The visit of Dalaï Lama in Montreal

I've never had any prejudice against any religious leaders of the world even if I am personally more of an atheist. Characters like the Pope or the Dalai Lama have always inspired me a certain respect and I had planned to photograph the religious leader of Tibet during his visit to Montreal. Unfortunately, the organizers did not want to give me a media accreditation ...

I was very frustrated by this refusal because I was in contact with officials in Montreal for several months and they always told me that everything was wonderful. The conference of the Dalai Lama would be a great event and they were very happy that I was interested in them.

I was most surprised, a few days before the Dalai Lama's visit to Montreal, when the press officer in charge contacted me to tell me that my request for accreditation was denied. The reason: They lacked space in the Bell Center...

I was very upset and I felt cheated especially since I opened the page of the magazine LeStudio1.com to organizers in recent months and they'd closed their door after the publication of many articles, by me about them, and when their event became really interesting.

My first reaction was to check with my fellow journalists whether they had been accepted. Well no! None of my entourage has been accredited. Some have not even received an acknowledgement note to their application.

I searched a little more on Internet and started to trace many negative news articles from several journalists who criticize the Dalai Lama. One article was particularly aggressive and signed by Richard Martineau. (See link on the web site Pictures Page LeStudio1.com)

I even read that the Dalai Lama said that he is considering the Internet technology as a threat to world peace... May be this is the reason why the microphones did not work properly during the first 10 minutes of the conference. At one point, the Dalaï Lama was so upset that he almost left his chair on the stage!

I had no prejudice before but now I have to question the actions of people around the Dalai Lama. If individuals who preach compassion may act as cavalier as they did towards me, well I'd rather stick away as I have nothing to share with them.
The local organizers offered me a free ticket to watch the speeches of the Dalai Lama among the crowd. A technique taken from McDonald's Restaurant who offer a free meal to customer when they are unhappy with the service. That does not excuse the selection of certain media and the elimination of several at their press conference. I call that "Media Manipulation". The press secretary even said to me that with this kindness from them (the free ticket), I should be very happy, to show compassion and write a favorable article!

Unfortunately the "free ticket" did nothing to calme my anger, nor to excuse the actions of arbitrary control of media. They criticized China for stifling the press during the Olympics. How should we describe the elimination of several journalists from the press conference of the Dalai Lama?

My presence in the crowd had not either enhanced the image of the Dalai Lama in my opinion. He is ultimately a poor orator when compared to Barack Obama or even Ingrid Betancourt. The Bell Center crowd was faithful to his Holiness, but we could see in some people present a certain coldness. Conclusion, I will not become a Buddhist monk by tomorrow morning ...

If a positive consequence could be found to this whole story it is the discovery, in my case, of the talented translator monk Mathieu Ricard, a learned man, brilliant, polyglot and who has an outstanding personality. He will go far in the future of the Buddhist's organization.

Bernard Bujold www.LeStudio1.com

Link Pictures of the Dalaï Lama - LeStudio1.com
Photo 1: The Dalaï Lama;

Photo 2: The Dalaï Lama at Bell Cehter in Montreal;

Photo 3: Bernard Bujold at the Dalaï Lama's conference

Guilty or not - Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski’s story is very similar to the one of Guy Cloutier. We have in one side a filmmaker of great talent and in the other side one of the greatest impresarios of Quebec.

When Guy Cloutier pleaded guilty to charges of sex with a minor and that he had accepted a prison sentence, I was saddened because, even if I disagree with his actions towards Nathalie Simard, I consider him as one of the builders of the cultural industry in Quebec. He has an incomparable talent to discover and manage artists and the only one who is better and who has done more than Guy is René Angélil.

But the Justice chose to punish Guy Cloutier and to lose his talent as promoter. Does the situation should be different with Roman Polanski, one of the greatest filmmakers of our time?

The answer is obvious! He must be punished for his crime, especially since he had drugged and raped his victim, 30 years ago.

LeStudio1.com received several emails regarding the crimes of Vincent Lacroix and Earl Jones. We experienced the same situation with Guy Cloutier and we received many comments. None of the emails asked for leniency and all of them suggested prison. Even some of them wanted to stone the guilty on the public place...

I hope that you will be consistent with your previous comments and that no one will write to me to suggest that Justice should be more lenient towards Roman Polanski ...

Bernard Bujold www.lestudio1.com

Link Roman Polanski Los Angeles Times
Link Roman Polanski The New York Times

Photo 1: Roman Polanski and Guy Cloutier;

Photo 2: Roman Polanski in Marrakech - 2008

Alive or dead - From Vincent Lacroix to Nelly Arcan

The statement by fraudster Vincent Lacroix to the effect that he is mentally dead although physically he is still alive leads us to the following reflection: "Why does he cling to this life of his which is difficult and cruel? " In contrast, there are others like the writer Nelly Arcan, who despite her youth, her fame and popularity in society decides to take action to commit suicide?

Why are some people who have lost everything or who are sick cling to life while others that seem to own everything and are healthy, they decide to leave before the end?

Several philosophies exist about what life is about; several are purely imaginary, many are religious and some are rational and materialistic whereas life comes down only to time spent on earth with no life after death.

It is impossible to determine what really happens after death but it is possible to see and understand that life on earth is like a trip. Every steps are unpredictable and if some are happiness and joyce, others are real torture. Unfortunately we did not really decide events of our life and it is the chance that determines the fate of each, which is in perpetual flux. Our only personal decision is the reaction we have to deal with events that are presented to us!

The current situation of Vincent Lacroix is an example of bad times in the destiny as well as the life of other like the former Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault or Micheline Charest at the time of the bankruptcy of Cinar. These leaders of society have experienced the fame and life of luxury but they suddenly find themselves outcasts and stoned (figuratively) on the public square. They have gone at the top to return then to the lowest of society! Their situation is very painful, close to torture, but they cling to life.

Some readers of LeStudio1.com have written to suggest to send to the electric chair financial fraudsters or sentencing them to prison at perpetuity?

I do not think Lacroix, Thibault or Charest deserve the same treatment as child abusers, rapists, murderers or terrorists. The Vincent Lacroix, Lise Thibault and Micheline Charest (before his accidental death) continue to cling to their life and hope for a slim glimmer of happiness at the horizon. In a sense, their courage is very commendable, the other option being death by suicide and this solution is leading nowhere!

Bernard Bujold - www.LeStudio1.com
Link Letter of Vincent Lacroix

Photo 1: Vincent Lacroix, Micheline Charest and Lise Thibault;
Photo 2: Nelly Arcan;
Photo 3: Mademoiselle X and the mascots at Père Lachaise Cimetary in Paris

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown - The Power of the mind!

The new Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol is a perfect book in its composition as a literary thriller and each of the 133 chapters begins and ends with suspense. It is clear that it qualifies as an excellent "page turner".

The story is not unique in itself but it is a fascinating read, which according to me, is as interesting as was the famous best-seller The Da Vinci Code. I am convinced that the publisher and the author will succeed in sales that already exceed the millions of copies. Note that to do better than The Da Vinci Code it will have to sell over 81 million copies ...

But where the book is different and new is at the level of its scientific reflections on the power of the human mind. You can make a direct connection with the book The Secret. However, if the work of Rhonda Byrne was closer to the theories of "Positive Thinking" of Dale Carnegie, the one of Dan Brown is making his conclusions on scientific research. You can consult the website of the organization from whom Brown supported the theories of his novel: The Institute of Noetic Sciences, which is located in Northern California and which specializes in research on the power of the human brain. (See web link below)

The book by Dan Brown suggests the conclusion that the human mind is infinitely powerful, but that its possibilities are still largely unknown and unused by the general public. However, organizations like the Freemasons knew that power and they exchanged on the topic among members of the secret brotherhood. The same situation existed and still exists in religious organizations, like in Roman Catholic.

Dan Brown comes to define God as the human spirit in all of us. We are God and he exists in our mind. The author also describes the magic (real magic ...) as a knowledge of science and its possibilities. To describe the unknown aspects of the human brain, Dan Brown has consulted with the Research Institute of Noetic. We can believe the theories he advances.

For this reason, the conclusion of his book is encouraging. According to the novel by Dan Brown, there is hope for the future of humanity because the human mind is in fact God and, therefore, that spirit will be responsible for the future of humanity.We are the master of our destiny!

Bernard Bujold - www.LeStudio1.com

Lien site officiel Dan Brown
Lien vers Les Meilleurs 2009 - LeStudio1.com
Lien site The Institute of Noetic Sciences

Photo 1: Cover of The Lost Symbol and Dan Brown;

Photo 2: Dan Brown ;

Photo 3: Bernard Bujold and his copy of "The Lost Symbol"

The courage of Barack Obama

The President of the United States Barack Obama is probably the most popular man around the world except in his own country ...

In fact, Obama would receive up to 30 death threats daily and a American religious pastor from Arizona (white - married with five young children) has even publicly called from his pulpit faithful to pray with him so that Obama dies and goes to hell! (See newspaper article link below)

This unpopularity may be explained by the fact that if the President's rating is almost unanimous in most countries, in the United States it is mathematically only 25%. Indeed, it must be remembered that in the last presidential election, Republicans and Democrats were nose to nose (50% -50%). If we count only in the Democratic Party, Obama was also face to face with Hillary Clinton. Result, it gives him only 25% support against 75% opposition.

Barack Obama is the most fascinating politician that we currently have on the planet. His leadership style reminds me of Commander Jean-Luc Picard of the Star Trek series.

In practical terms, when compared with U.S. adversaries, whether Hillary Clinton or John McCain, he emerges as the truest and most devoted to the betterment of his countrymen. Elsewhere in the world, no Head of state does its level of dedication either in Canada (all parties), in Quebec or even in France with Nicolas Sarkozy, who was nevertheless very promising during its election.

Barack Obama said he did not want to retreat, even to the risk of offending and making enemies. He defends its programs, including health care, and he is ready to assume the damage this will have on his political popularity. The question which arises: Does the Americans will support him or they will abandon in favor of more traditional politicians? Do not forget that the American people are very conservative and very far from the social democratic values advocated by Barack Obama.

You can make a connection between Obama and former President John F. Kennedy. Besides the friendship between Ted Kennedy and Barack was a sign of bending to the left of these three politicians. Americans mourned John F. Kennedy but it remains that he was murdered ...

It is hoped that President Obama succeed in imposing his ideas for reform. It is also hoped that violence does not take the place of democracy. On this plan, fortunately, the U.S. security services are efficient and alert. (See book "In the President's Secret Service")

LeStudio1.com supports the U.S. President and we offer him a mention of excellence in the gallery The Best 2009.

Bernard Bujold

Link Pastor's story

Link to article from Washington Post on Obama popularity

Link to the book on security of the President

Link to The White House
Photo 1: Barack Obama in front of the Congress

Photo 2: Book cover on the security of the President

Photo 3: Commandant Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek

The newspapers in Montreal

The newspapers are in economic crisis all around the world and many are victims of changes that call into question their basic existence.

No newspaper is protected from the shock of Internet.This is in part the fault of publishers who were open to free information, entering the wolf into their fold, but they must now deal with the situation.

Historians believe that the evolution of media since the early 1900, was a perpetual transfer of expertise from a platform to another. So newspapers owners funded radio to increase their influence within the community. Later, owners of radio stations have funded television and they created the first television network. If there is an element to remember is that those who funded changes in the media until now were always those whose corporate mission was to exploit the communications industry. In a sense, the Internet is a normal byproduct of newspapers, radio and television.

Montrealers are currently experiencing upheaval as their two main newspapers are facing serious economic difficulties. In one case, the Journal de Montreal, the owner Quebecor is a specialist in communications and it dominates the market with its Internet transport Vidéotron subsidiary. Le Journal de Montreal was the basis for the establishment of the empire but it acted as a catalyst and it is no longer the raison d'être of the company Quebecor. If Le Journal de Montreal was the rationale for the work of Pierre Péladeau, it is not the case anymore. The child has left the nest ... Quebecor management must now manage a labor dispute (lockout) and according to me, it is clear that the final solution will be a merger of the Journal de Montreal with another subsidiary compatible to increase convergence and especially reduce operating costs. The free daily 24H is the best suited to welcome LeJournal de Montréal.

The situation at the other major Montreal newspaper La Presse, is a different reality . The company is a little empire in itself and the daily is also important and significant for Montreal as are the New York Times, The Globe and Mail or Le Monde (Paris) for their respective cities. Is this ensures his immortality? Any thing come to an end one day but I do not think the Press will cease its activities.

However, I am convinced that its owner, the Power Group Corporation wants to sell it to focus in companies joining best its corporate mission which is finance. To understand the thinking of Paul Desmarais Sr., and consequently that of Power Corporation, read the interview he had given the magazine Le Point in June 2008 (French). Everything is written there in black and white. Power Corporation do not want to operate enterprises but be in the management of high finance. (See the interview link below)

But to sell a business, it is better to be profitable and the current rationalization by management of La Presse is very much normal procedures before a sale...

The question remains: who will buy La Presse (Gesca)? Three possibilities:

1. Transcontinental Group is the current printer of The Press and operates as several consumer magazines. The convergence would be excellent.

2. The group Rogers Communications, which owns several magazines in Quebec in addition to being present on the Internet.

3. Finally there is also Quebecor ... Pierre Péladeau had purchased the TV network TQS. After his death, his son Pierre Karl has done a hit by selling the small network to acquire Videotron who owned TVA, the leader inQuebec. It will not be surprising if he repeated the move and bya corporate deal if he was acquiring The Press to get rid at a discount priceof Le Journal de Montreal. The employees in locked out should even offer to buy it andthen, co-financed by the major trade union confederations, merge the acquisition with their creation, the site Rue Frontenac.

In conclusion, the future of newspapers is not compromise but nothing will ever the same. As the poet said: "Everything changes and nothing lasts ..."

Bernard Bujold

Link Interwiew with Paul Desmarais - Le Point fr.
Pictures of Paul Desmarais - LeStudio1.com
Link to media web site in the world

Photo 1: Mademoiselle X LeStudio1.com in front of La Presse;

Photo 2: Paul Desmarais Sr. and his sons, Paul Jr. et André;

Photo 3: Bernard Bujold with Le Journal de Montréal in Paris (1991)

The Montreal Film Festival is a great success!

The founder of the Festival des Films du Monde de Montréal, Serge Losique, undoubtedly has a passion for cinema. A former university professor (Concordia University), he is also the author of several achievements in this field both as a filmmaker than as educator and cultural organizer with FFM for 33 years. It is also one of the founders of the INIS and it is he who implanted the first courses in cinema at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM).

Serge Losique do not want to think about to the quarrels surrounding the FFM and attempts to replace his event with another festival in 2005. He considers this kind of debate as normal in a democratic society. His thinking is based on an old proverb:"Friend, if you love me come to my home! "If not, well too bad ... The Montreal public loves to come at FFM.

Serge Losique consider as his greatest achievement to have inspired among Montrealers the love for film and have established Montreal reputation in this field worldwide. Personally, I always considered Serge Losique to be a kind of passionate warrior possessing an ardent desire to win while he, sees himself as a simple catalyst for ideas.

There is no doubt that the founder of the FFM is a brave man and above all, very persistent over the obstacles. One can easily compare its path to the one of Claude Robinson. These two artists of great talent were attacked by the establishment who were trying to take over the work of their lives.

Quebec as a whole approves the Justice decision granting a compensation to Claude Robinson and all congratulated him for his tenacity in the face of the injustice from executives of Cinar. The story of Serge Losique is no different except that its opponents were more numerous and even the media condemned him... The battle of Losique was however very short. Two years and the verdict was rendered contrary to 14 years of struggle by Claude Robinson. Yet the opponents of Serge Losique were more and not less. We found there all government agencies that fund the festivals in Canada, most major cultural leaders of Montreal as Alain Simard, Daniel Langlois and even Gilbert Rozon. The objective was clear: send Serge Logic to retirement!

Since that Losique would not abandon its Festival, the rebels decided to create a new festival, the International Film Festival of Montreal 2005. Despite government funding totaling $ 2 million, the failure was pathetic!

Like tennis, the impossible happened. The old champion has resisted to the favorites. The young opponents played very badly and they committed errors in the beginning leading to the defeat. Given their immense resources, they should have normally crushed veteran Losique. The patriarch of the FFM reacted as would have an Andre Agassi before a young pretentious opponent. He played his game and waited until his opponent made the false movements. Competitors against Serge Losique had everything to win but they did not play the game for which they had the tools. Their main mistake was to believe that the public would abandon the FFM to embrace a new festival which did not happened.

I had the opportunity to talk with Serge Losique about his path and his vision of cinema. I offer a summary of this discussion on the site LeStudio1.com (French).

Bernard Bujold -
http://www.lestudio1.com/EntrevueSergeLosique2009.html

The new season is here!

For me the return of autumn has always been the opportunity to make some kind of cleaning household in my personal effects to fully start the new season and be better open to opportunities and discoveries.

But since I am living in a building with multiple dwellings, I must live at the same rhythm than my neighbors with whom I share more closely the everyday life than if I was living in a country house. For some, the annual cleaning is not seasonal and it takes place throughout the year.

So, each week I'm always surprised by the incredible amounts of objects that are found in bins or common areas of the building or lay on the bench near the elevator in the garage.

Sometimes furniture or electronics, books, and often clothes and new shoes that have never been worn by their owners. And since I do not live a low-cost housing, you imagine the "quality" of abandoned objects.

My latest discovery was 6 large cardboard boxes with inside hundreds of music CDs with cover. Not just any! Entire collection of original records by Charles Aznavour (reissued on CD), 5 or 6 Celine Dion, Joe Dassin, Françoise Hardy, Pavarotti and numerous recordings of classical concerts or operas. I picked up Aznavour and Hardy, and I left the rest of the CD for my other neighbors...

I, however, questioned myself at length if not with sadness, about the fate of the CDs. Why the owner had abandoned it for scrap? Was he dead? Had he changed his musical tastes! Was there lack ofspace? Had he moved? The boxes contained a full life of a person and his love of music.

I will never know because the next day the boxes were gone ...

I too often abandon objects on the bench in the garage. Books that I read, magazines that I do not want to keep, decorative objects that I want no more. Is the tradition in large apartment buildings that we leave things near the elevator in the parking lot to benefit its neighbors.

But if there is a question to ask: Why did we originally purchased the product that we abandon? Why put so much effort to collect full sets of discs and abandon them the next morning?

Life is a passage like the seasons, nothing lasts. I guess that we must accept this reality and not worry about seeing all these material things abandoned, if not lower our own efforts to own and collect things.

A wise man once said: "We will not bring our possessions in paradise. Sometimes we do not even keep then for a full season ..."

Have a nice autumn!

Bernard Bujold

PS Thanks to the neighbor who gave me his Monte Cristo cigars. He did not want them any more...
www.LeStudio1.com

Link Cigars Montecristo Havana

Investigative Journalism - (Part two)

The search for truth would be directly linked to the pursuit of happiness!

LeStudio1.com has received several responses to his recent editorial commenting on the financial frauds and on the investigative journalism. Content of the comments demonstrate beyond any doubt that there is an interrelationship between the two subjects of unhappiness and lies!

Most human misery would be connected to lie because the discovery of truth should help to eliminate the existence of evil. A fraudster who is discovered cannot cheat anymore, nor the murderer cannot kill once unmasked.
But it often difficult to find the source of crime before the act. That is why the work of investigative journalists and policemans becomes useful because their efforts help to discover the sources of misery by revealing the truth.
According to several correspondents with LeStudio1.com, lying is generally the work of someone close to us, a work colleague, neighbor, relative or spouse who sometimes wants to divorce. Recent discoveries surrounding Bernard Madoff and Earl Jones are believed to be isolated cases but to read your comments, such person is present in the daily life of every person to a greater or lesser extent. Often, and this is the beginning of misery, falsehood engenders evil, betrayal and violence.

But there is a paradox in your thoughts because if ignorance of the truth is the source of human misery, total knowledge of the truth would cause greater troubles again! This is one of the comments from several of you: "Every truth is not good to say and it is best to keep some things for yourself ..." Thus, according to some, if we knew all the real feelings of those around us, society would be impossible because it would be too many conflicts and even more disagreements and wars.

Basically we are all individualistic and the only person who you truly is us ... The problem (accident, illness, financial losses) of other even comforts us a bit because we believe that fate is more generous to us than to the victims. Fully discovering the selfishness of others, each would become even more suspicious of him and this would be the danger of revealing the truth. ...

Finally, another comment that comes from readers is about forgiveness. When we have discovered the errors of our surroundings, it is better to forgive than to revenge.

I think it is possible and even desirable to forget a misfortune and the person who is responsible, but human forgiveness is very difficult because it is equivalent to love those who hurt us.

Thank you for your comments and I will confide that for my part, I always try to forget the past, live the present moment and continue to lead myself strongly in the future. But my search for truth never cease!

A star of Quebec television, Josélito Michaud, host on Radio-Canada of a program about life, death and departures. He always ask the same final question to his guests: What do you see written on your tombstone?

On mine I would like to be read the following sentence: "He sought the truth and he led the fight to the end ..."

Bernard Bujold
www.LeStudio1.com

Link to Editorial on Forgiveness

Picture 1: Policemans and Earl Jones

Picture 2: Bernard Bujold - Editor of LeStudio1.com

Municipal politics in Montreal

The former Justice John Gomery (77 years) loves the attention from the public and he sometimes plays the rock star ....

He began his stardom at hearings on the federal sponsorship in 2004 when he was communicating directly with media representatives, which is generally not the way judges do. His work as chairman of the Commission of Inquiry was very effective because it helped clean up a system of government sponsorship poorly managed, which had no place but the Commission would have gained credibility if the judge had been a little more humble and rear stage rather than before the microphones and cameras of the media.

Since he is retired, the former magistrate has not lost his taste for the limelight and I was not surprised to see him on television offering a visit on his little farm to a journalist in decoration.
However I was astounded when he said, as would have done a historical figure: "You see, it was before this window that I sat down to write the report of the Committee on sponsorship ..."

Now he hope to inspire another major cleaning but this time in the Montreal municipal politics. To do this, he participates in as Director of Finance of the election campaign for mayor of Montreal and he joined one of the parties in contention. He says that he want to make more democratic the process of financing municipal politics. His goal is very laudable, except that when one learns that his daughter is a candidate for the party in question, one tends to conclude that he wants to draw public attention and help her daughter with his notoriety. I would like to congratulate Judge Gomery for his excellent work and initiatives, but I cannot because his pride makes me doubt of his real intention...

What are my predictions for the next municipal election in Montreal?

With the crisis of festivals ... who knows how will escape the current Mayor Gérald Tremblay. But the Grand Prix F1 should be confirmed by September for the next season. If this issue occurs, Mayor Tremblay will profit from a high profile in the media ...

In my opinion, none of the opponents to the mayor of Montreal would be better than Tremblay if they were in office. One option would have been the return of the former mayor Pierre Bourque, but he refused to came back . Too bad because it was a great mayor!

The result on 1 November 2009!

Bernard Bujold

www.LeStudio1.com

Lien Hôtel de ville de Montréal