Dalai Lama in Montreal This Wednesday

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama gestures as he delivers a speech at the plenary hall of the state parliament in Wiesbaden August 23, 2011. The Dalai Lama is on a three-day visit to the German federal state of Hesse. Photograph by: Alex Domanski, REUTERS

The Dalai Lama in Montreal Wednesday -- Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL- The Dalai Lama will join controversial Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan in Montreal on Wednesday for a conference on world religions and peace in the aftermath of 9/11.

But rather than promising inspiration in a world plagued by religious tumult, the conference has already stirred up controversy and dissension as critics charge that the Dalai Lama is being duped into promoting Islamic fundamentalism.

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My Comment: He's arriving at the best time (weather wise) in Montreal.

300,000 Watch As Santa Claus Arrives In Montreal

Olivier Bolduc (from left), Alicia Drouin and Gabrielle Tremblay lean over the guardrail to catch a glance of the big guy during the annual Santa Claus Parade along Ste. Catherine St. in Montreal on Nov. 21, 2009. Photograph by: Allen McInnis, Montreal Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

MONTREAL - In a consumer society where many mutter, “Bah, humbug” at the first sign of tinsel and carols, Mario Veilleux and Murielle Pitre are true Christmas believers.

The Laval couple packed their three daughters into the car at 9 a.m. to nab a front-row spot on Ste. Catherine St. near Stanley St. for yesterday’s 11 a.m. Santa Claus parade.

“We come for the holiday spirit,” said Pitre, 40, who had a temporary tattoo in the shape of a snowflake on her cheek. Daughters Jessy, 13, Karolane, 8, and Alexis, 6, sported red reindeer antlers.

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My Comment: I was surprised to learn about this story yesterday. I remembered when the Santa Claus parade occurred in December .... I guess no more now.

Two Poker Tournaments In Montreal This Weekend

Quebec singer Nanette Workman tries her hand at yesterday's celebrity poker tournament at the Montreal Casino. Photograph by: PHIL CARPENTER, THE GAZETTE, The Gazette

Poker Faces Abound At Windsor Station -- Montreal Gazette

Would-be gamblers test their skills in one of two major tournaments held in the city.

Just minutes after he started playing, Tom Daichendt was ready to take his chips and go home.

Just one problem: The Ottawa resident had no more chips. He was the first of about 300 players to be eliminated in the UB Starlight Poker Challenge, which got under way Saturday night at Windsor Station downtown - one of two major poker tournaments in the city on the same day.

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Emotional Remembrance Day Ceremony At McGill

Soldiers gave a 21-gun salute in front of McGill University's Arts Building. (Corinne Smith/CBC)

From CTV:

Canadians gathered for Remembrance Day ceremonies across the country Wednesday to pay tribute to Canada's soldiers -- those who have fallen and those who have lived to tell their stories.

The main Remembrance Day ceremony in Montreal was not held at its traditional location at the cenotaph at Place du Canada, because the site is under construction.

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Update: Quebecers honour battle sacrifice -- CBC

My Comment: Today was a beautiful day to remember our soldiers.

Valcartier Soldiers To Honour Fallen On Remembrance Day

From The CBC:

Veterans of past and current wars will be honouring their fallen comrades on Wednesday as Canadians pause to mark Remembrance Day.

In Quebec, ceremonies are being held across the province to mark the annual event, which is the 91st anniversary of the Armistice that ended the First World War at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

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Main Remembrance Day Ceremony Shifted To McGill

McGill's Roddick Gates

From The Montreal Gazette:

Here are the main Remembrance Day activities tomorrow in Montreal:

The main venue for the Royal Canadian Legion's official Remembrance Day ceremony will be held this year at McGill University, 845 Sherbrooke St. W. because of major renovations at Place du Canada. The ceremony starts at 10:30 a.m. inside McGill's Roddick Gates. After a wreath laying ceremony, a 21-gun salute and two minutes of silence, veterans, veterans' organizations and members of the military will march down McGill College Ave. and along Ste. Catherine St. to Phillips Square.

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Today's Royal Itinerary Where, When To See Charles, Camilla

Photograph by: FRED THORNHILL, REUTERS, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

1 TO BE GREETED BY PREMIER

After landing at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport at 12:30 p.m. the royal couple's first stop will be a private meeting with Premier Jean Charest and his wife, Michelle Dionne, at 1 p.m. at Charest's office at Sherbrooke St. W. and McGill College Ave..

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Demonstrators Greet Former President George Bush In Montreal

Protesters burn an effigy of George W. Bush on René Lévesque Blvd. in front of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal Thursday, October 22, 2009, during visit and luncheon speech by the former U.S. president. Photograph by: John Mahoney, THE GAZETTE

Montreal Police Arrest Five Protesters At Downtown Anti-Bush Demonstration -- Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL- Five protesters were arrested Thursday afternoon for mischief and disturbing the peace after about 300 demonstrators began throwing shoes at the entrance of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel around ahead of a speech by former U.S President George W. Bush during a luncheon at the hotel.

The demonstraors included university students, political activitists such as the Raging Grannies, and various left-wing supporters.

They were blowing whistles and chanting in an effort to drown out his speech.

Read more ....

More News On President Bush's Speech in Montreal

5 arrested at anti-Bush protest in Montreal -- CBC
Bush speaks at Lennon's bed-in site despite protestors -- CTV
Bush's effigy burned outside Montreal hotel -- Winnipeg Sun

My Comment: I attended the luncheon with a fiend of mine. Had good seats, and was impressed with how relaxed the ex-President looked. Was there anything news worthy .... no. But I am still glad that I showed up.

President Bush To Give Speech In Montreal On Thursday

President Bush Comes To Montreal This Week -- CBC

Anti-war protesters will again surround the Montreal hotel where John Lennon and Yoko Ono once held a bed-in that helped define the peace movement of a generation.

Later this week, former U.S. president George W. Bush will be holding court inside the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, where 40 years ago Lennon and Ono recorded the anti-war anthem Give Peace a Chance.

Bush, who was invited to Quebec by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, is expected to reminisce about his time in the White House and discuss challenges the world will face in the future.

The 43rd U.S president is due in Montreal on Thursday.

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Update: Bush to speak at Montreal hotel -- CTV

My Comment: I will be there, but inside as a paid guest.

Former President Clinton Receives Doctorate Degree From McGill University

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton is applauded after being awarded an honorary degree in law from McGill University Friday, October 16, 2009 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Bill Clinton Wades Into U.S., Canadian Politics In Montreal Speech -- Canadian Press

MONTREAL — Bill Clinton waded into two of the most divisive political debates that have raged in Canada and the United States, praising the unity of one country and predicting health-care reform in the other.

The former U.S. president told an enthusiastic Canadian audience that his country is done squandering billions on health care and that a system overhaul is inevitable.

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My Comment: Congrats for receiving a doctorate. Disagree with his politics, but his social work should be recognized and McGill is giving it to him.

Montreal Police Arrest 13 At Black & Blue Rave

From The CBC:

Montreal police arrested 13 people on drug-related charges during the annual Black & Blue rave party that ended on Monday at the Palais de Congrès.

About 7,000 people spent 15 hours dancing to techno music at the annual rave. Despite the series of drug-related arrests, Const. Olivier Lapointe said the event went smoothly.

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My Comment: Only 13 were arrested?

Dalai Lama Connects With 14,000 At Bell Centre

The Dalai Lama showed off his well-known humour at Bell Centre Saturday.
Photograph by: Phil Carpenter, The Gazette

Ocean Of Wisdom Opens Hearts -- Montreal Gazette

Dalai Lama connects with 14,000 at Bell Centre.

Know thyself and have an open heart toward others.

That was the simple yet potent message delivered to Montrealers yesterday by the Dalai Lama, who has come to personify laid-back cool among religious leaders.

The 74-year-old Buddhist monk and exiled leader of Tibet’s 6 million people used little more than his famously down-to-Earth appeal in his talk about the power of compassion to more than 14,000 people at the Bell Centre.

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The Dalai Lama Is At The Bell Center Tonight

The Dalai Lama will hold a conference at the Bell Centre in Montreal today.
Photograph by: Leah Hennel, CanWest News Service

13,000 Expected For Dalai Lama Conference In Montreal -- Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL – About 13,000 people are expected to attend a conference and performances of Tibetan and Quebec music and dance at the Bell Centre Saturday featuring the Dalai Lama, in his third visit to Montreal.

The Buddhist spiritual leader, 74, is to give a talk titled Educating the Heart: The Power of Compassion.

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Update #1: Dalai Lama graces Montreal -- CTV

Update #2: Big crowd expected for Dalai Lama's event in Montreal -- Vancouver Sun

Three Fests Add Coice To Protest Against Jazz Fest And FrancoFolies Date Change

The crowd gathers for a tribute to Leonard Cohen on June 26, 2008 - one of the highlights of last year's jazz festival. Photograph by: John Kenney, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

Three festivals have added their voices to the protests surrounding Équipe Spectra president Alain Simard’s controversial August announcement that the FrancoFolies de Montréal festival would be moved to early June from its late-summer slot next year.

In a joint statement issued today, The Suoni Per Il Popolo festival, the Off Festival de Jazz and the Montreal Fringe Festival complained that the new dates for FrancoFolies – June 9 to 19, 2010 – are in direct conflict with their own June lineups.

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Get Ready For Car-Free Day Downtown

Traffic in both directions on Pine Ave. around the intersection of University St. in Montreal on Sept. 17, 2009. Photograph by: John Mahoney, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

MONTREAL – For part of Tuesday, pedestrians will have the run of a section of downtown Montreal that's usually the domain of cars.

Known as En ville sans ma voiture, it's the city's seventh annual car-free day, an event that last year attracted about 50,000 participants.

Car-free day is organized by the Agence métropolitaine de transport, which operates Montreal's commuter trains, with the support of the city of Montreal and the Société de transport de Montréal, which runs the city's bus and métro system.

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My Comment: Oh great .... the one day I have to drive downtown .... and I get this.

Incredible Hulk Beefs Up Comic-Con

From The Montreal Gazette:

Scope widened. Sci-fi, manga, animé now part of convention mix.

When standing alongside behemoths like the San Diego Comic-Con International, recruiting the Incredible Hulk makes sense.

But organizers of this weekend's Montreal Comic-Con have not only brought in Lou Ferrigno, who played the superhero in the television series and is still built as if he spends his spare time gate-crashing prison riots. They've also booked Star Wars bounty hunter Boba Fett, or rather his actor alter ego Jeremy Bulloch, and wrestler The Honky Tonk Man (also known as Roy Wayne Farris).

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Tour de Lance

Lance Armstrong will join dozens of fundraising riders.

From The Montreal Gazette:

On Friday, more than 40 cyclists will ride alongside seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong in the Mont Tremblant area. They'll ride 100 kilometres in three hours in the event, known as the Tour de Lance, which raises money in support of cancer patients and cancer research.

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Dalai Lama Coming To Montreal

From CTV News:

The Dalai Lama is coming to Montreal on October 3 for a lecture at the Bell Centre.

Quebec singer-songwriter Michel Rivard will perform before the Dalai Lama takes the stage, when the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetans will talk to the public about the need for compassion.

The 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner is is also expected to mention his life in exile and his quest to eliminate nuclear weapons.

Next month's trip will be the third time the 14th Dalai Lama visits Montreal, having been here previously in 1980 and 1993.

Read more ....

My Comment: Tickets for the lecture are available at the Bell Centre box offices or by phoning the Bell Centre at 514-790-2525. Online purchases can be made here.

Exhibit celebrates Lennon-Ono date in Montreal

May 26 marks the 40th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Bed-In" at a Montreal hotel.

From Chicago Sun Times:

In November 1966 he wandered into Yoko Ono's Indica Gallery Exhibit in London. Ono made a piece that required five shillings for visitors to hammer a nail into a wooden board. Lennon had been invited to the preview by the gallery's owner, John Dunbar, who was married to singer Marianne Faithfull.

Lennon asked Ono if he could spend an imaginary five shillings to hammer an imaginary nail.

Imagine that.

A relationship was born.

The exhibit "Imagine: The Peace Ballad of John & Yoko" is running through June 21 at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. May 26 marks the 40th anniversary of John and Yoko's "Bed-In" held in Suite 1742 of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. Comic Tommy Smothers, Chicago comedian Dick Gregory and spaceman Timothy Leary were along for the ride. They sang along on the Plastic Ono Band hit "Give Peace a Chance," which was recorded in the hotel room.

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Dalai Lama Is Coming To Montreal

The Dalaim Lama will be visiting Montreal on Oct. 3. Photograph by: Toshifumi Kitamura, Agence France-Presse via Getty Images

From The Montreal Gazette:

The Dalai Lama will visit Montreal on Oct. 3.

The spiritual leader will appear at the Bell Centre as part of a visit designed to promote the teaching of ethics through the education system.

Tickets will go on sale April 25.

The Canadian branch of the Dalai Lama Foundation says the Nobel Prize winner will meet with graduating students in Quebed-based university education programs as part of his visit.

The Bell Centre event that the Dalai Lama will be headlining is entitled Education of the Heart: The Power of Compassion.

Read more ....