"What is the WEDNESDAY Night Salon?"
Diana T. Nicholson Editor
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Wednesdays bring the world
to Westmount
Celebrate their 1001st weekly Salon
Wednesday Night Salon Millennium + One
May 9, 2001 #1001
click to play Sheherazade
The Wednesday Nights Entertainments
By Diana T. Nicholson
PRAISE BE TO ALLAH ~ THE BENEFICENT KING ~ THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE ~ LORD OF THE THREE WORLDS ~ WHO SET UP THE FIRMAMENT WITHOUT PILLARS IN ITS STEAD ~ AND WHO STRETCHED OUT THE EARTH EVEN AS A BED ~ AND GRACE, AND PRAYER-BLESSING BE UPON OUR LORD MOHAMMED ~ LORD OF APOSTOLIC MEN ~ AND UPON HIS FAMILY AND COMPANION-TRAIN ~ PRAYER AND BLESSINGS ENDURING AND GRACE WHICH UNTO THE DAY OF DOOM SHALL REMAIN ~ AMEN! ~
For lo! We have a tale to tell. In the days of yore on the estates of Rosemount in the fair Duchy of Westmount, so called for its mountain on which the setting sun does ever cast its hues of red and gold, there dwelt an Imperious Ruler who did one day summon his Chief Wife and sighing, said to her "design for me an Entertainment, for I grow weary of our frivolities and do vow by my beard and the Profit that I must have a change of lifestyle".
The Chief Wife of whom it was said that she had collected a thousand books of histories relating to antique races and departed rulers, had perused the books, annals, and writings of legendary leaders, and the stories, examples, and instances of present and bygone men and things and knew them by heart, she had studied political philosophy, the arts, and foreign tongues. And she was pleasant and polite, wise and witty, well read and well bred.
She did not know the dismal science, nor the ways of the market place nor the money changers so she did conspire with the Chief Wazir, the Caliph Carl, who was held in highest esteem at seats of learning throughout the land and together they did enact a clever plan to entertain their Ruler with weekly pageants wherein the company was selected from among the wisest in the land and would meet for gentle discourse amidst flagons of refreshing juices.
And the Imperious Ruler was well content. So content was he that he did refuse all other pursuits and did devote himself entirely with the assistance of the Djinns of the ether to setting ever more lavish and contentious topics in ever more magical forms for the assembly's consideration.
And as the fame of the Wednesday Nights Entertainments and the wit and wisdom of the Wise Persons so gathered about the Imperious Ruler's table and whose discourse is rooted in knowledge unknown in the Duchy of Westmount did spread across the land and far beyond its borders many aspirants begged to join their august council. Even unto this very day ethereal messengers go forth to the four corners of the earth to summon Wise Persons from foreign lands to assemble around the Imperious Ruler's table where they do argue and discuss in many tongues while the moon waxes and wanes and all this time the Ruler and his Chief Wife and sometimes their progeny do preside over the Entertainments and do taste of the honey of knowledge.
And from the first days when these Entertainments did commence unto this very day, the gates of the Rosemount Estate do open every Wednesday Night to all who have been summoned and young and old partake of courteous discourse that does not neglect the delights of humour, a tale well told or the gentle harmony of the human voice and musical instruments.
Thus on the ninth day of the fifth month of this present year, the Imperious Ruler, for not even his enjoyment of the Entertainments has curtailed his nature, will open his gates to all who are desirous of partaking in the joyous celebrations of the 1001st Wednesday Nights Entertainments and to pay lavish tribute to a tradition that has its beginnings in the tales of the fair and wise Scheherazade.
ALLAH BE PRAISED!
With apologies to Sir Richard Burton
Wednesday Night #1001
May 9, 2001
PROLOGUE:
The first Wednesday of the new Millennium brought a sparkling – and highly eclectic international - mix of old friends of Wednesday Night and new faces. Hans and Janet Black, benefactors of the Millennium Wednesday, returned from Switzerland bearing a magnificent bottle of Chateau Latour and accompanied by Malcolm Thomas of Interinvest who now lives in London . David’s boyhood friend, A.W. (Ron) Robertson, from the '40s at Sedberg School - their mothers were drinking companions. Ron, who is a career diplomat and former Ambassador with Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, made his first appearance on a Wednesday Night. Among Ron’s many fields of expertise is disarmament – on another note, according to Diana, he once had a promising career in theatre as off-stage battle noises.
Pamela Stuart-Mills Hoch, was back for the first time in many years. She was in Montreal, from Washington, to celebrate her brilliant son’s graduation from CEGEP. He is off to Cambridge in the Fall, with a full scholarship. Pamela, meanwhile, continues her crusade on behalf of Alienated Parents and heads up her own National Foundation.
Sabra Ledent’s surprise guest was Carol Cahoon, a former associate of Sabra’s and Diana’s on the Board of WCFE. Carol is a documentary film producer who now lives in Saskatchewan with her husband, an executive in the potash industry.
Susan Eyton-Jones introduced her good friend and good agent, Mary Ingraham from Vancouver. Brian Morel presented Michael Cantwell of McGill. Stratton Stevens introduced Fan Fan Wu, Vice President and Director of Design of Lady Sandra, designers, manufacturers and importers of home furnishings (www.ladysandra.com), and Helen Forbes came with guest Bob White, President of Telequity Inc.
The spirit of the thousandth consecutive Wednesday Night Salon at the Nicholsons' flowed over to the thousand and first, with Sheherazade- like recollections of past such evenings and explanations of some of the possible reasons that have maintained the loyalty of guests over a near twenty year period, followed by a well-received musical presentation. A small sampling of the comments of some of the guests follows:
- " ... quality of people around the table and the differences between people around the table."
- "It is an amazing place where I can as a twenty-one year old get up and (express my differences with) people fifteen years older than I."
- "I work in an ivory tower (a university faculty). It is nice to come here in the real world and to see concern for real issues."
- " ... met ... here and had very little idea of how the policies of his government affected people until he met a welfare mother here."
- “You can bring a Commission to Wednesday Night but you can’t make them think.”
THE EVENING’S DISCUSSION
THE MEGA-MERGER BATTLE CONTINUES
Many of those among us who may have considered Mayor Peter Trent’s lonely battle against forced municipal amalgamation as quixotic, now stand in admiration of his foresight, determination and integrity which were always evident but have withstood the test of that integrity, whatever the final outcome. Fifteen suburban mayors have abandoned their support of the Transition committee to join him in his fight against amalgamation.
A gigantic popular rally is planned for Friday May 11, to indicate to the government that the citizens of the suburban municipalities have not changed in their desire to exercise their democratic rights through the councils and bureaucracy of smaller municipalities.
Trent said they may go from stopping the merger to a delay. Parkinson said that delay is the deadly form of denial. The Mayor is hopeful and said that 66% of Island people are still against, even 46% of Montréalers are against the deal. He also said "We won't work with the Transition Committee" and that 15 Mayors agree to boycott the committee even including St-Laurent.
"I am told that Bernard Landry believes that 'the whole Municipal merger thing is a cadeau enpoisoné' .. a poisoned gift from Bouchard ". He cited two examples of many of Toronto's problems, "they cut the grass four times a year compared to eight times before.." and "take 5.5 min. vs 4 min to answer fire calls!" They have spent $275,000,000 plus & climbing!
John Ciaccia congratulates Peter saying The Courts, on issues that affect rights and freedoms, are influenced by public opinion! Public shows of support can make a difference ...the "law is the law!" citing the James Bay Treaty when the Cree obtained an injunction against the JB project and forced 2000 people to sent back home from the JB project … public opinion and a judge who looked at the question from an equity point of view …Judges can not neglect public opinion.
Others agree provided that two essential elements are present : "the right issue and the right judge" the issue must embody a principle (i.e. aboriginal rights) and the judge must be one who feels strongly about the principle.
Trent: in Westmount, because we were created from The Letters Patent from Queen Victoria in 1874, we have a common law status unlike other cities ..so we have a unique argument in that it requires that the approval must come from the founders of the city .. ie their successors - the present elected Municipal officials.
The most powerful argument come from Tony Lamer when he invoked the unwritten principles [this came out after Toronto] including
1) Respect for democracy
2) Respect for minorities and in Québec, English is a minority ....
Josh Freed: ...…the silver lining is that if they go throughwith the plan, the city will be suburbified and the suburbs won't be citified.
At this juncture, as the participants became particularly vocal, our host reminded the guests that this is not the House of Commons to which one retorted "but it is an uncommon house!"
POPULAR DEMONSTRATIONS – ARE THEY EFFECTIVE?
The question remains as to the effectiveness of such peaceful popular demonstrations. The Summit of the Americas in Quebec City provides little if any answer to, but some clarification of that question. The peaceful meetings of the People’s Summit co-existed with the violent anarchist-inspired demonstrations that triggered what may very well have been an overly violent police reaction. The declaration emanating from the FTAA summit following the three simultaneous events proved to be a welcome document taking into account the concerns of many of the protestors here and in other countries of the Americas.
Two questions remain, namely, will the countries of the free-trade zone follow through on that declaration and did the violent or peaceful demonstrations or either or both, influence the Summit leaders? If the latter, was it the violence in Quebec, or having lived through the violence in Seattle and Vancouver that influenced the government officials? We will probably never know, but we do know that both Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi succeeded in changing the course of history without violence.
THE DRAFT LEGISLATION ON HUMAN GENETIC AND REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY
A draft bill has been presented in Commons that would regulate human genetic and reproductive technology. Presenting the legislation as a draft bill rather than going to first reading, will enhance the possibility of building a consensus. Mid-road between totally liberal and totally conservative, but leaning to the conservative, the proposed law would differ from both the U.S. and U.K. Legislation, favouring the interests of the child over the interests of people wanting a child. Human cloning, the creation of embryos for the purpose of the manufacture of therapeutic products including organs for transplantation, and all aspects of commercial human reproductive technology including the selling of sperm, And rentign of wombs would be outlawed.
Some say the nation should keep out of the bedroom and at the other end ‘life is sacred’. However, it must be remembered that the draft legislation is not one law but many, with people agreeing with some parts and not others.
Sunday, May 20, 2001 at 17:56 JST 1st surrogate birth in Japan stirs debate More than 10 Japanese babies have reportedly been born since 1991 to surrogate mothers in the United States, where the practice is legal. While surrogate mothers and biological parents in the US have gone to court over custody rights, surrogate births are banned in Germany, France and China.
"If the ministry insists on banning the practice, it should take away my medical license."
QUOTES OF THE EVENING
- click for Brian Morel movie | Big
- Hans Black: A fantastic thing that you have done… 20 years. In 1981 interest rates were high; Russians in Afghanistan, all those amazing and turbulent events yet to come.... I thought what you really needed to mark the occasion … this is not a Swiss clock - is a wine that was produced when you started in a good year
(1981 GRAND VIN CHATEAU LATOUR) ..
and I wish you very good health as I pass it on to you.
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- Brian Morel: About 4 weeks ago .. Peter the Mayor said That is a nice idea… why don’t you organize …a 1000 nights .. so I put together a committee of very interesting people ..hard working people .. it was really an incredible …a lot of work .. a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it and I will do it again for the 2000th. Trent: I delegated!
- While there are other informal academic gatherings and formal think tanks, it is nice to be coming into the real world on a Wednesday Night - to meet not just the thinkers, but the practitioners
On the Summit
- "... group of anarchists came and behaved badly - then the police acted badly against everyone including innocents."
- "A lot of movement has been made towards a more humane and a more equitable trading system."
- "Perhaps governments only listen to the violent demonstrators."
ON THE DRAFT BILL ON HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY:
- "The question is whether we should be doing this at all, even if the outcome is good."
- "We can not & we must not stop Science "
do see our Wine page
with links to GRAND VIN CHATEAU LATOUR 1981 on our Wine and Whiskey ( Editor's note: or is that whine and whiskey?) in Westmount Web
Thank you, Thank you Hans & Janet
For comments and your letters click here
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Tue 5/8/01 12:50 AM
Tales of Wednesday Nights of Yore.
'Twas the time of the Commissions, of Agreements, of serious
yearnings stirring in the land; Belanger -Campeau, Meech Lake,
Beaudoin-Edwards, The Charlottetown Accord....a time when a feather
raised in Manitoba changed forever the political landscape of our
time.
Into this time of questioning and reappraisal rode Keith Spicer.
With a Bordelino on his head and regulation in his soul, he brought
the Spicer Commission experiment in unity polity to Wednesday Night.
Marc Nicholson was host that night, and as we sat around the table,
herded into order by an officious pollster, we were asked to answer
the questions on the stipulated questionnaire.
First off, the burning question...What will be the most important
issue for Canada in the 21st Century? And from the back of the room,
came the single word....water. "Water?" she said, scanning her notes
and flipping over pages of questions and answers. .... Yes, said the
voice, ..Water.
And then, the moment of truth was upon us, for this after all was a
major commission sent across the land to hear the views of all the
people..."You can't say water" she said, "it' isn't on the list".
And there you have it, you can bring a Commission to Wednesday Night,
but you cannot make it think.
Happy 1001
Love MML
THE 900th MEETING OF "WEDNESDAY NIGHT"
JUNE 2nd 1999
Architect, Artist, Author, certified genius, Harry Mayerovitch
presented to the Nicholsons, a framed coloured sketch humorously
depicting the weekly salon. ]
Sam Totah |
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Harry Mayerovitch
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