Of course the news this week for the inhabitants of this northern realm is all about the Speech from the Throne and the will-they-won’t-they reaction from the Opposition (Liberals above all). Incidentally, we are not overwhelmed by a great feeling of inclusiveness when the full text of said speech published on the Gazette website is linked from the Conservative Party home page. Is this normal
Isn’t this “our” government’s policy outline?
Nonetheless, our first impression was that the speech was pretty good and we look forward to your reactions.
We were surprised - and very pleased - by the proposal to confer Honorary Citizenship on Aung San Suu Kyi for her long struggle for freedom and democracy for the people of Burma. We hope that it will help her to obtain her own freedom, but the thugs who run the country are not likely to be impressed.
Meantime, the Liberals appear to be in ever greater disarray. Is this a true disaster, or possibly an opportunity for a major overhaul
There was an intriguing little clip tonight of Lisa Frulla discussing who might be the Québec Lieutenant and her rapid dismissal of Senator Céline Hervieu-Payette because “many people do not like her”. WOOPS! In view of the appointment announced shortly afterwards , it’s a good think that Mme Frulla has taken herself off the candidates’ list.
Since last Wednesday Night’s informative discussion of the Tar Sands, we have had two headliners about Al Gore. First the decision of the UK high court regarding showing An Inconvenient Truth in schools and the very next day, the announcement of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize. While we are very pleased by the award, especially the balancing of Mr. Gore’s ‘promotional’ activities with the work of the IPCC in supplying the scientific basis, we know already that there are different views among our favorite Wednesday Nighters.
Here’s an intriguing bit on the Republican presidential candidates: “While many conservative commentators and editorialists have mocked concerns about climate change a different reality is emerging among Republican presidential contenders. It is a near-unanimous recognition among the leaders of the threat posed by global warming”.
On the same topic, Tom Friedman’s piece on the black environmentalist, Van Jones, makes an excellent point about one message not fitting all, and does it in a light-hearted way designed to imprint it on the intellect. It’s applicable to a lot of other situations. Our own politicians could learn something from it.
When we tear ourselves away from the local politics of North America, we will be watching the worrisome Putin Progress in Iran and examining the final declaration of the Caspian Summit. Not surprisingly, there seems to be no agreement on how to divvy up the resources of the Caspian Sea, but the prospect of an alliance between Mr. Putin and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gives pause for thought. As usual, the BBC has excellent in-depth coverage .
Libya has managed to obtain a seat on the UN Security Council, a development hailed by the Ambassador who stated that “It means, I can say, we are back to the international community, that all the problems we have faced in the past are now behind us.” We wonder ….
And then there’s the rumored announcement of the Sarkozys’ divorce which seems so unnecessary. It also seems to be the least of his troubles as the political honeymoon appears to be coming to an abrupt end.
While all eyes have been focused on Ottawa today, we should not ignore a series of developments closer to home with the opening of the National Assembly. We are disappointed to read that Monique Jérôme-Forget is taking Minister Flaherty to task over his proposal to consolidate securities regulation , but happy to learn that Mr. Charest is concentrating on economic development.
Last but not least, we look forward to Thursday’s publication of Pierre Marc Johnson’s commission’s report on the Laval overpass collapse. We doubt that it will have the melodrama of the Mulroney and Chrétien memoirs, but will certainly bolster the case for the $30-billion infrastructure investment recently announced by Mr. Charest.
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Wednesday Night #1225 by Diana Thébaud Nicholson on August 24th, 2005 24 August 2005
The hot topic in the Untied States seems to be the teaching of creationism alongside - if not in lieu of - evolution.
Wednesday Night #1306 by Diana Thébaud Nicholson on March 14th, 2007 March 14, 2007
WOW and DOUBLE WOW!
The Silver Anniversary was spectacular and our heartfelt thanks go to the Self-appointed committee - and all its helpers - who, with glee and awe, organized an awesome Wednesday Night, not to mention those who came from afar, headed by Marc and Fiona, without whose presence, the evening would have been incomplete.
Wednesday Night #1176 - Aviation (with 2007 updates) by Diana Thébaud Nicholson on September 15th, 2004 15 September 2004
The Invitation
We anticipate lively discussion this week of aviation topics, along with environmental issues, the Market.
AVRO Arrow: Postscript to Wednesday Night #777 by Diana Thébaud Nicholson on October 5th, 2007
4 October 2007
From CBC's "As It Happens"
Several emails to As It Happens included this pointed question: Why did we devote airtime to the Soviet satellite that sent the U.
Editor
We look forward to your company.
Diana & David Nicholson
dtnicholson@wednesdaynight.net
Tel: +1 (514) 934-0023
Wednesday 17 October 2007 A bear turned bullish Mr. Majendie, chief investment strategist at Canaccord Capital Inc., listed a number of reasons for his view change. Key among them is the U.S. Federal Reserve Board's decision to lower its discount rate by half a percentage point once in mid-August and then again on Sept. 18, moves which have given Mr. Majendie greater confidence in the U.S. economy and the markets.
Mr. Majendie's bullish tone is in line with technical analyst Ron Meisels' read on the North American markets. Mr. Meisels, who is a contributor to NA-marketletter.com, feels there could be further weakness in the markets before the correction that began in July ends, but he believes that the bull market has further to go.
Mr. Meisels' work with 40-year market cycles suggests a bullish period in 2008 and at least the first half of 2009.
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
<>Wednesday 17 October 2007 Blueprint for an election
Conservative government sets its course in Throne Speech: Broad tax cuts; Strengthen Arctic sovereignty; Kill off Kyoto; Extend Afghan mission to 2011 OTTAWA — Broad tax cuts, tough-on-crime legislation and the desire for a two-year extension of the Afghanistan military mission form the core of Stephen Harper's new governing agenda, which could double as a fall campaign blueprint.
OTTAWA: TORIES OFFER MAJOR TAX CUTS
Canada's Conservative Party government has offered multiyear tax cuts for individuals as well as a one-percentage point reduction of the Goods and Services Tax in the Speech From the Throne read in the House of Commons bu Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean to outline the government's priorities and intentions in the new session of Parliament. The speech also says Canada cannot meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change, a statement certain to embarrass the opposition Liberal Party. And there will be a Tackling Violent Crime bill, that will include measures on drunk driving, the age of sexual consent, stricter bail conditions and mandatory prison terms for gun crimes. The speech promises another vote on Canada's mission in Afghanistan, indicating that the government believes that mission won't be completed by the February 2009 deadline mandated by the House. The statement says Canada should focus on accelerating the training of the Afghan army and police so that the country can defend its sovereignty, something that won't happen by the deadline. Next week, there will be a vote of confidence on the speech, meaning that if the opposition Liberals, New Democratic Party and Bloc Québécois vote against it, the government will fall and there would be a national election. The Bloc and NDP intend to vote against it, the Liberals not having taken a stand. The Liberal caucus meets on Wednesday with its leader, Stéphane Dion, to plot strategy.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Altria Group Inc is splitting the Marlboro
cigarette business apart, saying Wednesday that it will spin
off its Philip Morris International unit in move seen as unlocking
the value of that faster growing business. Full
Article
Stephen S. Poloz VP EDC Economics Weekly Commentary How American Companies Dealt with an Overvalued Dollar - October 17, 2007
Exchange rate forecasts are generally built on a model of economic fundamentals. However, exchange rates have been known to stray from their fundamentals for long periods of time, so companies need an adjustment strategy even if they believe the currency will eventually ease.
Textbooks tell us that a period of exchange rate overvaluation will see exports weaken and the economy slow, as domestic companies find it difficult to compete internationally. Profit margins are squeezed, so investment falters. Workers are laid off. Disinflationary pressures set in, leading to lower interest rates, the currency eases back, and the economy picks up again. Past issues | his WN page
BBC
Robert Galbraith
Stephen S. Poloz
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