Posted: April 02, 2002

Workplaces
Truckers have few champions in low-margin, high risk business - Harry Rudolfs
  Although industry drives the economy and employs more men than any other, its workers have little voice or protection.

The ballooning costs of being a working class Canadian
  Straight Goods reader Jean H. Broeckx gives a British Columbia perspective.

Economics in the news
US scuttles Tobin tax - and hope for the world's poor - Linda McQuaig
  American omnipotence wilts when faced with projects that could actually do some good.

Canada says no to Tobin Tax and poor get poorer
  From Straight Goods reader Bruce Rogers.
 

House of Commons debate on Monterrey and Tobin Tax
  Liberals backtrack on initial support for tax on speculation.

The Straight Goods Cyber Survey and Speaker's Corner with Larry Solway Hard times for the hard right   Can Harris Tories morph into Bill Davis-style centroids? Will Alliance enjoy a new day? Visit the Straight Goods Cyber Survey and Speakers' Corner and tell us what you think. Qualify for a prize in the weekly Straight Goods draw.

A former Israeli soldier's six-point plan for peace in Israel/Palestine - David Berlin
  Declaring a cease-fire as a precondition to talks puts power squarely in the hands of the most radical.

Scandal of child abuse in Catholic church has redemptive possibilities - Ted Schmidt, Catholic New Times
  Churches should put their agendas aside and listen to the stories of the victims of abuse.

Media files Hold media accountable for siding with secrecy and oppression - Barrie Zwicker   Moral and spiritual challenges amidst fear and denial in a propagandized society. Few items have elicited more interest or controversy at Straight Goods than Barrie Zwicker's What Happened? series. Here are links to past articles:   What really happened?, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

New US paper aims at Afghan war truth
  Publishers say mainstream US media not providing full picture of war and its effects.

Community, Rights and Change

Affordable housing policies don't meet the need - Reuel S. Amdur
  Canada's housing policies need some fixing up.

Health Care
Media suffering from health care tunnel vision - Dennis Raphael
  "Overwhelming" number of health news stories deal obsessively with care shortages and medical discoveries.

Romanow Workbook tip toes around the hot issues - Dr. Ted Haines
  Key options for the future of health care left out of scenarios presented in citizen's workbook.

Pill may increase risk of cervical cancer - The Globe and Mail

Environment
'Major changes' to plans for world's biggest nuclear storage site - near the Bruce reactor in Ontario - never approved - Normand de la Chevrotiere
  A community group that questioned the planning process picked up a paper trail of evidence and trail and $100,000 in court costs.

New program to let Ontario consumers purchase green energy

Ecuadorean police arrest environmentalists blocking oil pipeline - Kintto Lucas and Keith Stewart

Peru trades debt for forest conservation - Environment News Service

European animals may soon eat only non-polluting diet - Environment News Service

Consumer News
Irate power worker suspended- Toronto Star
  An Orillia Power Corp. employee, who is fighting the province's plan to privatize Ontario's power industry, has been suspended without pay.

Buy Canadian! - A Web resource for patriotic shoppers

Chained melodies - Damien Cave, Salon
  Can anything keep geeks from copying the music and movies they crave?

Starbucks beans not so green - Shireen Deen, The Valley Advocate

Education
Provincial post-secondary rankings - CCPA
  As provinces pursue deregulation of tuition fees, access to higher education becomes more and more limited.

Education in Ontario bankrupted by Tories - Ottawa Citizen

Test water, not teachers! - Ontario's future teachers

Take Action
Join the campaign to save Medicare - Ontario Health Coalition
  The first week of April is Health Care Week.

Protect Lake Cowal!
  Rally to demand Barrick Gold stop plans for a cyanide leach gold mine on environmentally precious area and sacred aboriginal land.

March with one million in Cuba on May Day

Hightower's Rolling Thunder Down-home Democracy Tour and the rebirth of American populism - Lauri Apple, AlterNet

Message to Eves: Invest in Care
  As Ernie Eves prepares to take over the reigns of power, parents and advocates bring an urgent message to the new Premier.

Humour

Two Saskatchewan boys having a helluva time