
Picture 4: Bernard Bujold (Ottawa (1984)

FRANCE AND STAR WARS ...

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1) - 
The terrorist attacks on Paris, Friday, November 13, 2015, are dramatic and very disturbing especially since they are neither the first nor unique, nor the last! The attacks are not limited to France but targeted worldwide. 
We live in a kind of Star Wars in real version... 
Paris attacks were claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS), a political movement without borders who wants to conquer the world through terror and ideology. The question that arises is how to defeat this movement? The difficulty is that this state has no boundaries and does not identify any geographical location on earth! 
Terrorism of the Islamic State is like an invisible virus that spreads everywhere without traces and seeps in the center of the target. 
In a sense, it's like a god and a devil that is everywhere and nowhere... How to recognize that god is and who is the devil? 
To worsen the situation concerning the recognition of the enemy, the French authorities confirmed that there was a Syrian migrant among the terrorists who attacked Paris, migrant who entered in Europe last month... 
The war raging now can be described as "Star Wars"! 
There is quite a challenge for our political leaders, and only true leaders can survive and win this war. 
To be continued! 
Photos 1 to 4: Terrorist attacks in Paris;
Photo 5 : Star Wars;
Photo 6: God in Michelangelo;
SEE REPORT TERRORIST ATTACKS; 
SEE REPORT MIGRANT AMONG THE SYRIAN TERRORISTS; 
SEE WAR MEASURES;

THE PLEASURE OF WRITING ACCORDING TO ANTIDOTE 9 ...

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1.com) - 
The leaders of Quebec group DRUIDE officially unveiled on Tuesday November 3, 2015 in the great hall of ARSENAL in Montreal the version number 9 of the popular ANTIDOTE corrective program. The writing checker for efficiency and quality is like programs as Instagram in photo or Google Drive in documentation but it is different in terms of accessibility because you have to buy it ($ 129) as is done with a program like Parallels (Fusion Windows-Mac). The big news in Antidote 9 is the ability to correct a text in both French and English. The level of quality in both languages is excellent. The program is working either on Mac, Windows or Linux. The Antidote program is very reliable in its corrections and we must congratulate the designers. We must also congratulate Druide who, despite the fact of not having the means of Google, Microsoft or Apple, has succeeded by developing a program worthy of a great developer. Moreover, the launch party in many ways resembled the famous Apple launches ... Picture 1: Program ANTIDOTE 9;
Pictures 2, 3, 4 and 5: Launching Night of Antidote 9;
SEE PHOTOS ALBUM ;
SEE SITE DRUIDE / ANTIDOTE ;

CATHERINE LAFRANCE AND HER NEW NOVEL "JUSQU'À LA CHUTE"

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1) - 
The new novel by Catherine Lafrance is written in the excellent style like her first two, but this time she is connecting directly with the news in the media. 
There are in her novel JUSQU'À LA CHUTE three characters who face each a tragedy that deeply change their lives. A cyclist who survives a bicycle accident while those riding with him die; a native who takes refuge in the forest to avoid police harassment against him and his race; and a mother whose son died accidentally on the night of his twenty-year anniversary. Catherine Lafrance's novel tells how each character lives the situation after their respective drama. A story of survival! 
Because the book is a reflection on life, one cannot avoid comparisons with real events like those many bicycle accidents or the crisis that currently affects Val d'Or, Quebec. 
JUSQU'À LA CHUTE is an excellent novel that I recommend! 
Personally I loved it, as I also loved previously LE RETOUR DE L'OURS and LA SAISON FROIDE. 
Photo 1: Cover JUSQU'À LA CHUTE;
Photo 2: Catherine Lafrance;
Photo 3: Covers the first two novels;
SEE THE WEB SITE OF JUSQU'À LA CHUTE ; 
SEE INTERVIEW WITH CATHERINE LAFRANCE ;