Datebook
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14
ANALYZE THIS. With 2006 marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sigmund Freud, psychoanalysts will celebrate (How does that make you feel?) the opening of the annual meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association in Washington, D.C. Besides presentations and workshops, a briefing on Capitol Hill is in the works, and attendees are encouraged to schedule meetings with their representatives as Congress considers legislation involving privacy, health information technology, mental health parity, and state mandates. Also of interest, New York Times business editor Louis Uchitelle will discuss layoffs and their damage to mental health, chronicled in his book The Disposable American: Layoffs and Their Consequences.
THURSDAY, JUNE 15
TECHIE LAUREATE. Finland, the land of the midnight sun but also of the Nokia mobile phone, will announce the winner of its second Millennium Technology Prize in Espoo, near Helsinki. Not to be outdone by neighboring Sweden and its Nobel Prize, the Finnish government and technology organizations established the Millennium prize to recognize innovations that improve the quality of life. The award of 1 million euros (about $1.3 million) was first given to Tim Berners-Lee in 2004--not to Al Gore--for inventing the World Wide Web. This year, the Technology Award Foundation has received more than 100 nominations from 32 countries.
EMPOWERING ARAB-AMERICANS. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee holds its annual convention in Washington, D.C., and civil right issues are likely to be high on the agenda. The organization acts on behalf of the more than 3 million Americans of Arab ancestry and the 7 million Americans who call themselves Muslim Americans. A reception will be held at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia.
FRIDAY, JUNE 16
SAVE THE WHALES. Most countries stopped hunting whales back in the 1980s, when the International Whaling Commission helped to establish a moratorium. But a few nations--Japan, Norway, and Iceland--have continued the practice, arguing that slaughtering the behemoths is part of their cultural heritage. Japan exploits a loophole in the ban that allows killing whales for scientific research, even though much of the meat reportedly ends up in restaurants and stores, and at the IWC's 58th annual meeting in the West Indies on this date, Japan is expected to lead the charge for a return to commercial whaling. While it's unlikely that Japan and other whaling proponents may obtain the three-quarters-majority vote required to overturn the ban, they may be able to muster key policy changes, including secret ballot voting, that will give them a better shot at changing the law later.
FOR THE CHILDREN. Thirty years ago, black children took to the streets of Soweto, South Africa, to peacefully protest their segregated education--specifically, the use of the Afrikaans language, seen as a symbol of white oppression. But the event went horribly wrong. Students clashed with police, who first released tear gas and then fired bullets. The result was riots, involving thousands of people, that lasted for months. Today the African Union observes the Day of the African Child to honor the children who were wounded or killed in the riots and to highlight the challenges still faced by African children. Much remains to be done: In eastern and southern Africa alone, 5,500 children under the age of 5 die each day.
UNDER SAIL. Nearly 300 yachts are scheduled to depart from Newport, R.I., as the centennial Bermuda Race begins. Organized by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the Cruising Club of America, this 635-mile dash has been held every two years since 1924 (except during World War II), making it the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race. The event attracts both amateur sailors and professional competitors, and prizes include the coveted Gibb's Hill Lighthouse Trophy. This year, Princess Anne of England will award the trophies in a ceremony at the Government House on June 24.
SUNDAY, JUNE 18
MANY YEARS FROM NOW. The milestone must have seemed far distant when a teenage Paul McCartney wrote his famous lighthearted ditty "When I'm Sixty-Four." But the big birthday has finally arrived. And even at that ripe age, the legendary ex-Beatle continues to charm, having reinvented himself several times during his lifetime. He is the United Kingdom's richest entertainer, worth more than $2 billion last year. He became a father again in 2003, he recently dyed his hair from flecked gray to chestnut, and he is rumored to have had some surgical assistance in maintaining his youthful good looks--an asset that should come in handy now that, since his separation from Heather Mills, 38, he is single again.
With Monica M. Ekman, Jennifer L. Jack, Jill Konieczko and Angela Prikockis
This story appears in the June 19, 2006 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
advertisement
