PLUMPED-UP PALTROW ROCKS IN DIVA ROLE

Country Strong star talks about stepping out of character with fried chicken diet, E1

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$23 MILLION

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thestar.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2011

Canada sticks to its guns on F-35s

Ottawa defends purchase of jets as U.S. concerns mount over sister model
RICHARD J. BRENNAN
OTTAWA BUREAU

CAR-FRIENDLY CITY HALL GIVES A NOD TO CYCLING SAFETY

Ford to build curbs for city bike lanes

OTTAWACanadian officials leapt to the defence of the controversial F-35 military jet Thursday after significant concerns about the stealth fighter were raised earlier in the day in Washington. While U.S. concerns are specific to one particular vertical lift model, Canadian critics say ongoing cost overruns and lengthy delays should raise a red flag for a Conservative government determined to spend billions on the U.S.-made planes. I say without hesitation . . . this is the only aircraft for the future, said Maj.-Gen. Tom Lawson, assistant chief of the air staff, who insisted the proven conventional F-35 model Canada is buying should not be confused with the short takeoff vertical landing model (STOVL) under the gun in the U.S. The Harper government is pushing ahead with plans to buy 65 F-35 jets at a total cost of $9 billion, which could jump to about $16 billion when service costs are factored in. Delivery of the first jets is not scheduled until 2016. U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates earlier told a news conference the joint strike fighter program has received special scrutiny given its substantial cost and ongoing development issues as part of planned U.S. military budget cuts. Gates announced the Marine Corpss F-35 STOVL version has been put on a two-year probation to get it back on track in terms of performance, cost and schedule. If that doesnt happen, he said, it risks being cancelled. Critics told the Star the U.S. concerns are symptomatic of a plane they say has become far too expensive for Canadas needs. It only shows that we are involved in a flawed process, said MP Jack Harris, the NDPs defence critic. This planes capabilities are not proven. JETS continued on A6

COLIN MCCONNELL/TORONTO STAR

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, seen on Sherbourne St. Wednesday, wants to see a connected network of curbed cycling routes along busy roads.

STAR EXCLUSIVE Proposed plan shouldnt be

about ideology, says councils public works chair

ROBYN DOOLITTLE
URBAN AFFAIRS REPORTER

Mayor Rob Ford may not come off as a friend of the cycling community, but it will likely be on his watch that Torontos first protected bike lanes get built on city streets. Fords team has voiced no opposition to a comprehensive plan put forward by the newly minted public works and infrastructure committee chair, Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, which would see a connected network of curbed cycling

routes along busy roads such as Sherbourne, Wellesley and Richmond Sts. I think theres a misconception that Mayor Ford has an opposition to bike lanes. He wants to create bike safety. He wants it where it makes sense, said Minnan-Wong, adding that both cyclists and local community groups support the plan. This shouldnt be about ideology. Its about making a pragmatic choice and recognizing that cyclists

need solutions and those solutions dont have to conflict with cars. The separated lanes will affect parking in some areas, but cars could be accommodated by constructing the bike route next to the sidewalk. Cars would be able to park next to the curbed bike lane, adding yet another layer of safety. Minnan-Wongs plan includes two major north-south and eastwest routes, and extends to the lake at Queens Quay. Smaller roads such as St. George, John and Beverley Sts. would be used to provide a seamless network. Most of the streets affected already have bike lanes, with some

minor additions needed to connect the existing patchwork. The one major exception is Richmond St. Atwo-way bike lane would need to be constructed along that one-way street, which would likely mean removing one of its four lanes, Minnan-Wong said. Not ideal, but necessary to connect the network. Its a perhaps ironic twist that Ford, who once argued to council that roads are built for buses, cars and trucks, and his administration are pressing forward with not just bike lanes, but protected ones, in the core.
BIKE PLAN continued on A17

Why a womans tears are like a cold shower for men

JOSEPH HALL
HEALTH REPORTER

NO WAFFLING OVER THIS TREND

Theres no end to the variety of waffles popping up at eateries around Toronto from dill-flavoured to bacon-filled to cheddar cheese and chive, L1

Unruly Russians grounded after all-night victory party

Team barred from flight home after besting Canada
AMY DEMPSEY
STAFF REPORTER

When Rhett Butler walked out on Scarlett, he said it was because he didnt give a damn. But when the Gone with the Wind

heroine turned on the waterworks, she might have helped him out the door. If a womans tears can dampen the ardour of men as manly as Rhett, its because thats what nature intended. Israeli scientists have discovered that emotional tears shed by women have a hidden scent that significantly lowers male testosterone levels, which could affect how attractive they find a woman, and their level of sexual arousal.
TEARS continued on A17

FULL INDEX PAGE A2

Store and box price Monday to Friday $1.00 including tax (prices higher outside the GTA)

Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind.

After players screamed triumphantly into every TV camera in sight, Team Russias frenzied on-ice celebration spilled into the dressing room. The fte following their win over Canada at the world junior hockey championship in Buffalo continued with gusto at a hotel bar. Hours later, gold-medal euphoria carried the team onto a bus and followed them all the way to Buffalo Niagara International Airport. And only then when every member of the junior hockey team was kicked off an early morning

Delta Air Lines flight for unruly behaviour did the victory party come to a grinding halt. The exhausted young men flopped on their gear bags and took a rest. Addressing the media on Thursday afternoon, team spokesman Mikhail Zislis denied Deltas claim that the group was unruly and accused the crew of overreacting. He said coach Valeri Bragin assured the crew he would keep his players under control.
RUSSIA continued on A12 GAME ON: Reinstated coach returns, A12

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