This past weekend was the annual Summerfest in Virginia Highlands. A wonderful neighborhood in Atlanta with a great community. The neighborhood has many historic homes and is a very desirable location for many. In addition to Summerfest, Candler Park also has a music festival this past weekend! Candler Park is another neighborhood with some really cool historic homes Recently I learned that the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood is going to have a Grilled Cheese Festival later this year, and of boy am I excited! This summer there will also be an annual ice cream festival in Piedmont Park in Midtown. I love Atlanta! There's always some fun and tasty to enjoy with friends!
World Affairs Council: Brexit
Hi Everyone!
So last night I attended my very first World Affairs Council of Atlanta meeting. The discussion was on the topic of Brexit, that is, the citizens of Great Britain voting to leave the European Union. The panel consisted of Denis Barbet, the Consul General of France here in Atlanta, Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford, the British Consul General in Atlanta, and Daniel Sachs, the Associate Director of Atlanta-based company Control Risks.
The turn out was HUGE! I was not expecting that many people, but it was great to see so many engaged in world affairs. The panel essentially reaffirmed what I had already believed about the Brexit...no one knows what's going to happen! All three of the panelists are from the other side of the pond and seemed to agree that European, especially British companies, are in a state of holding until further agreements are made.
One thing is certain and seemed to be agreed upon by all panelists, this was a very important expression of democracy in Britain. Sachs even commenting, "Britain has never been this politically engaged or divided". The french consul general, Barbet, stated that "The EU has to respect the UK, but also needs to protect its own interests". Pilmore-Bedford stated that he believes Britain has done an excellent job at handling this decision, "We are only three weeks out and have already appointed the new cabinet."
This was a huge shock, and one of the largest decisions made in Europe in recent times. Many of the people in the audience I spoke with showed concern, others brushed it off and believe that everything will be fine. The only thing that is certain is that the world will just have to wait and see what happens in the following weeks, months, and years.
