Angel >> People who flip the bird to Conrad Black There's nothing better than the feeling you get when an extremely rich and powerful person wants something that you have. According to Tuesday's Le Devoir, Conrad Black wanted to call his new national daily newspaper The Nation. But the Canadian copyright for that monicker was already owned by--believe it or not--the U.S.-based socialist newspaper of the same name. When Black offered to buy the name from them, they told him to stick it. Refusing thousands of dollars probably never felt so good. Black's paper, meanwhile, will likely take on the name The National Post.

Insect >> Noxious gasoline additives protected by trade agreements Last year, Ottawa banned the gasoline additive MMT because of health concerns. But MMT's manufacturer, U.S.-based Ethyl Corporation, challenged the ban under the North American Free Trade Agreement, saying its business had been unfairly damaged. This week Ottawa caved in: they rescinded the ban, paid the company $13 million, and issued a statement saying there was no definitive proof that MMT was hazardous. But MMT remains a controversial chemical--it's currently being studied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Even so, thanks to NAFTA, Canada cannot take precautionary measures, such as banning MMT until the studies are complete.