Datebook
WEDNESDAY, JULY 12
A POLAR AFFAIR. As audiences continue to process Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, with its frightening maps of a shrinking Arctic ice cap, scientists meet today for a joint conference on the subject. Two groups play host--polar researchers and policymakers who try to implement their findings--making the meeting in Tasmania a major climate change event. In addition to presenting findings, organizers will review plans for the International Polar Year, a project they hope will focus attention on and attract money for polar research.
THURSDAY, JULY 13
A LONG FRIENDSHIP. Sister Cities, the program that pairs U.S. cities with counterparts abroad, celebrates its 50th anniversary with a conference in Washington, D.C. President Dwight Eisenhower proposed the program just after World War II, betting that building personal ties across national lines might prevent future conflicts. Cities can choose their own sisters or let the nonprofit play matchmaker. The group's efforts at community diplomacy have sent middle school students in Des Moines to Kofu, Japan, and students in Birmingham, Ala., to teach classes in China.
FRIDAY, JULY 14
WITHER CHIRAC? Liberty, equality, and fraternity will very likely be overshadowed this Bastille Day by the fate of Jacques Chirac, whose soaring unpopularity has led many to speculate France's fete nationale will be his last as president. Riots and two months of student protests this spring tugged Chirac's approval rating to a record low; one poll has 4 out of 5 respondents disapproving. Chirac fought back last month live on television, in his first public interview in a year, dismissing talk of a crisis inside his administration. Commentators suggested that the interview, given a mere three weeks before his annual Bastille Day address, was intended to make room for lighter comments today. Whether he can successfully polish his trampled image isn't clear. But perhaps the day's customary fireworks will help.
SATURDAY, JULY 15
OLYMPICS WITH A TWIST. The seventh edition of the Gay Games--like the Olympics, but with male-male figure skating pairs and Elton John as an official ambassador--opens today in Chicago after a rocky start. Problems began when wannabe host city Montreal, jilted by the competition, decided to hold a rival contest, the "World Outgames." They continued as groups like the Illinois Family Institute called on county commissioners to withdraw their support. But after an internal proposal to back out, Kraft Foods remains on board--adding to a list that includes Walgreens, American Airlines, and Gatorade. Even White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who apologized for calling a local columnist a gay slur, is taking the Chicago Tribune's advice to "get fabulous in the city."
REMEMBERING REMBRANDT. Museums across the world will open Rembrandt collections today in tribute to the 400th anniversary of the Dutch painter's birth. Known as the most revolutionary of the Baroque painters, as well as a prolific producer of his own portrait, Rembrandt would most likely appreciate the festivities Amsterdam has planned. "Rembrandt, the Musical," for instance, will feature a song-and-dance account of the painter's life.
MONDAY, JULY 17
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