Wednesday-Night

With the guidance of Kenneth Matziorinis, Dr. Ioannis Bougas and other experts, so much of the evening was devoted to a discussion of events in Greece and the possible consequences for other vulnerable economies (known as the PIGS) of Europe that the related topics of governance and political events in the U.S. were left unaddressed until […]

CIA World Factbook: China Economy Overview

Old and new: to ensure the Chinese economy was not engulfed by the global malaise, the government injected huge sums into public spending projects Photo: GETTY
China makes $700m foray into Mauritius
China’s state-led approach to foreign investment is muscling India aside in its traditional ‘backyard’ by investing $700m […]

Iran’s enduring turmoil
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, reconfirmed in office, still faces a groundswell of bitter and spreading opposition
(The Economist) Many conservatives are, in fact, far from enthusiastic about their president. Even if he can withstand the opposition’s scorn, dismay and anger, he faces trenchant distrust within his own camp. A tussle with the supreme leader last […]

 Brian Morel introduced his good friend and former colleague at McGill,  Jacques Languirand, certainly one of the most notable and prolific thinkers, writers, commentators and general Renaissance Men of our lifetime, who is, in addition, spokesman for Quebec’s celebration of Earth Day . Jacques’ biography is far too lengthy to reproduce here - he […]

Wednesday Salon West
Canada Day - the cherry on the top was the Globe and Mail survey   saying the stereotype of Canadians (unsure of themselves and overly polite) is not shared by the majority of… Canadians. Yes, we are apparently self-confident and smug about who we are and what we have accomplished.
So this becomes […]

A peak at oil reserves
(The Economist) ACCORDING to BP, an oil company, the world has enough oil reserves to meet demand for the next four decades or so. (Interactive chart)
14 June
Warming up to carbon tax
Tariffs are good for the economy and environment, writes Jeff Rubin in Why Your World Is About to Get a Whole […]

Kimon Valaskakis’ efforts towards the reality of global government are moving forward, not only with progress in establishing the New School of Athens, but reaction to the current financial crisis in which inadequate banking and investment regulation has had a world wide domino-like effect, and is coming from both the political and investor camps. Their […]

see wednesday-night.com for photos (especially the magnificent Hermitage La Chapelle) and videos

Wednesday Nighters were intrigued by the cover story in The Suburban trumpeting Wajsman for Mayor, and brought by the Man of the Cover. He assured all that the story was for real and that, tired of nanny-state mentality, he was calling for an […]

See also WTO and related posts
Will Barack Obama Commit Industrial Policy?
Robert Kuttner, Co-Founder and Co-Editor of The American Prospect
Barack Obama may soon find that he is committing a big sin against one of the major premises of the reigning ideology. As part of his plan to restructure the auto industry, rebuild infrastructure, and create […]

We were glad to be reminded of this wonderful Long Johns clip  about how it all began - laughter truly is the best medicine
Financial Times Report on World Economy

A light at the end of the tunnel?

(The Economist) THE dithering has ended. After a week in which the financial system almost ground to a halt, […]