Wednesday Night Salon # 929

22^th December 1999

The Prelude

A week away from the winter solstice and the thoughts of the twenty-fifth or so, David and Diana Nicholson’s guests turned, neither to fears of the Y2K bug, nor to wild predictions of a transformed world as all four digits signifying the year simultaneously roll over to a two and three zeros. Rather, as the end of just another year approaches, there was a sober assessment of the current year and predictions for the year 2000. Get Y2000 test/fix for your computer and see the Bug

Wednesday Night Salon, December 22, 1999 #929

The Serious Part

It is a rare Wednesday evening that does not include some form of economic analysis, and Wednesday evening December 22 paid token tribute to that tradition. Under brief discussion were mergers in the transportation industry, rail and air. At this time, there is every likelihood that both will be achieved, with little effect on either the transportation of goods or humans, except perhaps better air service to remote areas thanks to the freeing up of additional aircraft to improve that service. As for prices and profitability, they are dependent on the economy and, in the case of airlines, on the percentage of seats filled with paying passengers.

Venezuelan Relief

Robin Wohnsigl

Diana introduced René Armando Armas Maes, a Venezuelan student who is working towards his International Aviation MBA at Concordia. René is spending the holidays working at the Venezuelan consulate with a group of students who are organizing disaster relief for their country following the heavy rains and landslides which have devastated Venezuela this week. Over 150, 000 are homeless, transportation networks have been destroyed, airports closed, many communities will have to be re-located. There is urgent need for children's clothing, bedding, emergency shelters and pharmaceuticals, among other items.

All are urged to help René with ideas, companies and people he can contact. René may be reached at (514) 932-1083.

The fun part

Following this plea, David invited guests to gather around the piano for a delightful interlude with Susan Eyton-Jones, followed by George "La faute du fédéral" Bowser, John Ciaccia, Peter F. Trent, and others. Yvette Biondi accompanied the assembled guests on the piano as they sang Christmas songs beside the fireplace. This was after all, the last Wednesday evening before the last Christmas and the penultimate before we say farewell to the 1900's and bravely face a new decade of zeros. Diana and David Nicholson and their guests face the future with confidence and good cheer, looking forward to next Wednesday Evening, the last before the New Year.

Notes by Herbert Bercovitz, Sculptor
Edited by Diana Thébaud Nicholson

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THE 930 INVITATION

Yes, yes, of course the doors are open on this, the last Wednesday of the 1990s - the last Wednesday of the 20th century. So, please join us for a look back - or forward - maybe even sideways!

To all our friends, new and old, we extend our warmest greetings and voeux les plus sincères for a wonderful season, embracing Christmas, Chanukah, the Winter Solstice, Rammadan and even the Pop Apocalypse.

With a certain sadness, we recognize that this is the last time that we write 1999 in connection with a Wednesday Night. The 19's have been good to Wednesday Night, bringing us many new faces who have become friends, many good topics and many discussions which have opened our eyes to preoccupations and issues that transcend borders. For this, we thank YOU! The 19's have been good to many of us personally and probably no better - or worse - than any other century, except for the amazing leaps in technology that permit us all to keep in touch with family, friends and associates around the world. For that we should be truly thankful. NOW what we would wish for is that ALL those people we cherish and whose friendship we value could be together in one place so that we might enjoy you often and share you with all the others. Maybe in the new Millennium there will be a technology that allows us to "beam you all up"....

In the meantime, this will have to suffice as an expression of our abiding affection and warmest wishes for a truly happy Millennium Christmas Season.

May the Two Thousands bring you much health, "comfort and joy", and may we often see you "beamed up" to 33 Rosemount on a Wednesday-Night.

Soyez toujours les bienvenus au 33 Rosemount et partagez avec les votres nos meilleurs voeux de santé, de bonheur et de joie.

"D.T. Nicholson" 99-12-14 01:11:29

Ville de Saint-Laurent

Ville de Saint-Laurent has been rated A-1 by Moody's since 1976.

Other municipalities are, for the most part, rated by "Canadian Bound Rating".

Yvette Biondi

Cities have to pay in order to be rated by Moody's. A city requests a financial rating when it needs to borrow large amounts of money for infrastructures or development projets.

Moreover, Moody's is an international rating, while the Canadian Bound Rating is Canadian. If a city wishes to finance its projects on international markets to reduce the cost of borrowing, it requests a Moody's rating. Thus, the two ratings cannot be compared.

Saint-Laurent is a city that develops major industrial infrastructures such as the Technoparc. To ensure better management, it decided to borrow on international markets which are less expensive. In fact, we borrow to reinvest in the future not only for our city but also for the future of the whole region of Montréal and, may I had, the Province. We must not overlook the fact that on a total population of 75 000 thousands - over 93 000 thousand employees of different regions in Montréal are working in Saint-Laurent. In fact, some residents of Westmount, who have not yet retired, probably work in either downton Montréal or Saint-Laurent.

Luckily, Saint-Laurent is there to invest by borrowing on global markets to ensure jobs for workers who pay taxes elsewhere. Thank you!

Yvette Biondi www.ville.saint-laurent.qc.ca/ & cegep-st-laurent are well done sites!