Posted: April 16, 2002
Updated: April 17, 2002

Venezuela - coup and counter-coup Conservative media pushed Venezuela coup but outraged public defeated it - Gregory Wilpert   Coup leaders' deluded selves, underestimating Chavez' popularity, but re-instated president has many personal flaws to overcome Coup in Venezuela: An Eyewitness Account - Gregory Wilpert. A backgrounder on Venezuela - Steve Ellner and Fred Rosen, NACLA   As Chavez's presidency came under attack from several fronts, the Chavista movement began to break under the tensions and confrontation that eventually produced the coup. Hugo Chávez: Venezuela's Redeemer? - Fred Rosen and Jo-Marie Burt, NACLA   A backgrounder.

Commentary
Canada's Pulse
Inside the polls - how the Right's Big Three stay popular - Marc Zwelling, Vector Research
  Why have the Big Three succeeded? Ask the voters. They don't want their money back, but they don't want to pay for something they didn't receive.

The Straight Goods Cyber Survey and Speaker's Corner with Larry Solway Knee-jerk perspective on the Middle East, golfer's perspective on medicare   Knee-jerk reaction of the Left on the Middle East leaves Larry (not quite) speechless and angry - what's your reaction? And, will Romanow be taken seriously? Visit the Straight Goods Cyber Survey and Speakers' Corner and share your thoughts. Qualify for a prize in the weekly Straight Goods draw.

The peasants of the Common Sense revolution - Linda McQuaig
  Taking things away from the poor doesn't help them any more today than it did in the 17th century.

Advocacy rules limit the clout of charities - Reuel S. Amdur
  Charities - unlike businesses - can spend only a tenth of revenues on "political activities".

Media Files

Venezuela's coup on cue - Ish Theilheimer
  Venezuela's media produced it, and Canada's failed to acknowledge getting hoaxed.

"Idiotization" of corporate media hides slants and double standards - Bruce Wark
  Respectful treatment of US's Kissinger and Pakistan's Musharraf ignores obvious truths.

Middle East
Terrorists and Innocents Part Two - Are we at war? - Mick Lowe
  Terrorism is a new form of warfare. But Americans did something similar during the Revolutionary War: tactics they used against the British didn't fit the definition of war at the time.

Arafat on the brink - NOW Magazine
  A guide to his dangerous coalition - can he control it?

Enough is enough in the Middle East
  Reader Eli Pariser urges others to join international campaign to demand a political resolution.

Call for Canadian Jews to denounce Israeli government actions
  From reader Sarah ShartaL.

Workplaces
Unions take Ontario to court to block hydro reform - Canadian Press
  CEP and CUPE file joint injunction to block the planned privatization of Hydro One.

No respect for unpaid caregivers
  The story of the little woman shafted by the little guy from Shawnigan and company.

National Day of Mourning - Sunday, April 28
  Remember workers injured and killed on the job.
 

Environment

What not to do on Earth Day - Suzanne Elston
  Unplug the phone and relax.
 
 

Water sell-off on tap - NOW
  The dealing is underway as water giants set up shop.
 

EU lawmakers make producers responsible for electroscrap - Environment News Service
 
 

BC blues
Angus Reid slams treaty referendum - CBC News

B.C. poised to weaken human rights protections - Shelagh Day
  Staff and budget cut by a third - before a planned review even gets started.

Angry foster parents signing union cards - CBC News.

Labour code amendments invite confrontation - Diane MacDonald, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Seniors and Health Care
Reorganize primary health care, OCSCO tells Romanow
  Ethel Meade of OSCSO, speaking at the April 11, 2002 Romanow Commission health care hearing in Sudbury, Ontario -

SRI Reports* Corporate reality beyond the bottom line - The Atkinson Letter   It's time for an overhaul of profit-first corporate models. An interview with Avie Bennett, Ed Broadbent and Anne Golden on the consensus reached during cross-Canada forums held by the Canadian Democracy and Accountability Commission.   * SRI Reports is a regular Straight Goods feature offering news and information on SRI - Socially Responsible Investment - to help Canadians invest wisely and ethically.

Consumers
Happy Meat in Manitoba - rabble
  Savvy Winnipeg shoppers with a distaste for factory farming are giving rave reviews to meat endorsed by the city's humane society -

New breed spam filter slashes junk email - New Scientist

Take Action
Anti-Wal-Mart signatures top 3,000
  A petition to stop Wal-Mart from building big box retail on Vancouver's SE Marine Drive.

Dorothy O'Connell Award for Anti-Poverty Activism
  Honouring Ottawa anti-poverty worker.

Tough questions - like how do you get a revolutionary message out
  ... are at the heart ofThe Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, a book any marketing professional could also love. Reviewed by Mary Soderstrom.

Food, fun, social activism
  Read the incredible, uplifting history of the White Dog Cafe, a restaurant that blends award-winning cuisine and social activism.

And... Humour
A little off the Hallmark
  Greeting cards you're unlikely to find at the drug store.