Posted: March 22, 2005

JUSTICE WITHOUT PASSION by Linda McQuaig
  No matter how painful, the rule of law must prevail.
 

EQUALITY AT 20 by Penney Kome
  Twentieth anniversary of Charter's equality rights and civil liberties bittersweet.
 
 

MIXED REVIEWS FOR "DEMOCRATIC RENEWAL" by Paul Weinberg
  "Free" votes still tethered by government agenda, constituency accountability.

If I were Prime Minister...
CHARGE GST ON EXPORTS by Vern Bretin
  The federal government could easily generate enough revenue to rescue the forestry and farming industries.
 

Canadian Politics

US-STYLE POLITICS IN BC by Bill Tieleman
  Elections BC finds controversial phone polls constitute "push polling".
 

GETTING BOMBARDIER OFF WELFARE by Aaron Freeman
  Quebec corporation functions as a regional development program.
 
 

Workplaces

NEW WAL-MART TACTICS by Mike Martin
  Boycotts, direct action might work where complaining has failed.
 

"WE BEAT THE BELL" by Jim Lobe, for IPS in Washington DC USA
  After three years, strikers win at Taco Bell.
 

Media files
CBC CHILL? from the Canadian Media Guild
  CMG worried about the way CBC laid off Don Hill.

PHONY "NEWS" REPORTS by David Barstow and Robin Stein, for the New York Times
  News organizations complicit in broadcasting pre-packaged government department reports.

MISSING WOMEN by Katha Pollitt, for The Nation
  Women are drastically underrepresented among major media columnists.
 

Consumers
DANCING PILLS FROM THE CONSUMERS' UNION A project from the publisher of Consumer Reports
  prescriptionforchange.org musically takes Big Pharma to task for safety concerns, price gouging.

World beat
THE IRA -- WHAT WENT WRONG? by Gwynne Dyer
  After seven years of respectability, the IRA is lapsing into thuggery.
 

Hot headlines
ISRAEL PLANS STRIKE ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR PLANT by Uzi Mahnaimi, for The Sunday Times UK
  If diplomacy fails, Israel has already practiced its military action.

A NOSE FOR DANGER by Rich Cookson, for The Independent online UK
  Rats trained to detect land mines, TB.

RESEARCHER FABRICATED DATA (BOSTON GLOBE) by Carey Goldberg and Scott Allen, for the Boston Globe
  University of Montreal researcher won nearly $3 million in grants based on false data.

ALABAMA BANS SEX TOYS by Chris Floyd, for the Moscow Times
  Only exemptions are for "bona fide legislative, judicial, or law enforcement purposes."

AUSTRALIA RESTRICTS TREATED LUMBER from ABC news online
  CCA-treated pine may not be used to make playground equipment.

MERCURY, AUTISM LINKED from Environment News Service (ENS)
  Study finds autism rate rises with level of mercury in environment.

MEN SIMPLE, WOMEN COMPLEX by Maureen Dowd, for the New York Times
  New research finds women much more complicated than men, genetically.
 

"DGRASSI IS THA BEST TEEN TV N DA WRLD!" by Ben Neihart, for the New York Times
  New York Times Magazine raves about long-running Canadian-made series.

EQUINOX FESTIVALS from information gathered at international websites
  Although it may not feel like spring yet, the equinox brings renewal, many celebrations.

Take action!
INQUIRY VS TASK FORCE by Guy Caron
  Support Council of Canadians' campaign to block next stage of NAFTA -- sign and mail this postcard.

NO NUKES! from Physicians for Global Survival (Canada)
  Sign this postcard and support the World Court Declaration calling for a nuclear weapons free world.

Feedback from our readers
CAN'T TRUST THEM from EM Tayti, in Welland ON CANADA
  The US keeps decision making in its own hands.