Wednesday-Night.com
Salon Magazine vol 18 October 27, 1999

Wednesday Night #921
October 27, 1999

THE INVITATION

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Nicholson,

John Bowring

Below is a copy of the invitation for #921 that I have just received.

Fr. David Oliver

Guests from Europe

The next Wednesday-Night will be controlled ... led by Fr. David Oliver which we are confident will be most interesting and different.
with
Diana and David Nicholson as guests
The Nicholsons are home!
But, they have asked that I would continue one more week as Chair, if no longer as host.
Our issues for discussion will be topical as usual. The issue of Native rights and compensation was raised briefly last week, but could use a more careful look. This is a very good cbc editorial on the issue of the Supreme Court decision and directly reflects some of what John Ciaccia said this night

Robin Wohnsigl VP AC

The Air Canada / Onex matchup is taking on aspects of the WWW - and I do not mean Worldwide Web, but the infamous Wild World of Wrestling! (or however they style themselves.)
The main focus of the evening will be to hear the impressions of David and Diana after their trip to England and France. We are looking forward to hearing their personal news, but also their insights into these two nations that are so close to the psyche of Montrealers.
David Oliver, temporary chair of Wednesday night for
Diana and David Nicholson

cbcnews.cbc on the airlines dispute
Wednesday 13 October 1999 Net weaves grip tighter Wireless links mean Web-saturated future nears here
Imagine ordering a plane ticket on the way to the airport using a hand-held organizer or pager, with a wireless link to the Internet.
Please seeAir Canada vs Onex latest
with an opinion piece by Marc Lalonde
Waving the flag and the 10% rule?

How the airline smarts of Robert Milton saved
Air Canada from Gerry Schwartz (saved)

See Margaret Lefebvre-Walker who is running in Westmount
David Oliver , temporary host for
Diana and David Nicholson

921

THE SALON
Wednesday Night October 27 #921

Prof Tony Deutsch

Wednesday evening October 27th 1999 at the Nicholsons' was the evening of the two Davids. David Oliver ably chaired this, his third consecutive session, while the Nicholsons, David and Diana, freshly returned from a European visit, played guest. It was an evening of unusual consensus with guests whose philosophy normally spans the entire political spectrum, largely agreeing on most issues.

Supreme Court decision on Native Fishing rights

How do you feel about the recent Supreme Court decision on Native Fishing rights? How would you react if you discovered that your city, your family home or business had suddenly been discovered to actually be the property of the original Canadians thanks to a treaty entered into with them by a long-deceased king of England? Well, a deal is a deal, is a deal. The government of Québec quite correctly reminded Newfoundland of this principle when the latter applied to the courts in order to attempt to break the Churchill Falls contract some years ago. Still, the fishing and hunting rights issue has caused much acrimony thanks to the shortsightedness of the Federal government in not foreseeing the possible Supreme Court decision and negotiating with the Native Peoples as was done by the government of British Columbia and the Nisga'a nation. The Supreme Court might have helped avoid the hard feelings between the natives and white Canadians by nuancing its decision, by placing it in the context and framework of the Canada of today, while acknowledging in general terms the rights accorded by the treaty.
(Editor's note: There is a fine piece on this topic which largely reflects comments made on Wednesday-Night at the - newly-discovered-by-us - excellent site for a href="javascript:openAnyWindow('http://www.cbcnews.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/1999/10/28/native_big991028','remote', 535, 450, 'scrollbars', 'status');"> CBC.ca
Sergeant Pepper and the APEC Enquiry

Is Sergeant Stewart covering up for the P.M.O.?
Did he act correctly in using pepper spray against the protestors at the APEC summit?
Was the government naive in planning to hold that particular conference on a university campus?
The most likely scenario is that Sergeant Stewart reacted to the blocking of the road, an action likely to escalate, and reacted rapidly to a perceived threat. He knew that, as disagreeable as it was, the pepper spray held far less potential risk of serious damage for the individuals involved than other possible measures. He probably also had reason to believe that an extremely unpopular diplomatic figure faced possible life-threatening harm in Canada if the road were not cleared. The subsequent court case has the appearance of an attempt to continue the protest. Ultimately, the police and military have the obligation to follow a legal order, and to refuse to follow an order if they believe it to be illegal. There does not appear to be any evidence that the order to clear the road was illegal. Perhaps in retrospect, the response was more rapid and more severe than required, but the judgement of a seasoned police officer might be questioned, but not his motivation, nor may the constitutional right to free assembly. [Waist of time, money and Air Time .. slap the kids and send them home! DTN]
Wed 8/1/01 7:00 PM REPORT INTO 1997 APEC UNREST FINALLY DELIVERED
The long-awaited APEC report, 453-page report, is finally in the hands of the RCMP Public Complaints Commission, three and a half years after protesters clashed with police at the 1997 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vancouver. ...The allegations sparked an inquiry that sat for more than 160 days and heard from more than 150 witnesses.
cbc.ca/cgi-bin/view?/news/2001/08/01/apec010801
Dear CBC has more space to waist on APEC in Vancover 1997 with The Continuing Story, What is APEC Video, Archives, Links & Your Turn!
Air Canada/Canadian/ONEX/all the other players
*** (See below for a humourous take on the airline business)
What is happening in the airline business in Canada? Which is the better deal and for whom? The Onex deal? The Air Canada Proposal? Why is the government of Canada intervening in the ultimate demise of Canadian Airlines? Why is the government of Canada talking about a change in rules regarding a maximum ten percent ownership of Air Canada without permitting other players to enter the contest before the deal is finalized? There appears to be some suspicion in some quarters that the Canadian government is attempting to use the Onex plan to bolster support in Western Canada. The tragedy is that the Canadian West appears to have outgrown such provincialism, and that the result may be the loss of identity of Air Canada, one of the world's best run airlines with no resulting increase in competition on Canadian routes. The Government of Canada should make the decision based solely on what is in the interest of the Canadian consumer. It is to be hoped that this will be its ultimate course of action. Any decision should keep in mind that we are a small population spread out in a thin ribbon extending along our southern border. No European country, where populations are much denser and more concentrated has more than one national airline and a number of smaller European national airlines are virtually disappearing.
It is fascinating to watch the press coverage on this issue. Criticism of Minister Collenette is harsh, and who would have believed that the head of the Competition bureau would be lionized by the media?
The market
On the stock market, the only interesting news is that two over-the counter- stocks have been added to the Dow, namely Home Depot and Intel. Since last month, the Dow Jones has retreated with an October 15 low. Normally, a year end rally would be expected at this point, but some investors, wary of Y2K, are waiting until the beginning of 2000 to make their buys, while others may be taking a tax advantage by selling off at the end of the year. In any event a recovery is to be expected in January.
The T.S.E. index [TSE 300 chart] margin numbers are 6800 and 7300. The 7300 number should be breached before the 6800.
Thursday, October 28, 1999 America’s GDP surged in the third quarter, as firms built up their inventories. Output grew by a faster than expected 4.8%, up from 1.9% in the previous quarter.
But measuring the size of the “new” economy is a statistical minefield. The most generous estimate comes from the OECD, which tracks the “knowledge-based economy”. It estimates that this accounts for 51% of total business output in the developed economies—up from 45% in 1985. But this definition, which tries to capture all industries that are relatively intensive in their inputs of technology and human capital, is implausibly wide. As well as computers and telecoms, it also includes cars, chemicals, health, education, and so forth. It would be a stretch to call many of these businesses “new”.
A study published in June by the Department of Commerce estimates that the digital economy—the hardware and software of the computer and telecoms industries—amounts to 8% of America’s GDP this year. If that sounds rather disappointing, then a second finding—that IT has accounted for 35% of total real GDP growth since 1994—should keep e-fanatics happy.
Quotes of the evening
I would like to question that because we have two Canadian airlines, we have competition. I have the feeling that within a few years, the only part of the airline that is Canadian, will be the maple leaf on the tail (of the aircraft).
The decision on the Onex deal will be a political decision. I have the impression that Air Canada is using the Marquess of Queensbury rules and Onex is Kick-boxing.
London and Paris, a few observations
As the evening drew to a close, David and Diana shared a few thoughts regarding their recent trip. the trip was wonderful. It was a delight to be with Marc Nicholson and Jean Low, to meet a number of their incredibly bright and attractive friends and associates, to see so many old friends and family members, and the flights to and from with BA were very pleasant. Like so many others, the Nicholsons were appalled by the cost of living in London and cited a few examples such as the fact that a British resident can buy a car on the Continent, pay the duty and still save up to 35% of the cost of the same car in the UK. (A propos, the Wall Street Journal of Friday, October 28 carried a lengthy piece In Europe, surfing a Web of Red Tape, Even on Internet, Ancient Rules Inflate Prices, Block Path to 'Borderless Commerce'.
The pace of living among the 30 something crowd is almost untenable. Marc and his friends regularly put in 18 hour days and often sleep at their offices. There is simply no time for them to enjoy the many advantages of living in London, theatre, museums, concerts. They do have more holidays than their North American counterparts, but there should be concern about the influence of the all-work-no-play ethic on the next generation.
London is just too big. Traffic is at a virtual standstill. The tube is the only reliable means of getting around town if one wants to be on time. What used to be an eminently livable city is now a stressed-out metropolis. There are still the beautiful buildings and parks, but who has time to enjoy them?
Paris seems to suffer less from the above, although the city is obviously prospering and is neater and cleaner than ever. The streets are crowded with tourists, many more Spanish/Italian and Portuguese speaking than previously. A sign of prosperity under the EC. (Lots of English signs, too! …but we won't go into that.)
Conclusions?
Montreal is a wonderful place to live and work. We have a lot to offer the Europeans in terms of highly qualified, multilingual labour (and management); we should be concentrating on the high tech, software, telecommunications and film-related talents to attract North American subsidiaries of European companies. Our universities should be carving out specialized niches as the great Universities are doing in Europe (and as Concordia is doing in the aviation field).
Interestingly, while the Nicholsons were in London, the Governor of California was there, leading a trade mission from Silicone Valley - and where was M. Bouchard? Leading a trade mission to Silicone Valley!
On that note, David Oliver was warmly thanked for the excellent job he has done over the last three weeks and the Nicholsons expressed their delight in being guests at such an interesting and stimulating Wednesday Night.
Notes by Herb Bercovitz Edited by Diana Thébaud Nicholson

If The Airlines Sold Paint

Customer (CU): Hi, how much is your paint?
Clerk (CL): Well, sir, that all depends.
CU: Depends on what?
CL: Actually, a lot of things.
CU: How about giving me an average price?
CL: Wow, that's too hard a question. The lowest price is $9 a gallon, and we have 150 different prices up to $200 a gallon.
CU: What's the difference in the paint?
CL: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint.
CU: Well, then, I'd like some of that $9 paint.
CL: Well, first I need to ask you a few questions. When do you intend to use it?
CU: I want to paint tomorrow, on my day off.
CL: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint. CU: What? When would I have to paint in order to get the $9 version?
CL: That would be in three weeks, but you will also have to agree to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at least Sunday.
CU: You've got to be kidding! CL: Sir, we don't kid around here. Of course, I'll have to check to see if we have any of that paint available before I can sell it to you.
CU: What do you mean you'll have to check to see if you can sell it to me? You have shelves full of the stuff! I can see it right there.
CL: Just because you can see it doesn't mean that we have it. It may be the same paint, but we sell only a certain number of gallons on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price just went up to $12.
CU: You mean the price went up while we were talking?
CL: Yes, sir. You see, we change prices and rules thousands of times a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with your paint yet, we just decided to change. Unless you want the same thing to happen again, I would suggest that you get on with your purchase. How many gallons do you want?
CU: I don't know exactly. Maybe five gallons. Maybe I should buy six gallons just to make sure I have enough.
CL: Oh, no, sir; you can't do that. If you buy the paint and then don't use it, you will be liable for penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you already have.
CU: What?
CL: That's right. We can sell you enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the bedroom, you will be in violation of our tariffs.
CU: But what does it matter to you whether I use all the paint? I already paid for it!
CL: Sir, there's no point in getting upset; that's just the way it is. We make plans based upon the idea that you will use all the paint, and when you don't, it just causes us all sorts of problems. If you spill the paint, you'll have to pay us to replace it.
CU: This is crazy! I suppose something terrible will happen if I don't keep painting until after Saturday night?
CL: Yes, sir, it will.
CU: Well, that does it! I'm going somewhere else to buy my paint. CL: That won't do you any good, sir. We all have the same rules. And thanks for painting with our airlines!
Malcolm G. Scott
Publisher, Pacific Asia Travel News

Diana Thébaud & Thaipan

HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE in our medical file.

920 next Wed922Gervais

Notes by Herbert Bercovitz
Edited by Diana Thébaud Nicholson

Thank you to Andrew de Courcy-Ireland for the comments in theStk Forecasts page
or Stk forecast Banks

see Margaret Lefebvre-Walker RUN

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