Read About W-N NP story on W-N Contact W-N and Map Invite to Wed1305 Wednesday Night Salon #1305 7 Mar 2007 Page 2 Please GO SEE the OTHER WedNight Site by Diana much better Fiona's webshots.com/album/ video three Letters Wednesday Night's silver anniversary By Stanley Baker David Nicholson photo imgs Diana Nicholson imgs Last Wednesday, the home of David and Diana Nicholson was bursting at the seams, as about 100 formally dressed guests gathered to celebrate the 25th year of their Wednesday Night salons—a discussion group that addresses current events with input from invited guests. Tributes to David and Diana on this auspicious event [25th year] were read from Governor-General Michaelle Jean , as well as Jean Charest and Stéphane Dion — both of whom have attended Wednesday Nights — as well as other luminaries. inc JJJonas Please see Video Susan Eyton-Jones & Peter Trent Reading Letters During the past 25 years, Wednesday Nighters have included many diplomats, bankers, mayors, as well as leaders in professions and commerce. Among the guests last Wednesday were Margaret Lefebvre, Ron Meisels, David Berger, Gerald Ratzer, Julius Grey and Allan Mass. After the imbibing of plentiful libations and refreshments, the formal programme started and was emceed by former Westmount mayor Peter Trent. There was a musical tribute by Roslyn Takeishi and Christopher van Soest. This was followed by a Wednesday Night Retrospective,created by Brian Morel. However, the pièce de resistance of the evening was presented by Trent with John Ciaccia on the piano and the Wednesday Night Singers performing 'Whom to Invite Next Wednesday Night?'. The ingenious lyrics, which mentioned many of those present, were the work of Trent. The Nicholson offspring, Fiona and Marc, spoke about growing up in such an erudite and worldly environment. There was a unanimous toast to David and Diana, to which they both responded in their usual brilliant way. It was indeed a memorable evening, honouring the Nicholsons for their continued hosting a Wednesday Night Salon for 25 years. Those present expressed their heartfelt thanks to them, with the hope that this Westmount tradition will be with us for many years to come. 25 years of Wednesdays Commentary (Editorial from The Westmount Examiner, signed Wayne Larsen) When David and Diana Nicholson marked their 1,000th consecutive Wednesday Night salon in 2001, the formidable milestone was celebrated with a huge, happy party, the likes of which residents of Rosemount Avenue had never seen. The unprecedented occasion was reported not only in The Examiner, but on websites and other electronic media throughout the world. From Hong Kong to Westmount, messages of congratulations flowed in. The couple had achieved the seemingly impossible; if you can imagine hosting a party in your home for anywhere from 20 to 60 people every week for a thousand weeks, you get an idea of what they accomplished. Now, six years later, the Nicholsons have reached another milestone—an entire 25 years have passed since the first Wednesday Night salon back in 1982. During that time they have not missed a single Wednesday, despite any number of obstacles from ice storms and blizzards to 9/11. The longevity of their weekly discussions is not only a testament to their tenacity, but by discussing important matters they are, in their own way, making a valued contribution to the intellectual level of our community and society in general. Though many people hate to admit it, we live in an age dominated by lowbrow ‘tabloid’ values, where untalented, unaccomplished people are given celebrity status and puff pieces dominate news headlines. Nowhere has this been more obvious than the death of Anna Nicole Smith—one of those ‘famous-for-being-famous’ people whose actual resumés are best described as negligible. The deaths of former U.S. presidents Reagan and Ford received much less media attention; even CNN got caught up in all the ‘Anna’ hype—despite the ongoing war in Iraq and other infinitely more important news events. Passing off such stories as news does not make us think; it makes us question our own values. That’s why we’re fortunate to have people like the Nicholsons and their friends in this community, for the subjects they bring to their table are always relevant and important. With one eye on the economy and the other on the political climate—and a few fingers in various other stimulating subjects—they don’t care if Britney shaves her head or where Anna is buried, and neither should we. As long as these basic values are maintained, we will never completely succumb to the mass ‘dumbing down’ of our society. Congratulations to the Nicholsons for 25 years of Wednesday Nights. May they continue for many more. Dear Wayne, David and I were touched by the glowing editorial tribute to Wednesday Night. You have encapsulated the essence of Wednesday Night, as did Martin Barry with his reference to the Fred Friendly quote which Peter Trent and David often cite. But, of course, we are only the catalysts for these evenings, it is the thoughtful and thought-provoking contributions of the participants that guarantee the success of each evening and the longevity of the institution. We are particularly proud that in recent years a whole new generation of 30-somethings has joined us. They contribute so much knowledge of the newer topics and a fresh perspective on some of the older ones. Sad, but true, we are all fascinated/repulsed by the "famous-for-being-famous". Moreover, even the good works of some of the famous, like Brad & Angelina, are tainted by the tabloid coverage of their private lives (oxymoron?). We are so sorry that you weren't able to be with us for the Silver Anniversary - it was even better than described by Martin and Stanley Baker (incidentally, we are curious why Stanley's piece appears only online and Martin's only in print) , but all went by in a flash. Fortunately, David made a real nuisance of himself beforehand, insisting that there must be videotaping of the proceedings. The precious tapes will allow us to savour the memories over and over. Do come join us soon - we miss you! David joins in sending our very best regards, Diana Dedicated Wednesday Nighters celebrate 25 years By Martin C. Barry A quote by former CBS News president Fred Friendly helped mark the 25th anniversary of Wednesday Night. Describing the task faced by broadcast news reporters, Friendly — who is considered a towering figure in the history of journalism — once said that the job "is not to make up anybody's mind, but to open minds and to make the agony of decision-making so intense you can escape only by thinking." In honour of the weekly news and current events salon's first quarter-century, more than 100 guests dressed in formal wear attended a gala evening last Wednesday in the home where it has all taken place — at David and Diana Nicholson's on Rosemount Avenue. Among the invited were former Westmount mayor Peter Trent and his wife, Kathryn Stephenson, former Westmount city councillor Herbert Bercovitz, Louise Roy, chair of the Conseil des arts de Montréal, Montreal city councillor Helen Fotopoulos, former Liberal MP Eleni Bakopanos, CJAD entertainment editor John Moore, Michel Kelly-Gagnon, president of the Conseil du Patronat du Québec, and Canadian film producer Michael Kronish. The Nicholsons' son, Marc, flew in from his home in Singapore where he owns an advertising agency, and Fiona, their daughter, came from her home in Canmore, Alberta, where she is an organizational team-builder and coach. Montreal lawyer Linda Julien, who is currently leading the Liberal Party of Canada's search for women candidates, read out a message of congratulations sent by Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, who was a guest at Wednesday Night just prior to the Liberal convention last fall. Roslyn Takeishi, founder of the Copeland St. James computer consultancy, performed an original song composed for the occasion, accompanied by Christopher van Soest on guitar. Marc got a few laughs from the crowd with some of his revealing observations. He got some more a bit later when he embraced Trent in grand French tradition with a kiss on both sides of the face. "I think I was 12 years old the first Wednesday Night," he said. "Since then, I've lost my virginity. It wasn't to a Wednesday Nighter, but it was to one of their daughters. "We've actually watched this whole process unfold, and what is absolutely lovely is to see all of you come back and support us and celebrate it," he added. "Because each one of you has made it the unbelievable success that it is today." Apart from the companionship and lively exchanges of information that have taken place over more than 1,300 Wednesdays, there have also been 39 marriages, according to David. The most recent took place last summer on July 14, added Diana. While the focus was primarily on stock markets and investments when Wednesday Night was launched in 1982, gradually it has shifted elsewhere. "Many people come particularly when the market crashes," he said. "They want to know what's going on. So we still do talk about the stock market. But we're older and wiser and we want to talk about all kinds of things now … It's become a lifestyle for us and for many of our friends." Print this article Radio Like the report of Mark Twain's death, reports of the death of radio –at least FM – are greatly exaggerated. What will happen to the price of oil? Real estate Bulletin Board www.flickr.com More of davidnicholson's photos tagged with Wed1305 Wed 1305 slide show Wednesday nights 25th anniversary AND Reasonable accommodation! First and foremost hearty and warm congratulations to the hosts of Wednesday nights –who entertained, educated, cultured many of their guests – without distinction of race, creed, colour, religion and sexual orientation – one has to celebrate also their contribution to the Canadian mosaic of nationhood-- in this year of the 25th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I am sure they added their marks – in their own distinctive way - to what many people call Canadian tolerance or the Canadian multicultural society we live in. True, the Nicholsons – known better by their first names David and Diana - are the perfect hosts, not so indifferent to the names and/or professional designation of their guests and they treat each and everyone of them by one title superior to their current ones – Mr. Minister, Hon. Judge, Maitre, Doctor, Mr. Mayor etc., some are true while others they make up to give flair and substance to what the individual has to say. While giving credit where credit is due, I will be remiss if I do not acknowledge the contribution of David & Diana Nicholson's technical capabilities to add flair and substance to the Wednesday Nights – including the often-visited world wide web page - in informing their guests of what goes on both outside and inside the world of their Wednesday night discussions --excluding no one from their long list of friends. That of course brings me to the current subject of « reasonable accommodation ». David and Diana have been accommodating their version for some 25 years or in real figures some 1305 times (and in the Westmount enclave of the WASP bastion), and without thinking for a moment that their weekly gatherings needed a set of resolutions as set forth by the small municipality in Québec … a town with a population smaller than the number of friends David has in his e-mail address book – the only condition set to attend the Wednesday Nights Salon, one that is not even in writing, is to bring a bottle (not an empty one, mind you!) – and if you forget one at your first attendance – two will be accepted the next time around. Case closed. The Wednesday nights rolls on without change of rules in the middle of the game. That is a perfect way to respond to the current version of « reasonable accommodation » for guests of all creeds and persuasions to debate current subjects of interest under the banner and hammer of Maitre D' David Nicholson’s put up or shut up internal rules. Voilà, in a nutshell what I dOWN to remember from the Wednesday Nights I have attended and enjoyed as being part of this « elite » group while I do not share all views expressed and have reservations on some economic and political predictions. Respectfully submitted, Sam Totah “Initiator of the written record of these memorable evenings!” samtotah@yahoo.com Montreal, Quebec, Canada March, 2007 Please see what Sam said about the Salon and the 700th 2 August 1995 and Le Maire: Pierre Bourque Sent: Fri 3/9/2007 4:39 AM I am forwarding Jeremy's account of the evening at Holly's request. It certainly seems to have been a memorable evening and a good time was had by all! Regards and best wishes from John J. Jonas, O.C., C.Q., FRSC, Ph.D. Birks Professor of Metallurgy From: Jeremy Jonas [mailto:jeremy@jonas.ca] To: John Joseph Jonas, Prof. Subject: RE: Wednesday Night Well despite your absence the family was well represented with 3 of us there - Jono also brought a posse of well-dressed friends and roommates. The soirée went very well, basically a well-lubricated cocktail party - though drinks were more or less limited to using up the many, many old bottles of red wine that have been accumulating over time. Thank goodness that plonk too benefits in palatability from aging. Serves us all right, so to speak, as we were collectively the ones that would have brought the wine there over time. There was actually not much by way of speeches etc. There were some brief remarks, and indeed they read messages from a few "proches" such as yours, which was very nicely written and very well received. Peter Trent wrote and performed a very charming and witty G&S-type song, complete with back-up chorus with David and Diana masks. That was certainly a (if not the) highlight of the evening. Many people you know were referred to in the song (Julius, Tony, etc., etc.) including the Jonas hordes. Everyone was in a great mood and really, it was just a lovely evening and fun party. Another high-light in my books was authentic Schwartz's smoked meat served at midnight with all the trimmings. It was popular with many. The basement was in excellent form (thanks to Maisonneuve) and the party oscillated between floors. There was very charming company of all genders and all very well turned out - enough said on that. I imagine photos will shortly be up on the website... Best to all, Jeremy Jeremy Lee Jonas Managing Partner Loon Island Group, Inc. jeremy@jonas.ca Canadian dollar is expected to decline against its U.S. counterpart. The economy See also JACQUES CLEMENT: Pages ON THE ECONOMY Please see a Wed1305 Video Diana Reads Jacques Letter WN 0:26 sec In a letter to Allan Mass dated Feb 23, 2007 MO< "I am leaving tomorrow for two weeks in Cuba and, unfortunately, will be missing that important event. Diana and David have achieved a weekly gathering of minds where we have all learned a lot from each other. For myself, I have learned to present a financial and economic presentation from 7 minutes initially down to 2 minutes now! Give my best regards and congratulations this remarkable couple whose hospitality could not be matched. David is a maestro at conducting the evening and Diana's 'intellect' is difficult to match. All the best of success for the next 25 years." Jacques video Notes by Herb Bercovitz OWN Editor: Diana Thébaud Nicholson OWN Radio, the long-lasting treasure intro Wed1305 | Wed1305 slide show Please see a Video Susan Eyton-Jones singing and Peter Trent Reading Letters Oil DTN OWN more Louise | DTN Diana Nicholson OWN slides | hands | all | & Louise 3-M slides | albums | all Jacques Clément OWN slides Video Jacques Letter 0:26 sec Gerald Ratzer OWN Note Wednesday-Night creates charts and follows stocks, including timely related financial news items, in which Wednesday Nighters are interested and in order to demonstrate a service that could eventually be developed and marketed. Wednesday Nighters are invited to participate and help to test the service. see Wednesday-Night.com Flip charts QUOTES of the EVENING from recent Wednesday Nights 2007 From #1305 invite It’s not a Bush problem, it’s an American problem. He is playing double or nothing. He is trying to shift the responsibility from the Coalition to the Iraqis New York City has more police officers than Iraq has troops If I were advising (President) Bush, I would first advise him to learn to look and appear sincere Saddam was able to rule by force, corruption and fear Our military is not adapted to the new realities of war … you don’t know who the good guys are nor understand the language and culture. Maybe you have to rethink who the good guys are I would rather see free access to all our media than see our trees cut down (due to overuse of printed publications) We are trying to graft on instantaneous democracy … Everyone has an unrealistic idea of imposing Western democracy. It is like proselytizing Christianity Maybe once you are there (in Iraq), you can’t just leave We have lost sight of the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend and the situation today is far worse than in the days when Saddam kept Iran in check More Quotes Short | Full List www.flickr.com This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from davidnicholson tagged with diananicholson. Make your own badge here. Diana Nicholson Past Quotes Best or All Mouse bio see Diana show hands | RJG | Album Herb Bercovitz OWN Galbraith imges his page See slides | Album and Art slides | Album W-N Links for #1305 a NewYorker Cartoon every 30 sec. see w-n Right Menu => Harper's Home 2007 Notes for #1305 video three Letters Brilliant. I’m so proud of you guys!! Marc Nicholson Sun, 4 Mar 2007 15:14:23 +0100 March fo(u)rth! Would love to come but we can't hop from Paris to Montreal that night. Sorry about any inconvenience, ours that is Send our love and very dear memories to D und D Sorry for the delay in answering a temptational invitation Best regards and a very memorable evening (please send us any feedbackn photos You Tube, a line or two, whatever) Gap & Robert Aarsse Dear Diana and David, Marion Canute My thoughts were with you all as you celebrated the Wednesday Night anniversary, and I wanted to send you belated "CONGRATULATIONS" for your wonderful achievement! I am merely one of a multitude of admirers, but let me just say that I praise you both with great praise! You set into motion & have maintained something that´s enriched us all, and at the center you both gleam, periwinkle-bright, with unbeatable warmth and humor. I hope you & the-doggy-one(s?) are well & riding out the relentless winter with your usual aplomb. I am doing alright here in rainy Berlin, as I start getting a little more creative professionally: while you were toasting Wed. Night I was down in Bavaria with a TV camera, filming a wonderful 80-year old woman for a possible radio or TV documentary; something that´s been burbling at the back of my mind for quite awhile. We´ll see if anything comes of it, but at any rate it was good to be back in the journalistic saddle again. There´s also a small chance of doing some environmental reporting in Africa, but I still have to investigate that possibility... Will let you know. Once more, thanks for having so generously included me in Wednesday Night & for having opened hearth & home to me... and I look forward to seeing you at the very latest when I roll into Montreal this summer. Love and hugs, xo Marion Marion Canute [mcanute7@aol.com] Wednesday Mar 7, 2007 Real-estate market off and running Montreal's residential real estate market got the year off with a vigorous start, with an 11-per-cent increase in sales ... Montreal's residential real estate market got the year off with a vigorous start, with an 11-per-cent increase in sales in January and an eight-per-cent increase in February. A total of 8,954 homes traded hands across the greater Montreal area in January, 881 more than were sold during the same period a year earlier. Last month, 5,350 homes were sold, compared with 4,932 a year before. Condominiums remain a popular choice, with 1,900 sales since the beginning of the year, compared to 1,675, for a 13-per- cent increase. The average selling price rose by six per cent to $199,000. Single-family home sales rose during the first two months by 11 per cent to 5,881 properties. The average selling price also rose by six per cent to $216,000. Michel Beausejour, chief executive of the Montreal real-estate board attributes the increased sales to a healthy economy, sustained job creation and strong consumer confidence. If all the conditions hold, 2007 could be another record-setting year, he predicted. For its part, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. is predicting that 2007 will closely match 2006, with about 38,000 resales. The good news came even as agents complain that the spring market, which usually begins in February, got off to a sluggish start, with a paucity of new listings to entice would-be buyers. Some wonder whether buyers have been sidelined until the provincial election is decided. The total volume of sales transacted since Jan. 1 is $1.9 billion, up 18 per cent compared with the first two months of 2006. As of Feb. 28, there were 36,784 active listings posted on the MLS system, an eight-per-cent increase from the 35,869 posted a year ago. mlamey@thegazette.canwest.com © The Gazette (Montreal) 2007 Thursday 25 January 2007 Senate Panel Rejects Bush’s Plan for Iraq Thursday 18 January 2007 Clinton calls for more U.S. troops in Afghanistan U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton called Wednesday for more American troops in Afghanistan while putting a cap on the number of U.S. soldiers deployed in Iraq. Rex Murphy's Point of View index Menu to mitworld.mit.edu/ on-demand videos of significant public events at MIT. in RealPlayer Ex Thomas L. Friedman. While you were Seeping The World IS Flat Video length is 1:15:04. Stephen S. Poloz VP EDC Economics Weekly Commentary Exports More Diversified in 2006 - March 7, 2007 The final numbers are now in for Canada?s trade in 2006. Many exporters will remember 2006 as a tough year, but there are some rays of sunshine between those clouds. Canada?s total exports of goods and services were worth $524 billion in 2006, of which $459 billion were goods and $65 billion in services. This was an increase of only 1% over 2005, after growth of 5.1% in 2005 and 7.1% in the boom year, 2004. 2006 was slow, it is true, but it is worth recalling that Canada?s exports saw an extended period of decline just a few years ago: during 2001-2003, Canada?s exports fell outright three years in a row, cumulatively by about 6%. Past issues | his WN page Commentary podcast. Wednesday-Night.com on Privacy Canadian dollar vs euro | Dow 30 w-n chart | TSX Paul Martin | Stevie Harper Danny van Gelder Wed1304 with Thomas Windmuller 28 Feb 2006 an active day trading yesterday, the TSX had lost almost 365 points and the Dow, over 416 Catherine Gillbert and Louise des Trois Maisons , and Sheila Arnopoulos and Dr. Mark Roper OWN O.W.N. in photos Shortages of physicians in Québec and then Frank Kruzich mines & Metals John Curtin and Gerald Ratzer OWN also Andrew Echenberg and Danny van Gelder on camera; Climate Change – Can we afford Kyoto? Diana slides on Wed1304 Notes by Herb Bercovitz and click for Wed1304Report see also Wednesday-Night.com MedicalNotes Would you like to the Computer Box Click Here To Add Wed1305page2.asp To Your Favorites More Info About... Read Cookie for Site www.iedm.org/ coming Events Wed1304 report Wed1305 invite Wed1306 invite The views above are neither those of the authors nor the owner of the website, but merely reflect discussions that took place on this evening