THE TREES ARE IN BLOOM

THE FLOWERS OF THE CITY - SPRING 2020 -
Par Bernard Bujold -
My faithful Ulysses confirmed to me that neither he, nor I, are affected by the Coronavirus! Indeed, during our daily walk around the neighborhood, Ulysses suddenly stopped in front of a tree that I had not noticed but immediately, at his suggestion, I could "smell" the wonderful smell coming from this tree, hidden between two condo buildings. 
A magnificent cherry tree that was in bloom to greet the spring of 2020 and this despite the historical crisis that has put our entire urban civilization to sleep. 
Happy Spring 2020. 
SEE PHOTOS 

THE SECRET FOR A GOOD HEALTH

HEALTH SECRETS... 
By Bernard Bujold - 
In these times of Coronavirus, we are all looking for a recipe, a special food or a secret medicine, that will make us defeat the enemy! 
If there is a secret to keeping healthy, it is to take care of it all the time, with passion but without too many complications. 
Personally, one of my secrets is half a squeezed lemon every morning when I wake up, just before coffee. Richard Branson introduced me to this habit a few years ago, in an interview with Paris Match. I add to that my parents' old recipe: "an apple a day keeps the doctor away...". 
Of course, health is a combination of elements. The genetics of our ancestors (mine from Acadian settlers); a daily life without too much stress (surround yourself with beautiful things like flowers); being active by walking or another physical activity (I love to exercise with small weights while listening to TV...). 
Finally, the most important thing is to avoid loneliness. I am lucky on this level with my faithful Ulysses 
SEE PHOTOS 

A NICE HAIRCUT

GIVE YOURSELF A HAIRCUT - 
It’s easier than you think. Now is the time to try, so turn up the lights and grab a sharp pair of scissors. 
SEE STORY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

BACK IN BUSINESS

"BACK IN BUSINESS" - 
By Bernard Bujold -
You would have thought it was the movie DICK TRACY in June 1990 and especially the theme song by Madonna: BACK IN BUSINESS... 
The official announcement by Prime Minister François Legault, during his conference on Monday, May 18, has brought happiness to thousands of business people in the Greater Montreal area who will be able to open back their businesses on the morning of May 25, 2020. 
As the lyrics of the song say "...He's back in business now! Give him a hand and he will take a bow. He's coming back in style. It's not a missed shot, he's going to make it. You're my first witness, and he's here to stay... " 
The Coronavirus has lost the game! 
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CITY FLOWERS

THE FLOWERS OF THE CITY - SPRING 2020 -
By Bernard Bujold -
The spring of 2020 will have been historic and not for the good reasons. Already a few weeks away from the summer of 2020, we can say that it is like the seasons no longer exist and that all our civilization had disappeared. Fortunately, there are still flowers left, even if they are city flowers... 
Ulysses loves the city in flower and he agrees with Victor Hugo who wrote: "Life is a flower..." 
Happy Holiday of May 18, 2020! 
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THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS AND THE ECONOMY IN 2020

THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS-
By Bernard Bujold -
A look at the history of Montreal and Quebec over the past 100 years shows us that we have always lived more or less in times of great crisis and economic hardship. The good times were only temporary periods of a few decades before falling back into difficulties... 
La Presse presents us with an excellent report on the subject with the analysis of several Montreal historians. All the signs indicate that in this spring of 2020, it is not only Quebec but the whole world that has just returned back to the 1920s. 
SEE REPORT 

DONALD TRUMP AND BARACK OBAMA

BARACK OBAMA AND DONALD TRUMP -
By Bernard Bujold -
I listened, out of curiosity, to Barack Obama's speech on the occasion of the 2020 graduation of American student's high school senior class in the virtual webcast, an event that was broadcast on Saturday night May 16 on all television networks in the United States. 
What struck me is the energy of Barack Obama compared to the energy of Donald Trump! A total difference, like day and night! 
I can understand the disdain and contempt that each of the two groups supporting each of their leader can have for each other. Barack Obama and Donald Trump are light years away from each other in their vision about life! 
The fundamental question is: who holds the truth? The only serious answer is that everyone holds their own truth but in the end, the sad reality is that neither can claim to be capable of being appreciated by the other group. 
The problem is that civilization has to live in harmony to survive but how can we live harmoniously if there are two equal halves completely opposed, one round and the other square! 
It is surprising that the world is still surviving... 
One another important difference between the two men is that Donald is still an active politician and Barack is retired. Luckily for my half in the story... 
SEE STORY 

THE WEEKEND WALK

THE HOLIDAY OF MAY 18, 2020 
By Bernard Bujold -
Let's forget about the political rants and popular slogans against Coronavirus for a weekend! Let's rather take advantage of the moment to walk the dog, after, of course, having offered him a nice lunch. Have a good weekend to all of you! 
www.lestudio1.com

JUSTIN TRUDEAU AT THE COTTAGE

JUSTIN TRUDEAU AT THE COTTAGE - 
By Bernard Bujold -
Justin Trudeau will spend the long weekend of the May 18, 2020 holiday at the cottage in Gatineau. 
Presumably there will be no selfie on Instagram... 
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THE FACEBOOK LOUNGE

THE FACEBOOK LOUNGE -
By Bernard Bujold -
I am often asked how I manage my various social media on the Internet, especially Facebook, and how I avoid "invaders"? 
I became a Facebook subscriber when it was first made available to the general public (May 2007) and I've never stopped loving it! For me, the solution to manage Facebook was to consider my page from the start as my "private living room" where I receive guests (my Facebook friends). 
I then developed the page according to a media format (magazine) in which I comment with photos and texts on current events and share information that I am passionate about. 
Of course, rules have to be established from the beginning and in my case, I never wanted to use Facebook as a forum for debate, but rather simply to share my opinions and indirectly keep them in archives, like a dairy. So I don't let guests post directly on my page and they can only "comment" on my texts. And I never let them post a comment that is insulting, provocative, or for which I totally disagree. 
For example, with a topic like Donald Trump, I don't allow to insult him on my Facebook and I don't hesitate to delete negative comments! 
According to my vision of life, of course, guests can allow themselves to criticize and insult as they wish, but only in their own living room and not mine! Since I don't like debating, I also refrain from visiting salons whose opinions are always generally the opposite of mine... 
It is obvious that I would never allow myself to invade and provoke with criticism or insults the Facebook page of another subscriber, because I consider that all pages are the living room of each account holder. 
Personally, since my debut on Facebook with a few thousand "friends", I've probably had to eliminate about twenty of them and delete a few hundred comments deemed unacceptable. 
CONCLUSION: I have great admiration for Mark Zuckerberg and, in my opinion, Facebook is one of the most beautiful inventions of our Internet age. 
Note: I apply my Facebook management recipe with my other social media (Twitter, Instagram, Google Blog, WordPress, Flickr, etc.) and I love the result... 
SEE MY FACEBOOK PAGE