Posted: February 04, 2009

HARPER GURUS FEEL BETRAYED BY THEIR STAR NEO-CON PUPIL by Gillian Steward
  Harper's desperation budget looks like a turning point in Western politics.
 

60 VS 65 by Richard Shillington
  Applying early for CPP can mean more money in the bank.
 
 

NORTH AMERICAN TREES DYING TWICE AS FAST by Stephen Leahy
  Dramatic increase in tree mortality applies to all kinds, sizes, ages and locations of trees.
 

TRANSPORT 2000 AWARDS LEMON PRIZE TO STOCKWELL DAY from Transport 2000
  Plans for Seattle-Vancouver train shut down because Canadian Border Services Agency demands $1,500 per train.

STRAIGHT GOODS TURNS TEN THIS YEAR! ... And to celebrate, we're giving away ten gifts to people who answer our Reader Survey. If you haven't already, tell us a bit about yourself, and you could win some great SG swag. But wait – there's more! SG's new, improved Forum makes it easy for subscribers to respond right away to each story. Just click on "Add Comment" at the bottom of every new article and leave your comments on the Reader's Forum.

Editorial

BLOWN OPPORTUNITIES MARK OPPOSITION REACTION TO BUDGET by Ish Theilheimer
  Moment of opportunity for Coalition was last September, not last week.
 

Science matters

PRESIDENT OBAMA PUTS SCIENCE IN ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE by David Suzuki, with Faisal Moola
  George Bush's administration was overtly anti-science.
 

MeanToons
BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN by John Meaney
  US-Canada economic talks likely to be stimulating.

www.meantoons.com

Canadian Politics

OBAMA'S BRIEFING NOTES by Geoffrey Stevens
  Ottawa mandarins try to explain Canadian politics to an American.
 

BC GOVERNMENT BLIND TO ITS OWN BAD DEALS by Bill Tieleman
  Mill clean-up, road financing show poor business acumen.
 
 

WAGE GAP WIDENS AGAIN by Elsie Hambrook
  More effort needed to make the wage gap disappear.
 
 

HOW TO FIX HUMAN RIGHTS IN ALBERTA by Jeremy Klaszus
  Minister Blackett won't commit to spelling out 'sexual orientation' in Alberta law.
 
 

Workplaces

THE WORLD OF LABOUR by Harry Kelber
  Labour stories from Davos, France, Angola, Iceland, Israel and Great Britain.
 

HEALTHY PEOPLE, HEALTHY PERFORMANCE, HEALTHY PROFITS by Diana S MacKay
  The Conference Board makes the case for business action on the socio-economic determinants of health.

Consumers
CANADA DECLARES LIPSTICK CHEMICALS TOXIC from the Environmental Working Group
  Brands using the ingredients include Cover Girl, Revlon and Max Factor.

BUDGET IGNORES STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS IN AGRICULTURE from the National Farmers' Union
  Meat packers to benefit, while farmers struggle with record low returns.

Media files
SUNSET FOR RACHEL'S NEWS by Peter Montague
  Groundbreaking environmental newsletter ends on February 26.

US Economy Watch

US HOMELESSNESS NUMBERS RISING by Sherwood Ross
  Most foreclosure victims are renters whose landlords failed to pay their mortgages.
 

PICK OF THE WEEK

FIND THE LOWEST AIRFARE Suppose all the travel agency websites got together and created a new website that allowed customers to compare prices from 140 search engines and then buy directly from the travel sites. Well, they have, and you can. Kayak.com offers a multiple search feature that looks particularly useful for airfares.   www.kayak.com/flights

Hot headlines
ICELAND PICKS THE WORLD'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PM by Jonas Moody
  Left-Green and Social Democrats coalition replaces conservative-led coalition government.

Take action!
URGE BARACK OBAMA TO TALK ABOUT "GITMO NORTH" from Toronto Homes Not Bombs
  Ask US President to tell Stephen Harper to shut down Canada' s system of indefinite detention without trial.

Feedback from our readers
THE NAKED CELLIST by Mark Mealing
  Peer who fooled the medical world with a letter to the British Medical Journal in 1974 finally comes clean.

Humour
LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO BE A PROBLEM TO YOUR CHILDREN from the Internet
  It's not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years.