#922 Marc Gervais

david.nicholson's

HO HO HO and HEE HEE HEE
David Oliver's had his three.
The Reverend put on an excellent show
But Nicholson's back and raring to go
This Wednesday's agenda is varied indeed,
book launching*, tax policy** and ending with Reed***.
We hope you will come, bringing wisdom and wit
to debate budget options and absorb some CanLit.

David and Diana Nicholson
* Father Marc Gervais, S.J. has just published Ingmar Bergman Magician and Prophet which we will celebrate with him on Wednesday. 1-World Review
** We hope to spend some time preparing for the visit of Lucienne Robillard next Wednesday (the 10th); Mme Robillard seeks suggestions regarding what Paul Martin should do with the budget surplus. [must read]
'Spectacular' $621B has been paid in interest on debt It will take two centuries to wipe out national debt at current pace ...The total amount paid in interest will keep increasing at an annual rate of $40-billion until the federal government decides to pay down the $576-billion national debt more aggressively.
*** The Book by Reed Scowen who has just returned from London where he was seeking investors for Montreal, principally in the aerospace and call centre sectors.

$1 cdn = .42UK pounds

THE SALON

Wednesday Night November 3, 1999 # 922

Herb Bercovitz

Editor's Note:
Prior to the discussion, guests were invited to admire Herb Bercovitz's recently completed marble sculpture, "Contrition", another magnificent piece from our many-talented friend and Municipal Councillor (until Sunday when his successor will be elected). The Nicholsons are fortunate to have the loan of this beautiful piece until the 16th when it will be joining the body of Herb's work in time for the vernissage scheduled for the 18th. The Showing of his work will run untill Jan 2, 2000
Yvette Biondi, returning after a long hiatus, introduced her son Frédéric Laurin, just back from Strasbourg where he received his Master's in Economics and European law, in addition to his recently completed Master's in Economics and Finance. Frédéric previously received his Bachelor's degree from McGill University in Political Economy.
Before her eloquent introduction of Father Marc Gervais,- Linda Leith, also absent from Wednesday Night for most of the summer -, gave a brief "show and tell" of her newly published very slim volume, "Travels with an Umbrella, An Irish Journey" -- a translation of Louis Gauthier's "Voyage en Irlande avec un parapluie".
FATHER MARC GERVAIS AND INGMAR BERGMAN

Fr Marc Gervais

Where but at the Nicholsons' Wednesday Night Salon can a group of thirty guests of assorted origin, religious and philosophical orientation discuss the virtues of a Lutheran filmmaker with a Jesuit Catholic Priest? The Reverend Father Marc Gervais, S.J., Professor of Culture and History at Concordia University, was the guest of honour, and the occasion was a discussion of his recently published book, "Ingmar Bergman, Magician and Prophet." It was a fascinating experience.
The Gazette has a good story in B 4 Monday, November 08, 1999 by Brendan Kelly with a Tedd Church Photo of Fr. Marc

Yvette Biondi

THE BUDGET SURPLUS
Canada is piling up an embarrassingly large fiscal surplus which, by Paul Martin's conservative estimate, will reach almost one hundred billion dollars over a five year period, insufficient to even begin to satisfy the demands of the imaginative spending public, but sufficiently impressive to pique the imagination of arm-chair (as well as professional) economists.
The supply-side economics proponents of tax reduction point to the success of post-Thatcher Britain and post-Reagan United States, while the horrified opponents point to the deterioration of the traditional Canadian education system and safety net and the increasing world-wide economic gap between the wealthy and poor. It causes one to wonder at a time such as this, what happened to those misguided adherents of Social Credit. Perhaps revamping our social safety net along the basis of a per-capita dividend isn't such a bad idea after all. Of course it would require the acceptance of the principle of the right not to work. In any event, it seems that Mm. Martin and Chrétien have already decided that half the surplus will be spent on programs and a quarter each on tax relief and debt reduction.

Prof Tony Deutsch

THE ECONOMY
There is some concern about the American economy. Over the short term the dollar will drop to between .85 and .95 Yen. Money is leaving the United States and going to Europe, Japan, Australia and South Africa. No significant amounts of money are being placed in Canada ("Money goes where it is treated best.").
The principal concern is the increasing trade deficit, despite the large fiscal surplus. Inflation is heating up and interest rates are on the increase. The concentration remains on growth stocks. The early results coming through are significant. The average rate of growth in the U.S. economy is 3.4% this year, with a 2.6% inflation rate.
In Canada, every sector remains strong. We will enjoy a rate of growth of 4% to 5% in the third quarter. The Gross Domestic Product will grow by 2.5%. The unit labour cost is non-inflationary, but there remains very little if any fat in the system. Because of this, there remains the risk of increased inflation and the probability of increased interest rates in the new year. The bank rate will probably rise by 1/4% to 1/2% during the coming year.

Elizabeth Wojtowicz

Profit figures are very strong in Canada, indicating that the stock market is undervalued here. It's time to buy.
MUNICIPAL MERGERS
Despite the lack of coherent logic behind the push to municipal mergers, Québec appears to continue to move in that direction. Louise Harel will bring down her white paper, probably towards the end of this month, offering three or so options, all including some amalgamation. In the process, it is not inconceivable that such successful municipalities as Westmount and Outremont might well disappear.

Brian Morel
Used his Sony Digital 510 to take these photos

It is meanwhile distressing to note the dismissive attitude of the Québec government towards the results of the recent referendum held on the proposed merger of Mont Tremblant and St. Jovite. All will be watching the promised legal battle with great interest.
QUOTES OF THE EVENING

"Every country has its Bergman Jesuit".
"No researcher dares talk of the economics of (municipal) mergers."
"At the end of the day, will companies ever make money on the Internet? Some will, many won't. The Internet is just the medium."

"Contrition"by Herbert Bercovitz

Notes by Herbert Bercovitz
Edited by Diana Thébaud Nicholson

For RonMeisles: IQ test on the word "mean" as a measure of variability?

a. Mean = median
b. Mean > median
c. Mean < Median
d. mean = mode

Diana Thébaud & Thaipan

921 DTN next Wed923LR

Jacques Clement

Reed Scowan & Chill Heward

Margaret Lefebvre-Walker Won

our Medical Web ..Super Hospital