HALLOWEEN 2019

HALLOWEEN 2019 
By Bernard Bujold –
The weather was rainy and dark but, as if by magic, as we approached the chalet, the spirit of Halloween took hold of the place and the entire surrounding forest became multicoloured and the sun was very strong! It was obvious that ghosts had invaded the area… 
Happy Halloween 2019! 
SEE PHOTOS

A MODERN HERO – 2019

A MODERN HERO – 2019 
By Bernard Bujold 
The world has a new hero, a courageous one, a dog that we could call K2 ( his real name is classified secrets). 
This dog, a male Belgian Malinois, the breed used in Navy SEALS, is the one responsible to trace the enemy during a military attack on the ground. In this case, it was during the U.S. raid targeting “Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ” in Syria’s Idlib province. 
The description of the deadly and successful attack as told by the US President is similar to the fiction related in the CBS TV series SEAL TEAM in which one of the stars is the Quebec actrice JESSICA PARÉ (formerly in the role of Megan in MAD MEN). 
The dog from the Syria attack is now the star of the media. Even my faithful Ulysse is a fan and he convinced me to get ride of the picture of Justin Trudeau in our living room and replace it by the one of the new dog hero! I accepted his suggestion and I even got myself a special coffee mug with a picture of the courageous dog. 
As they said, we all need a hero and the one of the hour is this beautiful, talented and wonderful military dog. 
SEE PHOTO

MY FRIEND OCTOBER IN SAN FRANCISCO – 2019

OCTOBER IN SAN FRANCISCO… 
By Bernard Bujold – 
My friend and muse OCTOBER from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts seems to enjoy San Francisco where she is participating at a special event about her creator JAMES TISSOT « FASHION AND FAITH » at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco (Legion of Honor) My dear OCTOBER should be back in Montreal next spring 2020 as the exhibition will end on February 9. I cannot wait for her return… 
SEE REVIEW REVIEW

MARK ZUCKERBERG AND FACEBOOK ARE CREATING A NEWS AGENCY – 2019

FACEBOOK IN THE NEWS BUSINESS –
By Bernard Bujold –
The regular medias of this world will have a new competitor as FACEBOOK is launching a news agency, first in the United States and then in the whole world. 
The New York Times, Fox News and USA Today-owner Gannett Co. are among the wide range of publishers Facebook has signed up for its news service, which launched Friday with a limited test audience of 200,000 users. Other outlets that have agreed to participate include The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Condé Nast, NBC News, ABC News, Bloomberg Media, BuzzFeed News and Business Insider, according to people familiar with the matter. 
The news product will initially launch to a test audience but will be expanded to a broader group of readers early next year.
SEE MARK ZUCKERBERG FACEBOOK PAGE

THE MIRAGE OF POLITICS – 2019

THE MIRAGE OF POLITICS –
By Bernard Bujold –
It was in the fall of 1984, 35 years ago. I remember a sunny October morning walk in front of the Canadian Parliament when I was part of Brian Mulroney’s team, young and newly appointed following the September 4 election. I sat on a bench and for a while I thought our young and passionate team would change the world… 
It did not take me long to discover that political power is a mirage and that it does not really exist. If power is freedom of action, then the only power that really exists is economic power. 

www.lestudio1.com

RAFAEL NADAL IS IN LOVE

RAFAEL NADAL IS IN LOVE 
By Bernard Bujold –
The tennis star, and an idol for many in Montreal, Rafael Nadal has tied the knot with Mery “Xisca” Perelló, his girlfriend of 14 years. The childhood sweethearts said “I do” on Saturday (OCTOBER 19, 2019), in a ceremony held in their hometown of Mallorca, Spain. Congratulations to both of them from Montreal Canada! 

SEE PHOTO OF THE WEDDING 

SEE PHOTO CEREMONY

ELECTIONS CANADA 2019 – THE CHAMPION’S VICTORY

THE CHAMPION’S VICTORY – 2019 ELECTIONS-
By Bernard Bujold-
Justin Trudeau’s victory reminds me of the style of play of two other great champions! 
The first is Rafael Nadal in tennis who often wins late and with a kind of surprise when he is often given as a loser in front of the opponent. 
The second champion comparable to Justin’s style is Donald Trump. Donald is basically an actor in front of the crowd and he always plays strategically. Their game strategy is very similar and in both cases, Donald and Justin, they lost in the popular vote but won in the ridings essential to the final score. 
In any case, we can conclude that Justin Trudeau performed a miracle in the 2019 Canadian election, thus obtaining the title of Prime Minister of Canada. My faithful Ulysses offers him the flowers of the champion and I will place the picture of the victorious horse in my living room for the next four years… 
The photo will have as a neighbour a souvenir cup, the one of Maxime Bernier who promised to come back stronger! 
Finally, a small personal victory, even if I have nothing to do with it, is that of Jody Wilson Raybould, re-elected as an independent MP! 
SEE PHOTOS

ELECTIONS CANADA 2019 – VOTING DAY

ELECTIONS CANADA 2019 – VOTING DAY 
By Bernard Bujold –
The big day of the end of the race has arrived and it is today, Monday, October 21, 2019, that the six leaders will compete for the Champion’s Trophy and the title of Prime Minister of Canada. 
An election is like a horse race and if the polls predict a result, the race often brings surprises and an unexpected turnaround at the finish line. The last poll on Sunday, October 20, placed the Liberals and Conservatives at a perfect equality of 33%. The race between the four secondary parties will be important because it will be these four leaders who will become “King Maker”. 
Will the Bloc sweep Quebec as planned; will the Greens and the environment make a Canadian breakthrough; will the NDP and its particularly stylish leader impose their vision of the political left; will Maxime Bernier be the surprise horse when they arrive at the finish? These are all questions that will excite voters and observers in the stands on polling day, Monday, October 21! 
To be continued and may the best horse win! We will even offer flowers for the Champion…. NOTE: MY PREDICTION: LIBERAL 135; CONSERVATIVE 130; NPD 26; GREEN 12; BLOCK 30; MAXIME BERNIER 5. 
SEE PHOTOS

MARK ZUCKERBERG AND FACEBOOK – 2019

FACEBOOK AND MARK ZUCKERBERG IN 2019 –
BY BERNARD BUJOLD –
A very interesting speech by Mark Zuckerberg about Facebook and its role in our society titled: “Standing for Voice and Free Expression ” .
According to Zuckerberg: “…I believe in giving people a voice because, at the end of the day, I believe in people… The future depends on all of us. Whether you like Facebook or not, we need to recognize what is at stake and come together to stand for free expression…” 
SEE THE SPEECH (writing version) 
SEE SPEECH (video)

ELECTIONS CANADA 2019 – JUSTIN TRUDEAU THE NEXT PRIME MINISTER

 
JUSTIN TRUDEAU – PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA 
By Bernard Bujold – 
All indications are that Justin Trudeau will be Canada’s next Prime Minister after October 21, 2019.
Indeed, legally, the outgoing Prime Minister remains so until he submits his resignation to the Governor General. 
For example, suppose that out of 338 seats in Parliament, the Conservatives get 140 and the Liberals 130. Since the majority to be achieved is 170, it will require the support of the other parties to form a government. As outgoing Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau can negotiate until January 2020, before resigning, and try to form a coalition with another party to gain the support of at least 40 MPs from the other parties in the House. 
Because Andrew Scheer does not want a coalition and the other parties do not want to associate themselves with the Conservatives either, the door is wide open for Justin Trudeau, even if he mathematically lost the October 21 elections! 
Justin has more than one trick in his bag and observers were surprised to learn of Barack Obama’s support. 
If Donald Trump had been criticized for accepting Vladimir Putin’s indirect support in front of the Russian media, Barack Obama is now using Twitter to officially invite all Canadians to vote for Justin Trudeau… 
It seems that the support would be legal if no money was paid to Obama in exchange for his support. Justin Trudeau did not want to say whether he was the one who asked Barack to support him, or whether he was the one who offered it…
The support is likely to be talked about in the media and it will have to be seen whether or not the action will give Justin Trudeau a victory. If it is a victory, Justin and Barack will surely celebrate the event during the former American president’s visit to Montreal on November 14. If it is a defeat, then the two will probably cry together… 
To conclude, let us mention a good news for election day: the temperature will be sunny and around 17 Celsius. 

 SEE STORY ON COALITION  

 SEE STORY ON SUPPORT BY BARACK OBAMA