Wednesday-Night

See Canada and the world in 2020; Canada after 2008 election; Canada in 2010 Rights and Democracy ; Canada’s World

Our Democracy is Broken: How do we fix it?
CPAC’s Peter Van Dusen moderates a head-to-head debate between Maclean’s Andrew Coyne and Paul Wells on the state of Canada’s democracy. Guest panelists … including former NDP […]

Vancouver Olympics official site;
CTV Olympics 2010;
 
And the last word belongs to Brian Williams of NBC, who left behind this thank-you note on his blog:
“Before we leave this thoroughly polite country, the polite thing to do is leave behind a thank-you note. Thank you, Canada: For being such good hosts. For your unfailing courtesy. For your […]

As many Wednesday Nighters are out of town taking advantage of school holidays and others were glued to the Olympic hockey game (Russia vs Canada), it was a small group that enjoyed a wide-ranging, sometimes lighthearted and sometimes intense conversation.
Diana introduced the beautiful book Memories and profiles of McGill University, written and published in […]

It’s a big year for Canada on the world stage:
Mr. Harper’s keynote speech at Davos, The Vancouver Olympics, Presidency (and host) of the G7, [Muskoka] G8 Summit and Toronto G20, host of the NAFTA “tres amigos” … And in keeping with the role, the Canadian government responded swiftly, efficiently and compassionately to the January 12 […]

Everything is soothed by oil, and this is the reason why divers send out small quantities of it in their mouths, because it smoothes every part of which is rough. - Pliny the elder
Argentina and the Falklands - Oil and troubled waters
There is some concern that irrational greed arising from the discovery of oil under […]

The countdown is officially on – less than 10 days before that really special event in February (the one that no one can’t scalp an exorbitantly priced ticket to, because it’s invitation only!!) – yes, Wednesday Salon West is being reconvened again.
This months’ topics (and GREAT appreciation to all who sent in these GREAT suggestions) […]

The economy, currencies and markets
The declining value of the euro versus the U.S. dollar and the emergence of virtually debt-free nations in Asia have significantly changed the world financial pecking order, although it is still in flux.  The euro is falling against the U.S. dollar;   there are very attractive investment opportunities in consumer products as […]

Reminder: Although relatively little has been done to publicize the event, we draw your attention to the presence of the Olympic Torch Relay in Westmount on Thursday (the 10th), beginning at 5:47PM at City Hall (we might ask how it arrived in Westmount if it is beginning at City […]

Gang violence hits new heights in Rio, site of 2016 Games
Drug traffickers in Rio de Janeiro shot down a police helicopter just two weeks after the city was named the site of the 2016 Olympic Games — the first in South America. Brazilian officials fear the perception and reality of drug […]

Eunice Kennedy smiles sitting next to her brother John, Palm Beach, Florida, 1941.
Photograph: Morgan Collection/Getty Images
Eunice Kennedy and the death of the great American dream
(The Guardian) Eunice Kennedy was a central figure in the family dynasty that dominated American politics in the 20th century. The story of the Kennedys was a story about America - […]