THE YEAR 2013 AND PREDICTIONS FOR 2014 ...

 
By Bernard Bujold ( LeStudio1.com ) - 
It is customary with the beginning of a new year to take stock and look at the new one. 
Here is my personal view about my three joys and three misfortunes in 2013; and my three predictions and three wishes for 2014. 

JOYS IN 2013 

1 . APPLE IPAD AIR (The essential tool for photo and internet communication); 
2 . NESPRESSO COFFEE (One should have tried it to understand... );
3 . JUSTIN TRUDEAU ( The most exciting and refreshing politician in 2013. Probably also the futur Prime Minister of Canada in 2015 ... );

MISFORTUNES IN 2013 

1 . DEFEAT OF MELANIE JOLY ( She could have won the title Mayor of Montreal !);
2 . DEATH OF PERSONALITIES ( Paul Desmarais, Isabelle Peladeau, Pier Béland, Luc Beauregard, Vito Rizzuto, and many others. Whenever a known personality dies, it is also a little part of our personal history which is ending ); 
3 . AILES DE LA MODE ( The transformation of upscale store Les Ailes de la Mode on Ste -Catherine in Montreal , as imagined by Paul Delage Roberge early in 2002 , became in 2013 a sort of bazaar liquidation discount center. Les Ailes de la Mode will close permanently in 2014 );

PREDICTIONS 2014 

1 . QUEBEC PROVINCIAL ELECTION ( Pauline Marois was not since her election, and in any way, better than Jean Charest. Unfortunately, Philippe Couillard does not pass the ramp and we will, inevitably, be entitled to another minority government, Liberal or PQ, at the next election ... );
2 . RETURN OF COMPASSION ( The path traced by Pope Francis will be an inspiration for other leaders and citizens around the world , regardless of religion );
3. VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY ( Economy and communications become more virtual and "in the cloud"); 

PERSONAL WISHES 2014 

1 . MORE HONESTY ( According to me , the lack of honesty and integrity is the direct source of all problems in our society ); 
2 . SEVERAL NEW BOOKS ( I love reading the paper book even though I am a very big fan of virtual technology. My favorite bookstore is Indigo);
3. HEALTH , LOVE AND PROSPERITY ! (With these three elements together, the happiness will be present in our lives...). 

Happy New Year 2014!

Photo 1: IPad Air, Nespresso coffee, Justin Trudeau, Mélanie Joly, Paul Desmarais, Ailes de la Mode; Photo 2: National Assembly of Quebec, Pope Francis, iCloud Police identification, Indigo Bookstore, Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1.com);
See LeStudio1.com ;

VITO RIZZUTO (1946-2013)

Bernard Bujold ( LeStudio1.com ) -
The international Godfather of the Montreal Italian Mafia is dead following pulmonary sickness this morning Monday, Dec. 23 at the hospital. 
The event concludes the legend that was Vito Rizzuto. In a sense, we do not expect a character and warrior like Rizzuto to died by a natural cause rather than dramatically in combat as his father Nick Rizzuto. One could say that his exit from the scene has been " anticlimax ". 
Or maybe his enemies have poisoned him with a secret virus that caused lung disease... 
Vito Rizzuto was the alleged leader of the criminal mafia but it was not the true representation of the Paccino role in Coppola's films. The real godfather, like in the film, is still alive and lives richly in Montreal. 
No, I will not tell you his name but he really is... 
Photo 1 and 2: Vito Rizutto ;
Photo 3: Nick Rizzuto ;
Photo 4 : Bernard Bujold ( LeStudio1.com and biography Rizzuto )
See story La Presse ;

MY BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS 2013

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1.com) -
I usually offer books as gifts at Christmas... 
Books that I've read and appreciated. My choices are in the language of the author (in French or English) and I never offer translation, unless it is foreign works, written in a language other than French or English. I'm of the school of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who said : " When I think, I think neither in French nor English but I think intellectually..." 
I still prefer paper books but I am not keeping them any more in a library as I did before. Today I consider the book as a magazine and if once I had nearly 5,000 books on my shelves, I have now no more than a hundred books in my possession, the others having been given to the bazaar or simply abandoned to rebus... 
For Christmas 2013 , I chose twelve books that I particularly enjoyed and that I will offer as a gift in many cases. I also photographed some of the authors of these books. Each book is exceptional and will be a very inspiring reading , meaningful and enjoyable. This was the case for me with all the books suggested here... 
MY CHOICE 
1 . LE RETOURS DE L'OURS - Catherine Lafrance (Roman sobering on the environment of the planet); 
2 . AN ASTRONAUT 'S GUIDE TO LIFE ON EARTH - Chris Hadfield ( Autobiography inspiring on the art of successful living); 
3 . POPE FRANCIS - The Wall Street Journal ( Biography captivating about the unpredictable fate of life); 
4 . IT TAKES A VILLAGE - Hillary Clinton ( A book for all parents of children); 
5 . LA FORMULE DE DIEU - José Rodrigues do Santos ( To better understand human life, its origins and reality); 
6 . PILOTE MERCENAIRE - Raymond Baker / Daniel Renaud ( Biography reminiscent of Quebec and the Gaspé Peninsula); 
7 . THE CUCKOO 'S CALLING - J.K. Rowling ( A captivating and exciting thriller, the best I 've read life); 
8 . INFERNO - Dan Brown ( A polar and a beautiful tourist travel in Italy and Europe); 
9 . BOOK OF MATHEMATICS - The New York Times ( A guide to understanding the reality of mathematics in life); 
10.WIKILEAKS - Inside Julian Assange 's War on Secrecy ( A look at the new world of modern communications); 
11.FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE - Conrad Black ( A history of North America that makes us fully understand that the history of Canada and Quebec is directly linked with the United States, France and England); 
12.How THE LIGHT GETS IN - Louise Penny ( A thriller starring in the same story the Montreal police (SQ) , James Bay, fraud in the construction industry and the famous Pont Champlain... ). 
 Happy Holidays 2013-2014 
Photo 1 and 2: Cover of the books;
See full LeStudio1.com literary selections;

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2013

LeStudio1.com wish you all a pleasant Holidays period 2013 and a very Happy New Year 2014!
Above it all, filled with love! 
Photo 1: Miss X LeStudio1.com;
Photo 2: Bernard Bujold; (photo of Mont Tremblant, QC in the background) ;
See LeStudio1.com ;

POPE FRANCIS - PERSON OF THE YEAR 2013

Pope Francis was selected Personality of the Year 2013 by the prestigious American magazine Time. Congratulations to both the Pope for his appointment and to the magazine for its excellent choice! 
Photo 1: Cover of Time magazine (December 2013);
See Time Magazine ;

NELSON MANDELA (1918-2013)

Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1.com) -
Nelson Mandela died Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013 at the age of 95 years. 
The former Prime Minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney, had played a role leading Mandela's release in 1990 after 27 years political imprisonment. The African leader was so grateful Mulroney and Canada he had made the first speech after his release in Ottawa! 
Photo 1: Nelson Mandela with Brian Mulroney;
Photos 2 and 3: Nelson Mandela;
See story The National Post ;

PAUL DESMARAIS (1927-2013) - MEMORIAL

Bernard Bujold ( LeStudio1.com ) -
There are two conclusions following the tribute ceremony onTuesday, Dec. 3 in honor of Paul Desmarais. 
The first : do not try to look at the grave of Paul because he is not dead and he will continue to be present everywhere in our society. The proof of it is all the dignitaries present at the Notre-Dame Basilica and then gathered at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for the post- funeral ceremony. One would think an annual gathering Bal with all the leaders and contributors to our society today... 
The second conclusion of the event of the Basilica: we can predict that the conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin will one day be the official successor of Nagano Ken and Charles Dutoit representing the music in Montreal. Nézet -Séguin is a kind of Paul Desmarais of the classical music and he given another proof of his exceptional talent at the tribute ceremony during his conducting of the final musical piece the event.
Photo 1, 2 and 3: Ceremony tribute Notre-Dame Basilica ;
Photo 4: Official Program of the ceremony ;
Photo 5 : Bernard Bujold ( LeStudio1.com ) ;
View photo album Commemorative Ceremony LeStudio1.com ;

PAUL DESMARAIS (1927-2013) - Biography

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1.com) - 
It's Tuesday afternoon, December 3, 2013 that will be presented at the Basilica Notre-Dame in Old Montreal the ceremony in honor of Paul Desmarais.
The event will be broadcast live on many television networks in Canada from 3 p.m.
PAUL DESMARAIS SR. is probably the Canadian businessman who was most notable for its audacity but especially for its continuity. The man has built a unique empire in the world! 
His death on October 8, 2013 is very sad! 
I had the chance to meet the character a few times in 1984 while he was a friend of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Later I often saw him in Montreal when he had his office in front of Quebecor. Paul Desmarais loved to discuss but he was also very secretive about his business projects. Canada and Quebec lost a great man whose memory will persist. 
I photographed Paul Desmarais twice: once when he gave a speech at the Woodrow Wilson Institute in May 2003 in Montreal and later I would photograph him again at a party at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal with the Ambassador of France to Canada. 
Photo 1, 2 and 3: Paul Desmarais at the Woodrow Wilson Institute (Photo by Bernard Bujold 2003);
See photo album tribute LeStudio1.com ; 
See pictures the Woodrow Wilson Institute (2003) ; 
See pictures Museum of Fine Arts (2008) ; 
See biography Paul Desmarais ;
See Official press release ;
See opinion by Conrad Black ;

CHRISTMAS 2013 - December 25th...

Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1.com) - 
The date of December 25, 2013 is fast approaching which will be celebrated by the visit of the legendary Father Christmas... 
Everything is almost ready for distribution and the sleigh really works perfectly. I even made ​​a small road test (spin) around the workshop! 
Ho! Ho! Ho! 
Photo 1: Bernard Bujold on the sled;
Photo 2 and 3: Santa's Workshop;
See story LeStudio1.com ;

Chris Hadfield - INDIGO Montréal

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1.com) - 
Astronaut and Colonel Chris Hadfield like Montreal and Montrealers also like him very warmly! 
The proof is obviously the welcome by the public to Hadfield during the special evening organized by Indigo Montreal on Ste-Catherine St. , while more than a thousand readers have come to have sign one ( and often multiple copies ) of the biography just published by Chris Hadfield : AN ASTRONAUT 'S GUIDE TO LIFE ON EARTH. 
A truly inspiring and very well written book by the man who became the idol of millions of Canadians for his recent stay in space and its particular way of communicating including social media and with his guitar... 
Chris Hadfield signed all the books that were presented by the participants of the evening at Indigo and he shook hundreds of hands. One can certainly conclude that, for many, it was the feast and that Santa will probably bring several copies of the book during its next annual tour in December. 
Photo 1: Astronaut and Colonel Chris Hadfield;
Photo 2: Chris Hadfield and Mathieu Trahan from Indigo;
Photo 3: Signing session;
Photo 4: Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1.com);
See photo report LeStudio1.com ;

ISABELLE PÉLADEAU (1958-2013) - A tragic fate...

By Bernard Bujold ( LeStudio1.com ) - 
Death by drowning of Isabelle Peladeau, Saturday November 23 - 2013, is deeply tragic because of her age and her personal situation, as well as because of the way the death occurred! 
Isabelle and I were of the same age and when I was assistant to her father, we were good friend and she often confided in me about the life of her family, her relationship with her father and her various business ventures. I can say without hesitation that she was a "very good person" !
I would also add that her greatest handicap in life has been to be a woman at a time when it was not yet fashionable. Her father would have wished otherwise because he deeply loved his children and to him, links by blood were the most important... 
Isabelle Peladeau had finally accepted her position as a woman and it was then that she told me: " In life, there are more important things to do than making business deals..." 
In this sense, one could say that she was a success in her personal life! 
(NOTE : An autopsy will be performed on the body of the victim and the car will be analyzed by the police in an attempt to better understand the causes of drowning.) 
Photo 1: Isabelle Peladeau ;
Photo 2: Pierre Peladeau , Isabelle Peladeau , Robert Bourassa and Jean Drapeau ;
Photo 3 : Isabelle Peladeau with his family members ;
Photo 4: Aerial view of the tragedy ;
See story Journal of Montreal ; 
See commentary Journal of Montreal ; 
See story La Presse ; 
See story The Gazette ; 
See biography Pierre Peladeau family ;

Montreal Book Fair 2013 - A photo tour

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1.com) - 
There were a lot of readers at the Montreal French Book Fair 2013 and the authors were all there to welcome them... 
I photographed several authors during my visit of Saturday afternoon on November 23. 
Here is a sort of virtual tour of the event. 
Photo 1: View of the Book Fair from the balcony;
Photo 2; Catherine Lafrance;
Photo 3: Katia Chapoutier;
Photo 4: Kathy Reichs;
Photo 5: Raymond Boulanger and Daniel Renaud;
See pictures LeStudio1.com album ;

BOOK FAIR IN MONTREAL 2013 - TOP PERSONAL PICKS

By Bernard Bujold ( LeStudio1.com ) - 
Among the thousands of books that will be available at the Book Fair in Montreal in 2013, I chose my three personal top picks! 

1 . MY FAVORITE AUTHOR : KATHY REICHS 
I discovered Kathy since her first novel " Already Dead" in 1998 and I always admired her kindness and availability during book fairs. She is half from Quebec because she spends half of her life and her career in Montreal. She is also the producer of the TV series BONES. Kathy's favorite book is the one she wrote with the Acadia as a place of action : Bones to Ashes - (2008). 

2 . MY FAVORITE NOVEL : LE RETOUR DE L'OURS - CATHERINE LAFRANCE 
This novel is the second from this author ( she also have a career as a journalist ) and the action takes place in the North. Her first novel, LA SAISON FROIDE told the story of a girl from Montreal who goes to work in the North while the second novel highlights the whole issue of the environment and global warming by using the story of a local village who fight for its survival. It is a village girl who will be responsible for rescue ! 

 3 . MY FAVORITE BIOGRAPHY : RAYMOND BOULANGER - LE PILOTE MERCENAIRE 
This book chronicles the life of an airline pilot Raymond Boulanger and his adventures as a pilot for the drug cartels in Colombia. However, what is really exciting in the book are the Quebec places that are central of action including my native Gaspé including the village of Bonaventure and the famous "Château Blanc"... Raymond is himself a native from Rimouski. 

There are a total of more than 950 booths and hundreds of authors participating at Book Fair of Montreal in 2013 . 
Photo 1: Poster Exhibition 2013, Kathy Reichs , Raymond Baker, Daniel Renaud ; Katia Chapoutier , Bernard Brault, Dominique Bertrand , Catherine Lafrance ; Claude Jasmin , Kim Thuy , Jean Paré , Gabriel Nadeau Dubois , Janette Bertrand ; Gilles Archambault , Daniel Lessard , Pierre Miron , Claude Poirier, Lise Ravary ; Nathalie Petrowski . ;
Photo 2: Kathy Reichs (Photo by Bernard Bujold ) ;
Photo 3: Catherine Lafrance (Photo by Bernard Bujold ) ;
Photo 4: Raymond Baker and his biography (La Presse)
See website Kathy Reichs ; 
See interview Catherine Lafrance ; 
See interview Raymond Boulanger ; 
See website of the Book Fair of Montreal ;

GENEVIÈVE SABOURIN - UNE HISTOIRE À FINIR...

By Bernard Bujold ( LeStudio1.com ) -
The Quebec Genevieve Sabourin was convicted of harassment in respect of Alec Baldwin and sentenced to six months in prison plus 30 days contempt... 
A worthy film history ! A very sad story ! 
I've written i  the past that I know Genevieve and I went to the theater one evening with her at the suggestion of Mitsou Gélinas, a common friend to us. Mitsou wanted to do me a favor because she knew I was actively looking for a female companion. Genevieve could have been the woman that suited me. We were in 1996. 
Even though I 'm the same age as the actor Alec Baldwin , Genevieve I had not been founding attractive and we did never seen each other back... We did not sleep together either ! 
I contacted her in recent years by social media, since the beginning of the Baldwin case, and I sympathized with her. It is obvious that the American actor spent the evening and night with her and he then changed his mind. This often happens in life... 
Moreover, the judge and the lawyer of Baldwin both recognize this possibility but the prison to  Genevieve is for her actions after the break up with Baldwin. 
Genevieve should have quit the game and forget about the American but sometimes it is not easy, even impossible mentally. 
Could we consider the case closed? 
I am personnaly a big fan of American television series. If the story of Genevieve was a scenario, I would say that we are at the half and that the punch is coming in the second half hour... 
To be continued... 
Photo 1 and 2: Genevieve Sabourin ;
Photo 3 and 4: Alec Baldwin ;
Photo 5 : Bernard Bujold and Mitsou (1996);
See story La Presse ; 
See story The New York Post ;

Raymond Boulanger - Airplane Pilot Mercenary

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1.com) -
The biography of the mercenary air pilot Raymond Boulanger is a captivating book! 
If you can read only a single book in 2013, you should read this book, which begins with the birth of Raymond in Rimouski and then it you take in various journeys from Bonaventure in Gaspé (my hometown...) then going to Colombia with the cartel and Pablo Escobar to continue to Montreal and ending in a forest in the Mauricie. 
A book that reads like a thriller but is nevertheless the true story of a Quebecers special destiny. 
Raymond Boulanger and author Daniel Renaud will be at the Montreal Book Fair 2013.
Photo 1: Raymond Boulanger;
Photo 2-4: Cargo Aircraft;
Picture3: Book Cover;
See the website of the publisher ;