NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL OF PARIS AND MONTREAL BASILICA

NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL OF PARIS AND MONTREAL BASILICA-
By Bernard Bujold- 
There is a great similarity between the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral and the Basilica on Notre Dame Street in Old Montreal. Indeed, the architecture of Notre-Dame de Montréal church was inspired by the two towers of Notre-Dame de Paris. The Montreal work became the first Gothic Revival-style church in Canada when its construction began in 1824 and was completed in 1829. Obviously, Notre Dame de Paris has a much longer past since its origin begins in 1163, which means more than 850 years of history. 
The atmosphere of the two churches is also similar in their dimly lit interiors and dark brown benches. 
The reconstruction of Notre Dame de Paris, following the tragic fire of 15 April 2019, could last several years, but the French authorities have promised to rebuild everything. 
To be continued... 
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SPRING 2019 OUTINGS - SUN OR RAIN....

GOING OUT SPRING 2019-
By Bernard Bujold -
Ulysses has been very excited since the arrival of spring 2019 and he always wants to go out. Sometimes the sun is shining, sometimes it's raining but nothing stops the brave Ulysses... 
Have a nice walk, either in the city or at the cottage, but above all: 
Have a good spring 2019! 
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WEEKEND BY THE SEA - SPRING 2019

GOING OUT SPRING 2019 
The weekend is Ulysses' favourite time, as he likes to walk around with his master. The weekend of April 12 will be beautiful in terms of temperature and Ulysses would like to go for a walk by the sea.... Unfortunately, he will have to be satisfied with a visit to the railway station! 
Have a good spring 2019 and a good weekend! 
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JULIAN ASSANGE IS EXPELLED FROM THE EMBASSY

JULIAN ASSANGE IS EXPELLED FROM THE EMBASSY 
By Bernard Bujold -
The man considered as the truth fighter by some or as a dangerous bandit by other has been arrested by the British authority (April 11, 2019). 
Will he be send to United States? It will be to the Bristish Justice to decide. 
One could compare Julian Assange to the fiction character Raymond Reddington. A criminal but also a legend! And both are master in the world of information... 
To be continued! 
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QUEBECOR IN 2019

QUEBECOR IN 2019... 
By Bernard Bujold
The current trade dispute between Quebecor and Bell brings back the time of Michael Sabia while he was in charge of BCE between 2002 and 2008. If there were two ferocious competitors in Quebec who did not like each other very much, it was Michael Sabia and Pierre Karl Péladeau! 
I know something about it, because around 2003-2004, I was selected by a head hunter to be Sabia's assistant. The research manager had selected my application on my experience without taking into account my environment. When I pointed out that it may be necessary to check if my passage near the PKP environment disturbed Sabia, the answer had not been long in coming... 
The Bell-Quebecor rivalty started with Sabia, who did not want to cut Internet subscription prices in front of Quebecor's discount offer. Sabia was convinced that users would not trust a new player and that Bell's reputation and name alone was worth a higher price. Sabia had lost his bet... 
It will be interesting to see the conclusion of the present conflict in 2019 Bell-Quebecor but one could say that it is the rematch between two champions! 
To be continued...
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THE PRIOR MONK AND RELIGIOUS SIGNS IN 2019

THE PRIOR MONK AND RELIGIOUS SIGNS... 
By Bernard Bujold -
The debate on religious symbols that is currently raging in Quebec in the spring of 2019 confronts us with the universal question: what is religion and what is its role in today's society? The Quebec debate is very serious and it could have a profound influence on the future of our society in the coming decades, but the discussion is also a little worrisome, because it shows that the time of my childhood is becoming more and more distant... 
During this period of my life, religion was not complicated, because we had only two: Catholic and Protestant. Each organization tolerated the other, as long as we displayed our beliefs among ourselves in our respective villages where each religion had its church and cemetery. It was a beautiful time! 
Personally, I sort of grew up in a Catholic presbytery in the Gaspé Peninsula because my aunt was the priest's servant and I would visit her several times a day as my parents' house was nearby. I have always kept a pleasant memory of the presbytery with its long gallery facing the Baie des Chaleurs. I have also always been attracted by the architecture of the Catholic churches that I love to visit. I really like their high ceilings and the calm that invites reflection. 
However, I am not a practitioner even though I know all the Catholic rites. 
In the past, I could have become a priest, because as a teenager, my aunt's priest, a respected canon in the diocese, offered to help me financially with the necessary studies. I refused the offer and preferred journalism. One could say that I missed the vocation... 
I have often wondered what role I would have developed within the Catholic organization if I had become a priest? Sometimes I like to joke, with my close friends, that I could have become a bishop in Rome and who knows (nothing is impossible and you have to be ambitious) maybe the Pope's assistant... But it is also possible, with my rebellious spirit, that I would have found myself in an isolated monastery in the very simple role of "Prior Monk”. 
In my opinion, all man-organized religions are political organizations with administrators and a management structure. A kind of government for the soul. For me, the church is not God and God is not the church. 
I probably wouldn't have been a good priest because I'm a loner and my compassion is selective... But philosophically, I think I would have been a good pulpit minister because I like to explain ideas. 
With regard to religious symbols in 2019: times have changed and will continue to change. We are more and more people on earth and, for this reason, there are more and more diverse religions! Society has become a "Tower of Babel" in terms of religious beliefs and it has become complicated to live one's religion in public without disturbing one's neighbors. The good times of my childhood are over, but the discretion of my childhood is still the best way to live in society today, especially in terms of religious beliefs! "Religion is a matter of community, but not of society!" 
Respect and discretion towards religion are the only ways to live our beliefs! 
Have a good spring 2019... 
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SYLVIE BERNIER AND THE STORY OF A TRAGEDY -

SYLVIE BERNIER OR THE STORY OF A TRAGEDY - 
By Bernard Bujold - 
I read out of curiosity Sylvie Bernier's new book "LE JOUR OÙ JE N'AI PAS PU PLONGER", Sylvie whom I had known as well as her husband in another of my lives. 
If at first we read this book because Sylvie is a well-known personality, the story we remember is the story of the courage of a mother who, with her family, had to face a rare human tragedy, but one that can happen to all of us. 
Sylvie had invited her and her brother's family members to Nouvelle in Gaspésie on July 2002 for a weekend at a salmon fishing camp while she was attending a local fundraising conference at the same time. It was during this weekend that her 5-year-old nephew drowned in front of her on a canoe trip on the local salmon river. 
I did not know this story in Sylvie Bernier's life, but we can only respect and admire Sylvie for having known how to mentally survive this tragedy and its consequences. 
The book is easy to read but it is deeply inspiring! 
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LUNCH IN TOWN - GOING OUT SPRING 2019

LUNCH IN TOWN - GOING OUT SPRING 2019-
By Bernard Bujold -
Ulysses is excited about the arrival of spring 2019 and wants to go out in the city. 
This morning he wanted to have lunch at his favorite restaurant... 
He has good taste but unfortunately, sometimes he has to wait outside while his master takes advantage of his discover But very often, he knows how to be discreet and he sneaks up with me... 
Have a good spring 2019! 
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JUSTIN TRUDEAU ET JODY

JUSTIN TRUDEAU AND JODY... 
By Bernard Bujold - 
In the middle of spring, and a few months before the general election, Justin Trudeau's Canadian government is facing a loss of power. 
Although several Liberal MPs are starting to ask Justin Trudeau to fire Jody Wilson Raybould, it is too late to "rebuild" the image and reputation of Justin as leader of the party. 
If Trudeau kicks out Wilson-Raybould of the Liberal party, he will have the odious feeling of having eliminated a whistleblower because only Justin Trudeau has the power to take away an MP's allegiance. To be an effective solution to the current crisis, this ejection should have been done at the beginning of the conflict! 
It is understandable that Liberal MPs are worried about going to an election with the bad weather in their own party, but there is only one solution and that is the resignation of Justin Trudeau and the quick choice of a new leader in the coming weeks. 
The 2019 federal election is being held on October 21 and a total of 338 MPs will be elected. Currently, the Liberals have 182 members; Conservatives 97; NDP 41; Bloc 10; Green Party 1; Popular Party (Maxime Bernier) 1. 
To be continued! 
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