Posted: October 01, 2002

Consumers For Whom Bell Tolls - Philippa Lawson, Public Interest Advocacy Centre   Why your phone service is deteriorating. Who's ringing your Bell? - Ish Theilheimer   Phone phrustrations mount after a decade of competition and deregulation. Consumer forum What's your beef with phone service?   Join the Straight Goods Consumer Forum and tell other readers what you've experienced and how you fight back.

BC citizens take action to stop power sell-off
  An interview with Leo McGrady, legal counsel for BC Citizens for Public Power.

The $30 billion California electricity robbery - Krugman, NY Times

Don't abandon Wal Mart fight
  The city of Waterloo, ON has given up the fight, but shouldn't have, as Scott Piatkowski writes.

Throne Speech Promises More of the Same - Reuel S. Amdur
  "There's less to this than meets the eye."

Computer Hell MEMBERSHIP APPEAL: Straight Goods has struggled through months of system crashes, technical glitches and service interruptions. It all but killed us. Many readers have responded to our pleas and have dragged us halfway out of the pit. Please don't leave us to crash and burn. Become a Straight Goods member today - and get your business or organizing to become a Sustaining Sponsor, giving every member and staffer an SG password.

Ethics and Democracy
Liberal ethics and the headline war - Aaron Freeman
  This time, the Liberal ethics code may do more than get good headlines - here's why.

Country club Cabinet access   Democracy Watch is filing ethics complaints against lobbyists who paid for access to Cabinet ministers.

Commentary
Time to focus on Washington's weapons of mass destruction - Linda McQuaig
  If Baghdad's appetite is "unquenchable", how could one characterize Washington's?

The Straight Goods Cyber Forum Self-serving logic of globalization - Larry Solway   Help Solway take on NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman, and take the Straight Goods Cyber Survey to qualify for a prize in the weekly draw.

American-style capitalism will fail - Arundhati Roy, The Guardian
 
 
 

NDP Leadership Race Questions for the NDP leadership candidates, 1 October 2002 Canada and pot   And how mixed should a mixed economy be? NDP leadership candidates answer readers' questions. Do you have a question for the candidates?   Join the NDP leadership forum.

Handicapping the race - Neil Davis
  Check out the (satirical) form chart on the six NDP ponies.

The day the empire struck back - James Laxer, Globe and Mail
  The day the US decided to follow Britain and Rome and declare itself an empire.

Environment

The health effects of air pollution - and resources for finding solutions - Suzanne Elston
 
 
 

Media Files
Heralding Innis - Mel Watkins
  MacLuhan's less-known colleague wrote about Canada and its origins in a way that made Canadians freshly conscious of themselves.
 

Jack Stoddart's legacy - Gordon Lockheed, Dooney's Cafe
  A post-mortem and a prognosis for the future of the Canadian book trade.

A tricky dance for CanWest journalists - Antonia Zerbisias
  Are the Aspers backing down?
 
 

Media Democracy Day 2002

Hot headlines
Prominent Canadians join to oppose war on Iraq

10 (more) reasons to protest the IMF and World Bank - Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman.

Thousands protest at World Bank & IMF - Mobilization for Global Justice

Gore: Bush ignored signs of Al-Qaida threat - Truthout

France to unveil air-powered car - BBC News

Workers at Toyota win overtime challenge - Toronto Star

Health Care
Support for people with Anaphylaxis
  A new website provides resources for those living with life-threatening allergies.

NAFTA could hike health expenses, make pharmacare or denticare impossible - Globe and Mail

Private health care dollars swell Eves' campaign trough - NUPGE

SG Readers write
Stress problem requires political solution - From reader Mike Dirienzo

The Middle East
Sara Aronheim's awful experience of hatred at Concordia demo
  Anti-Netenyahu 'demonstrators' met former Quebec summit street medic and friends with abuse, anti-semetic taunts and dangerous threats.

Prosecute Sharon for war crimes, Israeli women say - Robert Fisk, The Independent

Water war looms as Israel tells Lebanon to halt river works - Robert Fisk, The Independent

Iraq-born and US-based sociology prof revisits the Middle East and describes the impact of the Internet and satellite TV on regional politics - Peace Magazine

SRI Reports - News about Socially Responsible Investment
Invitation to Ethical Leadership week
  Attend one of four timely and informative conferences or workshops presented by EthicScan Canada.

Take Action
Upcoming world conference on Burma to be held in Ottawa
  Burma's democracy leaders, field workers and activists will report current conditions and plan steps toward progress.

Innu Women Tour - sponsored by Campaign for the Innu and the Earth

Should we label genetically engineered food?

Support the Woodward's 58!
  A fund to protect the Vancouver Woodward squatters.

Bad week for Canada's homeless - rabble.com

The case against police helicopters - from NoiseWatch

Humour
Dam Good Response
  A state letter about an unauthorized dam gets this dam funny letter in reply.