There doesn’t seem to be any news on Notre Dame today so here’s another profile on the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
Another profile of Boris Johnson
Michael Heseltine sends an email
Rochester cathedral through castle outer walls from south-west
Again not about Notre Dame. This email was sent to a member of my family, I reproduce it here, with a picture of Rochester Cathedral, for no other reason than I like it.
From: Michael Heseltine <info@peoples-vote.uk>
Sent: 19 October 2019 18:56
Subject: What we must do next
Today was an historic day. One million of you, supporters of the
People’s Vote, outside Parliament while, inside MPs from all parties
stood firm against Boris Johnson’s efforts to force his hard and bitter
Brexit on our country.
From the Highlands, to Belfast, from Cardiff to Penzance, people came
from across every corner of the land to make themselves heard.
Whether they’d marched before, or this was their first time marching,
they turned up today to march together because the democratic solution is for the people to solve this crisis.
We will march on!
And now the Prime Minister must now obey the law and give MPs and the people the time needed to solve the crisis he has done so much to create.
That’s why we’re sending a letter, from the people to the powerful to
demand they don’t turn their backs and instead give the people the final say. Sign it now.
For the first time in over 37 years…
The House of Commons in the UK sits on a Saturday for the first time since the Falklands war over 37 years ago.
This is not about Notre Dame but about the possiblity that the Brexit vote is passed today.
I will attempt to update this article as events unfold.
At around 9:30am UK time the debabe began with a statement from the current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
Update 14:50
The Letwin amendment to the bill has been passed 322 to 306. So (if the EU agrees) Britain will not leave on the 31st but… Johnson still thinks there’s a way…
Update 22:35
And so Boris Johnson, despite saying he wouldn’t, has sent a letter requesting an extension to the EU.
And so, the debate continues…PM confirmed to Tusk that letter is being sent tonight as per Benn Act seeking a delay – also speaking to Merkel and Macron
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) October 19, 2019
Notre Dame is still unstable
A view of the north side of Notre Dame six months after the fire.
Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, the top administrative cleric of Notre-Dame, said: “We’re still in the first phase, the phase of securing [the monument’s structure] which is lasting longer than initially planned.”
“Then there will be the second phase, dedicated to assessing the situation, we will work out how much the restoration will cost. The third phase, which will start in 2021, will be the restoration phase itself,” Mr Chauvet said.
And obviously there’s a TV miniseries about the Notre Dame fire in the works
Becasuse doesn’t any dramatic thing, good or bad, get a TV miniseries now? The Notre Dame fire is a prime example. Of course whether the series is made before the restoration is done and if it is made, if it’s any good… Well we will have to wait.
https://frenchly.us/a-tv-miniseries-on-the-notre-dame-cathedral-fire-is-in-the-works/
Notre Dame de Paris by Vincent Chevalier
This early photograph was made in 1840 by Vincent Chevalier only a year after the public announcement by François Arago of the discovery of photography.
Notre Dame still at risk from fused scaffolding
Notre Dame is still at risk from the 551 tons of scaffolding that fused above it during the seering blaze that destroyed the Paris monument’s roof and towering spire six months ago. The tangled metal poses the biggest challenge to efforts to ensure that Notre Dame’s vaulted ceiling doesn’t collapse.
Maybe the Notre Dame fire will create more artisans
Now more people are taking an interest in learning the skilled trades needed to rebuild Notre Dame.
https://www.dw.com/en/notre-dame-cathedral-fire-could-ease-frances-shortage-of-artisans/a-50797768
Broken angels: Inside the lab working to restore Notre Dame
The golden angel once glimmered majestically from Notre Dame’s vault. Now, with a broken nose, chipped gold-leaf and a smashed bust, it stares up blankly at a warehouse roof in the outskirts of Paris.
https://nypost.com/2019/10/11/broken-angels-inside-the-lab-working-to-restore-notre-dame/
Notre Dame’s rebirth still years away
Much of the metal scaffolding in place for renovation work before the April 15 fire has been severely damaged.
“We will rebuild the cathedral even more beautifully and I want it to be finished within five years,” Macron said on national television on the evening of Apr 16, 2019.
“And we can do it,” he added.
But six months after the Apr 15 fire that tore through the roof of the 13th-century Paris cathedral and toppled its spire, the reconstruction process is shaping up to be much more complex than many anticipated.