| Gleanings From The Prophetic Expositor - File #45 |
HERE ARE SOME ITEMS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED WHICH HAVE COME TO OUR ATTENTION. SOME WILL BE PRINTED WITHOUT COMMENT, OTHERS NOTED IN PASSING. STILL OTHERS MAY RECEIVE EDITORIAL COMMENTS.
The following items were printed in the July, 2003 issue of The Prophetic Expositor:
Please write for further details of any items of particular interest.
Globe & Mail, May 31, 2003 -
1. Remembering a Soviet Defector - Local history buff persuades Ottawa to officially mark Gouzenko legacy by Jeff Sallot, OTTAWA [Brief 4 columns, illustrated: A review of an important part of Canadian Cold War history of 58 years ago.]
The Weekly Telegraph, No. 618, May 28 - June 3, 2003:
1. Inside Camp Delta - "Sullen prisoners of the steel machine" heads a full page comprising three articles, which focus on the conditions endured by prisoners held for an indeterminate time at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by the U.S. The lead article by David Rennie describes the site.
[Brief: two paragraphs read: "The Pentagon's initial silence bred worldwide suspicion, fed from the very start by images of the first inmates arriving, stumbling along blindfolded, ears muffled or pinioned in trolleys. Further anger was sparked when US officials claimed that the detainees were not prisoners of war but 'enemy combatants' not covered by the Geneva Convention." ... Lawyers for detainees quickly discovered that Guantanamo was not chosen just for its isolation. This unique US naval base, which is leased from Cuba under an unbreakable treaty dating from the 19th century, is a legal limbo beyond the reach of any civilian court... An extensive system of rewards and penalties is used to induce cooperation from larger portions of food to extra break periods in a one-man exercise-pen, offering a tantalising view of the sea and ospreys wheeling in the sky. The highest reward is transfer to Camp Four, a newly opened medium security facility, now home to 60 of the best behaved detainees.]
2. Long wait for Iraqis to run country - "UN agrees to lift embargo" heads another five-column article by Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor, Alan Philps in Baghdad and Marcus Warren in New York.
3. British war cemetery is desecrated by Kate Connolly in Kut A BRITISH First World War cemetery in Iraq, restored by US marines as a gesture of gratitude for Britain's participation in the recent conflict, has been desecrated by Iraqis. The cemetery, in the eastern city of Kut, scene of some of the worst losses the British military has suffered in the region, was vandalised just hours after a high-profile rededication ceremony attended by British generals and Anglican bishops. Gravestones of some of the tens of thousands of British and Indian troops killed in Kut after being forced to retreat from Baghdad by Turkish forces in 1915 have been toppled. The siege of the city lasted until April 1916. The Union flag which was hoisted during the ceremony was ripped down and burnt and its metal flagpole bent to an angle of 45 degrees. U.S. marines in Kut voiced their anger. "We were real proud of our efforts to restore it and now its just been trashed again." Said Lt Col Bob Zangas, of the 4th Civil Affairs group, who has been heavily involved in the project. Earlier this month marines under the command of Gen Richard Natonski set to work to clear the site, which was "eye-ball high" in rubbish and weeds, after Britain stopped paying the caretaker following the 1991 Gulf War. ... The battle for Kut, described by T.E. Lawerence as a "slow drawn agony", lasted some 143 days. Only 2,000 out of 23,000 men survived. ... Locals said "We respect the dead, whatever their religion, but the soldiers put up the British flag as if to emphasise that they are occupying us and many men put lots of effort into the restoration." Said Abbas Jaber, 32, a glazier. "At the same time we are suffering from lack of food, electricity and security. If only they put as much effort into sorting these problems out." Lt Col Zangas admitted that the restoration should not have been given so much emphasis so soon after the war. "It sent out the wrong message, renovating a Christian cemetery when you're occupying a Muslim Country," he said.
4. Security fence represents 'land grab in guise of security' by Inigo Gilmore - THE construction of a security fence between the Israeli heartland and the West Bank began one year ago this month. After so much bloodshed, many Israelis welcomed the idea of separation. But as the first 80-mile section of fence nears completion, few appreciate what it really entails. ... Soon after construction began it became clear that the route was not following the Green Line, the internationally recognized boundary between Israel and the West Bank, as most had expected. Instead, the fence has carved ever deeper into Palestinian West Bank territory - destroying farmland and dividing Palestinian communities from one another. In one place, the Palestinian town of Kalkilya is encircled. Amos Yaron, the director general of the defence ministry, admitted that the fence would embrace several Jewish settlements, in what the rest of the world regards as Palestinian territory, which are illegal under international law. Mr. Yaron said: "The fence isn't political and it isn't a border. It will pass wherever it can to protect Jews. And if I need to take it further in order to protect more Jewish settlements, then that is what I will do. Such statements have alarmed the Palestinians, who accuse the Israelis of undertaking an illegal land grab under the guise of security. A recent World Bank report suggested that up to 12 per cent of the West Bank could be annexed by Israel in the first of three phases of construction. Mr. Sharon recently admitted that the fence will be taken even deeper into the West Bank to incorporate some large Jewish settlements. Palestinians fear that half of the West Bank could effectively be annexed, making a mockery of Israeli public support for the creation of a Palestinian state... .
5. In the steps of Hadrian - WALKERS can now follow the 84-mile route of Hadrian's Wall for the first time in 1,600 years. The spectacular coast-to-coast trail from Bowness-on-Solway, Cumbria, to Wallsend, Tyneside, was opened last week. Parts of the wall have remained open to the public since the Romans left but 30 miles of new rights of way have now been developed.
6. Queen's ode on display:
| Although we must leave you, | To leafy Balmoral, | Fair Castle of Mey, | We are now on our way, | We shall never forget, | But our hearts will remain, | Nor could ever repay, | At the castle of Mey. | A meal of such splendor, | With your gardens and ranges | Repast of such zest, | And all your good cheer, | It will take us to Sunday, | We will be back again soon, | Just to digest, | So roll on next year. | |
Jane's Intelligence Digest 30 May, 2003: "Nuclear nightmare in Iraq" heads the lead article. The first paragraph states: "Throughout May, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed mounting concern at the outbreak of looting that has been taking place at Iraq's abandoned nuclear sites - which number around 1,000 in total. JID has commissioned a leading British nuclear analyst to assess the security risk posed by the missing material and the golden opportunities the chaos in Iraq may have presented to international terrorists.
Globe & Mail, May 30, 2003:
1. No bunker, no bodies found at site of early missile strike. -
U.S. troops have found no sign of bodies or even a bunker at the site where intelligence sources said Saddam Hussein was sleeping on the war's opening night, a senior officer said yesterday.
This ties to a G&M June 5 article "U.S. digs for Hussein Clues - Soldiers excavate for remains, DNA at Baghdad house hit by air strike" (4-columns, illustrated.)
2. "Gay unions a threat to church, leader warns-
Decision by a B.C. Anglican diocese may create divisions, Archbishop says. " [Brief: 5 columns, illustrated. We will tie this with some later items: G&M June 11: "Gay Marriage is legalized", front page & pp. A4 and A19, June 12: Same-sex couples seize opportunity to say 'I do' p. A10, June 14: Gay unions split country, poll shows p. A10, The Weekly Telegraph No. 620, June 11-June 17 "Anglicans elect first openly gay bishop", front page, "Calls for bishop to quit over homosexual link," "'Affair will make you better priest'", "'Jeffrey has the gifts for the job'," "Lover's kiss greets election of gay bishop in US," "Evangelical joins growing CoE revolt," all p. 6, The Weekly Telegraph No. 622, June 25-July 1 "Diocese split as clergy and laity revolt over gay bishop", "Dr John's living arrangements under scrutiny." The Weekly Telegraph No. 624, July 9 - 15 "Gay bishop steps aside 'for sake of the Church'" front page.]
Perspective - National Council for Geographic Education, June 2003, Vol. 31 No. 5 pp. 10 & 12:
A concise 1 1/3-page outline which differentiates Shi'ite vs. Sunni.
The Weekly Telegraph No. 619, June 4-10, 2003:
1. Obituary: Rachel Kempson -
Actress whose greatest role came as the matriarch of Britain's leading theatrical dynasty -
RACHEL KEMPSON, Lady Redgrave, who has died at 92, began her career in the 1930's as one of the most beautiful and promising Shakespearean actresses on the British stage; after her marriage to Michael Redgrave, however, she became the matriarch of a great theatrical family ... three unusually talented children, Vanessa, Corin and Lynn Redgrave... .
2. Ulster leak sounds Last Post for royal Irish battalions by Thomas Harding Ireland Correspondent -
THE BACKBONE of the Army in Northern Ireland is to be disbanded as part of further concessions to the IRA, it was reported last week. [Brief: 5 columns, illustrated. The Duke of York, Colonel-in-Chief, is pictured. The cap badge shows the female winged figure on the crowned Irish harp.]
[The Weekly Telegraph No. 620, June 11-17 carried a related article "Ministers try to find Royal Irish solution" by Thomas Harding -
PART of the Royal Irish Regiment could be saved after a meeting between the Northern Ireland Secretary and the Defence Secretary. An emergency summit between Paul Murphy and Geoff Hoon, said to have given "grounds for optimism", took place after the future of the three home service battalions threatened to disrupt the political process. The bungled handling of the situation was also in danger of causing a rift in the Ulster Unionist party, undermining David Trimble's leadership. It now appears that no debate was held on the future of the Royal Irish in a "normalised" Northern Ireland until stories appeared in the press. But sources told The Daily Telegraph that as a result of the meeting officials had been told to come up with a compromise... .]
3. Ex-Services League goes Royal -
THE QUEEN has approved the change of title of the Commonwealth Ex-Services League to the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League in recognition of the charity's work to help the ex-servicemen and women of the Commonwealth who served the crown.
4. US plans to use terrorists against Iran - by Julian Coman and Damian McElroy -
SENIOR Pentagon officials are proposing widespread covert operations against the government in Iran, hoping that dissident groups will mount a coup before the regime acquires a nuclear weapon.
COMMENT: This throws quite a revealing light on recent (supposedly spontaneous) student riots in that land, and raises the question of US reaction, should another country decide to exercise the same tactics against the US (which already has nuclear weapons).
The Weekly Telegraph No. 620, June 11-17, 2003:
1. Anglo Saxon brooch has oldest writing in English by Paul Stokes -
WHAT is believed to be the oldest form of writing in English ever found has been uncovered in an Anglo-Saxon burial ground. It is in the form of four runes representing the letters N, E, I and M scratched on the back of a bronze brooch from around AD650. The six-inch cruciform brooch is among one million artefacts recovered from a site at West Heslerton, near Malton, North Yorks, since work began there in 1978. Dominic Powlesland, the archaeologist leading the team, said: "This could well be the earliest example of written English we know of. "Only one or two other runic inscriptions from around this period have been found, but this is either the earliest or one of them. We have no idea what the letters mean, except that it would have been something in early English. Whether it is a charm of some from, a person's initials or the first letters of a phrase is something only future research will e able to determine. It was obviously something treasured by its owner as it had been carefully repaired." The site alongside the cemetery is the first Anglo-Saxon settlement in Britain to be forensically excavated using modern techniques. Mr. Powlesland, director of the Landscape Research Centre, an archaeological charity funded by English Heritage, said the discovery had forced a rethink of what were known as the "Dark Ages": after the fall of the Roman Empire. He said: "It shows that a well-ordered, sophisticated society existed in the fourth century as the Roman world was collapsing. Previous thinking suggested that the Anglo-Saxons lived in squalor and near chaos."
2. France retreats on airport plan for the Somme - graves to remain undisturbed following campaigns on both sides of the Channel, reports Thomas Harding ... . [Brief: 5 columns, illustrated.]
Globe & Mail June 2, 2003: The jewel in its crow: CBC beat foes at coronation by Luma Muhtadie -
Fifty years ago, Canadians won a gritty race with U.S. networks to fly footage from London across the Atlantic:
It would be a series of fuzzy images projected from small black-and white screens, but that was enough to entice thousands of Canadians to rush out and buy their first televisions to watch the Queen's coronation 50 years ago today. "Until then, people had thought of the queen as someone so vastly far away, and suddenly, they would be able to see her up close," said documentary filmmaker Harry Rasky, who was part of the CBC effort to get the footage to air. "It made individuals intimately involved with the Queen, and it made her a very popular figure."
The race to get that film across the Atlantic on June 2, 1953, was a logistical achievement that not only changed the way Canadians saw their monarch, it also got them tuned into the television age. But in broadcast circles, it is still remembered as a remarkable day in which the CBC fought - and won - a gritty behind-the-scenes battle against its U.S. rivals.
Only eight years after the end of the Second World War, the event drew spectacular attention from the big three U.S. networks - NBC, CBS and ABC - each keenly attuned to their audiences, who had "a deep fondness for royalty and a peculiar envy for British pomp," said Mavor Moore, chief producer for CBC television programming at the time.
Since a live transatlantic broadcast was impossible in those days, airing the event would be no small feat. Networks outside Britain had to cart kinescopes across the Atlantic, and point them at a television monitor that was airing the footage already captured by the British Broadcasting Corp. Then the film would have to be flown home, developed and rushed to air - ahead of the competition.
"The Americans went big, as they do with everything else," Mr. Moore, now 84, recalled. NBC and CBC (sic. (= CBS?) leased large planes and sent elaborate contingents to London. Smaller and poorer ABC decided to buy its feed from the Canadians.
And while the CBC had a far humbler budget, "poverty sometimes forces cleverness on you," Mr. Moore said. Pooling together a wealth of connections, CBC bosses decided to have a modest crew of three flown to London on a Royal Air Force jet. It was equipped with a film processor built for the occasion, so the film could be developed on the way home.
The plan was to refuel in Gander, Nfld. - which remained a U.S. air base after the war - before flying back to Montreal's Dorval airport, where the film would be sent by helicopter to the roof of the CBC building.
The three-hour coronation ceremony was an elaborate affair. A coach pulled by eight grey geldings took the queen from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, where 8,000 guests gathered to watch the ceremony. Wearing a white satin gown, the queen was anointed with oils of orange, roses, cinnamon, musk and ambergris before a solid gold crown was placed on her head.
But the end of the ceremony marked the beginning of the race between broadcasters. Back in Montreal, vice-president of CBC television programming Ernie Bushnell got on an open telephone line to Toronto, where program director Stuart Griffiths and Mr. Moore kept tabs on their rivals by radio and TV.
The NBC plane beat them out of the starting gate at London's Heathrow airport, but was then forced to turn around because of engine trouble one hour into its flight. The CBS, meanwhile, was still waiting to take off.
But when the RCAF jet stopped to refuel in Gander, the normally cool-headed cameraman Oscar Burritt called his bosses in a rage: the U.S. base commander was refusing to allow them to reboard for Montreal.
"There was no question the American base commander was in cahoots with the American networks and had no intention of letting our plane go through," Mr. Moore recalled. As Mr. Bushnell urged Mr. Burritt to put U.S. officials on the phone, Mr. Griffiths broke in from Toronto and told the CBC crew, who outnumbered the Americans by one, to "rush them."
"Griffiths was betting that they would let them go once they had broken through, and he was right," Mr. Moore said. The crew landed in Montreal to face one more delay - in their excitement they had forgotten to rewind the film.
But just as it was rewound and ready to go to air, a telephone call confirmed their victory. Still hours away from airing its own footage, the NBC was asking to buy CBC's feed, while CBS was reduced to showing strained interviews with disgruntled members of a welcoming committee that they had arranged to greet their plane in Boston.
Globe & Mail June 4, 2003: Commons panel to probe Blair's call to invade Iraq." This ties to the following two items:
Jane's Intelligence Digest 13 June, 2003: "Iraq dossier fiasco rolls on" heads the lead article. The first paragraph states: "Mounting criticism of two dossiers on Iraq published by the British Government before the US-led invasion has been reflected in the latest Intelligence and security Committee (ISC) annual report. There are concerns that British intelligence service sources may reveal the extent of alleged political influence during the preparation of the dossiers which played a key role in boosting public support for action against Iraq."
Jane's Intelligence Digest 20 June, 2003: "Iraq: intelligence or deception?" heads the lead article. The first paragraph states: "The relationship between the British government and the UK intelligence services is coming under increasing scrutiny as a consequence of the current parliamentary inquiries into reports published in the run-up to the US-led invasion of Iraq. JID assesses the damage that this controversy is set to inflict on British prime minister Tony Blair."
Globe & Mail, June 6, 2003 - by Caroline Alphonso, Education Reporter:
A collection of artifacts, some dating back 600 years, have been accidentally hauled off to a dump in Michigan. Anthropology professor Marti Latta was shocked to discover that the 280 boxes, once safely stored in a tunnel at the University of Toronto, were removed and dumped without her knowledge. ... But university officials at the Scarborough campus in east-end Toronto had ordered that the tunnel be cleared for fire and safety reasons and that unclaimed boxes be hauled off to the dump... .
G&M June 7, 2003 - "U.S. defends pre-invasion intelligence on Iraq arms..." by Robert Burns, WASHINGTON [Brief: 6-columns, illustrated.]
G&M June 10, 2003 - headings: "Britain says no to euro - for now, at least", "Euro passes only financial services test", and "The dogged pound" (Editorial) are accompanied by a coloured photo of a Briton dressed as John Bull and bearing signs which read "Keep the Pound", "No surrender" "Stuff the Euro" and "Rule Britannia," which really quite made our day!
G&M June 11, 2003 - Free speech argument wins case for Google by Guy Dixon:
Freedom of speech on the Internet, even if it causes harm to another company, is sacrosanct, at least when it comes to Google Technology Inc. That was the ruling, by a U.S. District Court judge in Oklahoma last month when a Web advertising company tried and failed to successfully sue Google for lowering its ranking on Google searches. The case hinged on complicated mathematical algorithms and U.S. First amendment rights, but it all came down to a simple truth: The order of appearance of Web sites on Google searches can make or break those sites... .
G&M June 12, 2003:
1. Truth not on display in Iraqi museum looting - by David Aaronovitch, LONDON -
[Brief: Looting of the Baghdad Museum was far less than anticipated in first reports.]
2. Fossil find fills gap in human evolution - Skulls are latest evidence for 'out-of-Africa' theory. COMMENT: We are happy to note that it is still called a "theory."
G&M June 13, 2003: Obituary - Hollywood legend Gregory Peck dies at 87 - Invariably playing the hero, he graced both stage and screen for six decades. [Brief: 6-columns, illustrated. Also "Appreciation", 6-columns, illustrated on June 14th.] (Also in The Weekly Telegraph No. 621, June 18-24, 2003.)
G&M June 14, 2003:
1. In Letter from the Editor, p. A2: one paragraph caught our eye: Writing, in regard to the "New Canada" and making reference to one immigrant family, the G&M Editor notes of his own background: "My maternal grandparents came to Canada in 1929, assisted by an uncle who had left Russia a penniless youth 25 years earlier and then worked his way through medical school washing dishes."
2. In an Editorial "And those weapons?": Controversy grows over the lack of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So too grows the number of people searching. By this weekend, there will be 1,400, twice the number originally assigned by the Bush administration. Will they succeed, more than two months after Iraq was conquered?
3. Cracking the code of Sir Francis Drake - It was a whim that led former B.C. cabinet minister Samuel Bawlf to wonder if Drake might have sailed the coast of British Columbia before Captain Cook. As Mark Hume reports, it became a fascination. [Brief: 6-columns, illustrated. One point worth noting: Drake's explorations up the B.C. coast were purposely hidden by adjusting latitudes on maps 10 degrees southward of their true locations.] In the "Books" section of the same issue there is a related Book Review by Ken McGoogan of The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake: 1577-1580 by Samuel Bawlf, Douglas and McIntyre, 335 pages, $37.95. www.douglas-mcintyre.com. The author, Samuel Bawlf reveals the construction which his investigation puts upon the evidence. An excerpt from the review: "Drawing on ancient maps and early accounts, Bawlf presents evidence that, contrary to popular belief, Drake sailed the 100-foot golden Hinde far beyond northern California, and, indeed, all the way to the gulf of Alaska. Having plundered Spanish galleons of grotesque amounts of treasure along the coast of South America, Drake hoped to escape to England by discovering, and sailing through the fabled Northwest passage. Repelled by ice at a latitude of 57 degrees, he eventually returned home by sailing south around Africa. Bawlf contends that, at the insistence of the astute Queen Elizabeth, who was maintaining an uneasy peace with Spain, Drake conspired reluctantly to conceal the northern extent of his discoveries. He remained convinced that he had found the "Strait of Anian" that led to the Passage - and that England could use that northerly route to establish a colony on the salubrious island of 'Nove Albion,' now Vancouver Island."
G&M June 16, 2003: "Trailers were not WMD labs" heads an 8-inch column. AFP with a report from AP
G&M June 17, 2003:
1. "Ossuary markings fake Israeli archeologist says" [Brief: 3-columns, illustrated. The debate is not settled. Also a column in G&M June 19.]
2. Iraqi museum director under fire - [Brief: 4-columns, illustrated. More than 130 of 185 museum staff have signed a petition demanding the resignation of its directors.]
Globe & Mail June 18, 2003:
1. "Undo Roe v. Wade ruling, ex-plaintiff urges court" - Dallas. The woman whose lawsuit led to the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion asked a court yesterday to overturn the ruling. Norma McCorvey, the "Jane Roe" in Roe v. Wade, said the case was wrongfully decided. She wants U.S. courts to consider new evidence that abortion hurt her and other women. Ms. McCorvey, 55, was pregnant and homeless in 1969 when her lawyers filed a lawsuit in Dallas challenging the Texas state law banning abortions. She turned against abortion after converting to Christianity. AFP
2. "Cook, Short slam Blair over war's rationale - Intelligence on weapons used selectively, former Labour cabinet members charge." [Brief: 6-columns, illustrated.]
Globe & Mail June 20, 2003: "Blair to phase out Lord Chancellor - New U.S.-style justice department called for to replace 1,400-year-old office." [ Brief: 5-columns, illustrated.]
The Weekly Telegraph No. 622, June 25-July 1 heading "Lord Chancellor title may survive after all" by Rachel Sylvester and Joshua Rozenberg - "THE LORD Chancellor's 1,400-year-old role in the constitution has been thrown a lifeline by a senior member of the Government despite Downing Street's announcement that the post was to be abolished. Lord Williams of Mostyn, the Leader of the Lords, told The Daily Telegraph that the Lord Chancellor could continue to be the Lords Speaker even after the reforms. If the Lords agreed the Lord Chancellor would, as now, sit on the Woolsack during debates and carry out ceremonial duties at events such as the State Opening of Parliament. But he would be chosen by peers rather than the Prime Minister, and would not be in the Cabinet... ."
Time Magazine (Canadian Edn.) June 9, 2003, Vol. 161 No. 23 -
Weapons of Mass Disappearance - The war in Iraq was based largely on intelligence about banned arms that still haven't been found. Was America's spy craft wrong - or manipulated? - headed the well-illustrated lead article in this issue, which points towards the question of "making the facts fit the fears." Three factors were said to have been at work in considering intelligence:
1. Treating the worst-case scenario as fact,
2. Glossing over ambiguities,
3. Fudging mistakes.
Three previous examples are given attention:
1. The USS Maine: in 1898 an explosion sinks the dreadnought in Havana harbor. Although the cause is unknown, the press and Congress label it an attack, propelling President McKinley to go to war with Spain.
2. The Missile Gap: Conflicting CIA estimates convince some that the Soviets are winning the arms race. In his 1960 campaign, Kennedy plays up the "missile gap," only to discover later the U.S.'s clear superiority.
3. The Gulf of Tonkin: In 1964 two U.S. destroyers off the Vietnamese coast report torpedo attacks, but the crews later realize they were false alarms. President Johnson jumps on the supposed attacks, launches retaliatory bombing strikes and gets a resolution that effectively puts the U.S. at war.
Time Magazine (Canadian Edn.) June 30, 2003, Vol. 161, No. 26, Cover and pp. 42-50 carries an important colour-illustrated article "Should Christians Convert Muslims?" - A new flock of missionaries has launched a campaign to take the Gospel to Islamic countries. But will they inspire more backlash than belief? "Missionaries Under Cover - Growing numbers of Evangelicals are trying to spread Christianity in Muslim lands. But is this what the world needs now?"
COMMENT: Superficially, any Christian, conscious of Our Lord's command to preach the Gospel, will tend to reply with a categorical "Yes." However, considering the almost total misunderstanding among the vast majority of Evangelicals regarding the identification of the true descendants of "Israel" in the world today, the result is almost bound to be totally counter-productive. Any "Evangelical" attempts, under the handicap of false teaching in this core aspect of Scripture, will doubtless simply stir up increasing hatred for those pushing such a "Crusade."
The Weekly Telegraph No. 621, June 18-24:
1. Clarke tilts at 'Hitlerisation' -
CHILDREN spend so much time learning about the Nazis at school that they are ignorant of British history, Charles Clarke, the Education Secretary, believes. As a result, he has ordered a review of the history curriculum. In recent years pupils have tended to repeat the same periods of history - particularly the Second World War or the Soviet Union - at each stage of their education to such an extent that it has been called the "Hitlerisation of history".
2. Blair snubs MPs' inquiry into 'dodgy dossier' by Benedict Brogan Political Correspondent -
TONY BLAIR last week ruled out giving evidence to the Commons foreign affairs select committee's investigation into alleged misuse of intelligence reports on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. He also made clear that Alastair Campbell, his communications chief, would not appear either. At Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, Mr. Blair maintained there was not "a shred of truth" in any of the allegations over the so-called "dodgy dossier". He told Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democratic leader that he would co-operate fully with a separate inquiry by the Intelligence and Security Committee, to be held behind closed doors. But he said that, "in accordance with convention", he would not attend the foreign affairs select committee.
3. Romania denies Holocaust - by Shamillia Sivathambu -
THE ROMANIAN government has issued a blunt denial that the Holocaust hit the country during the Second World War, defying historical accounts of persecution orchestrated by its pro-Nazi wartime regime. The statement, by the Public Information Ministry, startled Jews in Romania, where 250,000 were killed or sent to concentration camps under the rule of Marshal Antonescu. "We firmly claim that within the borders of Romania between 1940 and 1945 there was no Holocaust," it said. "You cannot say there weren't victims," said Ernest Neuman, a Jewish community leader in Timisoara.
The Weekly Telegraph No. 622, June 25-July 1:
1. War veterans face eviction:
A GROUP of Second World War veterans is to be ejected from a retirement home after the Royal Air Force Association announced the building was being closed to save money. An RAF veteran, three former members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and the widow of a wartime serviceman were told they must move out of Woodford House in Southhport, Merseyside. WAAF Helen Fairfoull, 89, said: "What a rotten way to treat us after we served our country."
2. Muslim police can wear turbans:
MUSLIM policemen are to be allowed to wear turbans instead of regulation headgear, Scotland Yard said. The move follows decisions to allow Sikh officers to wear turbans, and Muslim female officers traditional headscarves.
3. Obituary: Meir Vilner, Aged 84. Served for 40 years in the Israeli Knesset and from 1965 to 1990 as leader of the Israeli Communist Party; he was also the last living signatory of the 37 who signed Israel's Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948.
4. Phoenix rises across the world: HARRY POTTER and the Order of the Phoenix became the fastest selling book in history on Saturday night after selling at the rate of more than 500 copies a minute during the first hour of its release in Britain alone. The sales of the fifth installment, released at one minute past midnight, are likely to surpass the expectations of the publishers, Bloomsbury, and the author JK Rowlings. In all, 97 bookshops and 25 Sainsbury's stores opened at midnight to sell the book. In Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, the book went on sale early on Saturday to coincide with its London launch.
5. Rebuilding Iraq is in chaos, say British by Peter Foster in Baghdad -
THE US-LED reconstruction effort in Iraq is "in chaos" and suffering from "a complete absence of strategic direction", a top British official in Baghdad has told The Daily Telegraph. The comments paint a grim picture of American incompetence and mismanagement as the Coalition Provisional Authority struggles to run post-Suddam Iraq. "This is the single most chaotic organization I have ever worked for," the official said. The source revealed that Paul Bremer, the US administrator in Iraq, had "fewer than 600" staff to run a country, the size of France, in which the civil infrastructure was on the point of collapse. "The operation is chronically under-resourced and suffers from an almost complete absence of strategic direction," he added. Similar frustrations have been voiced privately in London, where British ministers are said to be fed up with being "taken for granted". The official said that a dangerous gulf was opening up between the expectations of the Iraqi people and what the coalition was able to deliver.
[The adjacent item is headed "Britain pays wages of Iraqi soldiers" and its proximity on the news page suggests trends of British thinking in view of the above account.]
A Globe & Mail June 26 article on deaths of six British soldiers is apropos to the above: Last stand at Majarr al-Kabir -
In a sun-baked town six British soldiers tried and failed to hold off furious Iraqis; Iraqi police pleaded with British soldiers to flee besieged station. [Brief: 4 plus 6 columns, illustrated. Also front page pictured in Weekly Telegraph No. 623, July 2-8, 2003.]
6. Hispanics outnumber blacks to become biggest US minority by David Rennie in Washington -
HISPANICS have overtaken blacks as the largest US ethnic minority, the country's census bureau has announced. It confirms a marked shift in society driven by immigration and high birth rates among the youthful Latino population. Although the shift has only now been officially recognised some demographers have been saying that Hispanics, a cultural bloc which also includes black Spanish speakers, became the largest minority two years ago... . [Brief: 4-columns.]
7. Sept 11 only the start, says law chief -
THE terror attacks of September 11, 2001, were only the beginning says John Ashcroft, the US attorney-general, writes David Rennie. [Brief: 4 columns.] COMMENT: One statement: Mr. Ashcroft and his department are determined to underline that the war on terrorism is not over. In the process Mr. Ashcroft is making an unmistakable pitch for even greater powers. Amid protests from civil liberties groups and Democrats in Congress, he is seeking to expand the sweeping provisions of the USA Patriot Act, a draconian temporary measure passed after the 2001 attacks. The front-running Democratic presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry, has accused President Bush of misleading the country about Iraq. Mr. Kerry, a Vietnam veteran who initially supported the use of force, accused Mr. Bush of selling the war on the basis of questionable intelligence.
8. Blair misled all of us, say ex-ministers by Benedict Brogan Political Correspondent -
ROBIN COOK and Clare Short were told by MI6 in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction capable of posing a threat to British security... . [Brief: This item indicates similar British reactions to the above.]
9. Pensions of expats stay frozen - by Becky Barrow
[Brief: 6-columns, illustrated. The article demonstrates the anomalies in treatment of Britishers living overseas in some countries, compared with the pensions paid to similar expats in others. Legal appeals have been rejected and injustices apparently prevail, mainly ascribed to lack of financial ability to pay all equally. A chart shows that UK retirement pensions are up-rated in 40 countries, including those living in all European Union, European Economic Area, Crown Dependencies, former Yugoslavia, Israel, Philippines, Switzerland, Turkey, United States of America, but excluding South Africa, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, among others. About 900,000 pensioners live abroad. All have paid their dues equally. Less than half receive cost of living upgrades.]
Globe & Mail, June 24, 2003 - Bible of the Prairie right is silenced after 30 years; Magazine opposed abortion, gay rights -
by Dawn Walton, CALGARY -
After 30 years of preaching Western conservatism to Canadians, The Report magazine has gone the way of the Prairie grain elevator and bitten the dust. The Bible of the Prairie right - previously known under the mastheads Alberta Report and Western Report, has published its final issue. Link Byfield, editor and publisher, said yesterday... . [Brief: Follow-up editorials and articles by various sympathetic writers appeared: G&M June 25 - Editorial "A magazine mourned"; Article by Guy Dixon "The writing on the wall? - The end of The Report suggests tough times for magazines". G&M June 27 - "Another blow to the lame right wing" by Jeffrey Simpson. G&M June 28 - "Alberta Report falls prey to Canada's flattened-out politics" by Doug Saunders; "A eulogy for the cranky Alberta Report - Sixty-hour work weeks were common the publisher was crusty and budgets tiny, Shawn McCarthy recalls, but young journalists were given a chance to shine."]
COMMENT: A valiant attempt to put honesty before financial success. Allocation of the above accolades in a total of 28 columns in the succeeding week indicates the respect for the magazine's truth, known to the journalistic fraternity.
Globe & Mail - Obituaries:
June 25 - Leon Uris 1924-2003 - Author was a great epic storyteller. Bestselling novel Exodus chronicled European Jewry to creation of Israel. [Brief: 5 columns, illustrated.]
June 26 - Lester Maddox 1915-2003 - Segregationist became moderate as governor. [Brief: 5 columns, illustrated.]
June 27 - Dennis Thatcher 1915-2003 - The skeptic behind the Iron Lady - Prime Minister's consort stayed out of the political limelight. [Brief: 5 columns, illustrated.]
June 30 - Katharine Hepburn: The aristocratic beauty and legendary Hollywood star is dead at 96; A Hollywood icon of grace, talent - Hepburn transcended her limitations to reign on-screen for more than 50 years.
Globe & Mail June 27, 2003: U.S. Supreme Court lifts ban on sodomy by Simon Houpt, NEW YORK - I
n the most significant ruling for gay rights in the United States, and one that affirms a fundamental right to privacy guaranteed in its Constitution, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down yesterday a Texas law banning sodomy between same-sex couples... . [Brief: 2 plus 4 columns and associated article and June 30 Editorial. The recent Canadian ruling on same-sex marriage was cited in the proceedings.]
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