Wednesday-Night

As they say “I try to take it one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once” – well friends, not sure if I am the only one to whom it happened, but September just snuck up on me today!! So yes, it’s time to call you back together for our […]

J Street
Jeremy Ben-Ami: The flotilla’s lessons for Mideast peace advocates
Back to the table — Israel’s prime minister sounds upbeat, even if no one else does
The first direct Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in 20 months began in Washington. Binyamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas began talks urged on by President Barack Obama along with President Hosni Mubarak of […]

A Celebratory Road Trip for Education Secretary
Mr. Duncan’s tour, coinciding with back-to-school season, was billed as a way to honor teachers. But the road trip also felt like a victory lap after last week’s announcement that nine states and the District of Columbia had won the Race to the Top, the Obama administration’s most prized […]

Kilgour and Matas Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
David Kilgour and David Matas, two Canadian human rights crusaders, have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for their work related to the investigation of organ harvesting crimes against Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Infinithéâtre takes home the MECCA for best production
For the 2008-2009 Production of Blessed Are […]

New York Times Topics: Afghanistan
(FT) Afghanistan elections 2009
Afghan elections 2009
(Stratfor) The 30-Year War in Afghanistan
The Runaway General
(Rolling Stone) Stanley McChrystal, Obama’s top commander in Afghanistan, has seized control of the war by never taking his eye off the real enemy: The wimps in the White House
The Professor of war (Vanity Fair profile of […]

Canada 2010: G8 & G20 ; At Issue panel on The National (CBC)
No politics please, we’re nation-building: PM
WHITEHORSE - He stood astride an ice flow, F-18 jets roaring overhead for a perfect photograph, reannounced feel-good government initiatives and gave a rousing speech to party faithful warning of the evils of an opposition coalition.
But Prime Minister […]

How to Close the Achievement Gap
The world’s best schools offer important lessons about what works.
(Newsweek) All over the world, your chances of success in school and life depend more on your family circumstances than on any other factor. By age three, kids with professional parents are already a full year ahead of their poorer peers. […]

See also Wednesday-night.com on Burma
Elections and Opportunity in Myanmar
(Council on Foreign Relations Expert Brief) … Myanmar has become increasingly important, as rivalry between regional powers increases. Myanmar sits in a strategically vital location in Asia and possesses some of the region’s largest reserves of oil and gas. As a result, its future path is critical […]

Global voices Iranian elections 2009 ; NYT Topics Iran; The Economist Iran archives & country briefing
(Chatham House) Preliminary Analysis of the Voting Figures in Iran’s 2009 Presidential Election
Tehran’s Take: Understanding Iran’s US Policy (Foreign Affairs July/August 2009)
Iran Clamps Down on Reporting on Protest Leaders
In a further clampdown on Iran’s cowed political opposition, the authorities have […]

It was noted that Herb Bercovitz is celebrating his 86th birthday on Wednesday 1486, which explains his absence. All present expressed warm wishes to Herb for many more years of health and enjoyment of life.
The question was raised of celebration of WN #1500 - due in 14 weeks - what is planned? What is the […]