The following items were printed in the December, 2004 issue of The Prophetic Expositor:

Science Vol. 306 No. 5697, 29 Oct., 2004 -
p. 789. Paleoanthropology - New Species of Small Human Found in Indonesia - [Brief: - more bones to ponder.] Also: Time (Canadian Edn.) Vol. 164 No. 19, November 8, 2004 - pp. 46-48, "Hobbits of the South Pacific." Also: Weekly Telegraph, No 693, Nov. 3-9, 2004, pp. 9 "Scientists find new species of 3ft humans" & 23 "Science - Cave dig unearths world of the 'Hobbit; 'New piece in human puzzle'." Also The Weekly Telegraph No 696, Nov 24-30, 2004 Uncovered: the oldest missing link (p 15) [Brief: 6-columns, colour illustrated.]

Time (Canadian Edn.) Vol. 164 No 18, November 1, 2004,
p.60: Beyond the Call of Duty - A whistle-blower objected to the U.S. government's Halliburton deals - and says now she's paying for it - by Adam Zagorin and Timothy J. Burger - [Brief: - (One page)]

Time (Canadian Edn.) Vol. 164 No. 19, November 8, 2004:
pp. 8 & 9, 16 - The Settlers - Meet the new extremists, - [Brief: 3-p., colour.]

The Weekly Telegraph No 692 Oct 27-Nov 2, 2004:
1. British rules for Black Watch agreed by US (p1.); 'Just another job' for the Black Watch (p.4.)

2. Hostage in Iraq begs Blair to withdraw troops (p1); & 'A modern Mother Teresa'; Charity workers opt to abandon mission; Business and brutality reign in Baghdad's 'Kidnap Central' (p7)

3. Vision of Britain through time - A WEBSITE dedicated to British social history that includes statistics from censuses since 1801 and travellers' tales from the 12th century goes online this week. The site - at www.visionforbritain .org.uk - is the brainchild of Prof Humphrey Southall, a reader in geography at the University of Portsmouth, and it took 10 years and £1.5 million to create. Information on everything from infant mortality rates to mangle-turning can be accessed. (p. 2)

4. Devolution dream's wake-up call JOHN PRESCOTT has conceded that his dream of English devolution could disappear for years after an opinion poll showed that his regional assembly plans were likely to fall at the first hurdle. The deputy Prime Minister effectively confirmed that defeat in the North East referendum now being held could sideline his mini-parliament plans - to help regional economies, housing and transport - for a decade. (p. 2)

5. Jail for US abuse soldier - US Staff Sgt Ivan Frederick was sentenced to eight years in prison and expelled from the army last week for his role in abusing inmates at Abu Ghraib jail, Baghdad. Staff Sgt Cardenas Alban was in court accused of premeditated murder and conspiracy to murder. With Staff Sgt Johnny Horne, Alban is charged with shooting dead a wounded Iraqi in the Baghdad's Shia slum of Sadr City. - AFP (p. 5)

6. Embryo cloning attempt begins - SCIENTISTS in Newcastle upon Tyne have begun an attempt to create Europe's first cloned human embryos. The work, which is bitterly opposed by pro-life groups, will place Britain at the forefront of research to create a new generation of medical treatments to treat a vast range of diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. (p.8)

7. March 2006 vote on EU constitution by Patrick Hennessy (p. 11)

8. Where the £1m house is just so common - RUSSIAN billionaires, bankers and Premiership footballers have boosted the million-pound property market to record levels over the past six months, according to latest figures. Halifax, Britain's biggest mortgage lender, said the number of houses sold for more than £1 million jumped by 61 per cent in the first half of the year. Most of these houses were in London, where 1,235 found new owners - 76 per cent more than in the same period last year. (p.13)

9. Navy accepts satanist - A DEVIL-WORSHIPPING non-commissioned officer to the Royal Navy has become the first registered satanist in Britain's Armed Forces. Chris Cranmer, a naval technician serving on the frigate Cumberland, has been officially recognized as a satanist by the ship's captain. That allows him to perform satanic rituals aboard. The church was founded in San Francisco in 1966. (p. 13)

10. Prayer room for police station - A POLICE force is introducing a multi-faith prayer room in one of its stations in the hope of attracting recruits from all religious backgrounds. The Sussex force will expand the Brighton scheme if its room - with prayer books and religious artifacts from Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Sikh faiths- proves a success. (p.13)

11. Heads they lose - SPAIN'S regional government of Aragon plans to remove the image of four severed Moorish heads from its ancient heraldic crest after it received complaints from an Islamic community group. (p.16)

12. Fears mount of Israeli army split (p. 18)

13. Jewish assassin could target the prime minister' (p. 18)

14. Iran rejects EU nuclear exchange plan (p 18)

15. MDC voters 'have been wiped from Zimabwe voting roll' (p. 19)

16. Cricket protesters risk torture again to condemn Mugabe (p. 19)

17. Racists on TV poll list of 'Great South Africans' (Terreblanche) (p. 19)

18. Pitcairn men guilty of sex crimes (p. 20)

19. Kosovo poll reveals UN failure

20. Hands off [Letter-(Separating dogs when they fight)] (p. 25)

21. Costly error (Euros p. 25)

22. Rescue bid - TWO of Britain's finest porcelain makers look likely to merge after Waterford Wedgwood said it was in advanced talks with ailing rival Royal Doulton about a (Euro) 100m (£69m) takeover. (p. 37)

Globe & Mail, Nov. 2, 2004:
1. Canada in Brief:
(a) Martin speaks out against anti-Semitism.

(b) Jewish official apoligizes for backing state terrorism.

2. World in Brief: (a) Anglican bishops in Africa take anti-gay stand.

The Weekly Telegraph No 693 November 3-9 2004:
1. Obituary: Princess Alice, the oldest royal in history, dies at 102 (p 3) [Also in Globe & Mail, Nov. 3, 2004: Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester 1901-2004 - Born into the Edwardian era, she once smuggled herself into Afghanistan and went on to become the longest lived British royal by Tom Corby, London (Brief: 5-col. illus.)]

2. Pupils must be familiar with six religions (p 8) - AS WELL as studying Christianity throughout their time at school pupils should learn about five other principal religions in Britain and be taught a secular world view "where appropriate", says a Government report, writes John Clare. The first national framework for religious education, which sets out principles state schools should follow, said that by the age of 16 pupils needed to have "encountered in sufficient depth" Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. They should also have opportunities to study other traditions such as the Baha'i faith, Jainism and Zoroastrianism. The report said pupils should be encouraged to reflect on "the important contribution religion can make to community cohesion and the combating of religious prejudice and discrimination". Charles Clarke, the Education Secretary, said it "set out a system that places value on the ethos and morals that religious education can establish".

3. English elms 'cloned by the Romans' - (p 9) EVERY English elm may be a clone of a single tree originally introduced into Britain from Spain 2,000 years ago as part of the Roman wine industry, according to a study just published, writes Roger Highfield. Scientists have discovered hardly any genetic variation between English elms from Spain and Britain, which are also closely related to elms in central Italy. On the basis of the new survey and historical evidence, Dr Luis Gil and colleagues in Madrid propose in the journal Nature that the English elm is the same as the Atinian elm - a tree that can reproduce asexually but not by seed - which originated in Italy. This elm was used to train vines for wine production, as recommended by Columella, an influential Spanish author of a "how-to" book on agriculture written in AD50. And the team points out that at that time there were vineyards in the UK. "We propose that the Roman agronomist Columella introduced the Atinian elm and probably other Italian elms into Spain, to use them in his vineyards," said co-author Dr Pablo Fuentes-Utrilla, of the Forestry Engineer School, Madrid. "We do not know who could have moved the clone from Spain to England." It is because they are clones that English elms were particularly hard-hit by the Dutch elm disease outbreak in the 1970s. [Brief: In an added note, the column mentions that "Rabbits are threatening to destroy forts and watchtowers built by the invading Roman legions 2,000 years ago, archaeologists say Burrows have undermined about 60 defensive sites in Scotland, and some structures are in danger of collapse."]

4. African hardliners pronounce deadline in gay bishop row - by Jonathan Petre Religion Correspondent - (p 12) CONSERVATIVE Anglican archbishops in Africa have set a February deadline for the liberal American Church to "repent" for consecrating a homosexual bishop. In a statement the leaders of most of the continent's 20 provinces challenged liberal bishops to comply with the Windsor report, published last month to heal rifts over homosexuality. The African archbishops did not announce plans to develop a rival Anglican church but the threat remained implicit in their statement, which showed that they did not intend to apologise to liberal bishops for illicitly "adopting" conservative parishes in the US. They said the onus was on the liberals to "move beyond informal expressions of regret for the effect of their actions to a genuine change of heart and mind". Their statement, issued after a meeting in Lagos, also said that the liberals must halt the blessing of same-sex "marriages" and rule out future consecration of homosexuals. Failure to do so, they warned, would indicate that the liberals "have chosen to walk alone' and follow another religion". They ignored calls in the Windsor report to apologise for crossing diocesan boundaries to help conservative parishes. They rejected the "moral equivalence" drawn by the report between liberals who had "initiated the crisis" and their efforts to respond to "cries for help from beleaguered friends". The Primate of Nigeria, archbishop Peter Akinola, said at a press conference that the liberals had until the next primates' meeting in February to apoligise, although the statement mentioned no deadline. Anglican officials privately acknowledge that the February gathering will represent the real showdown between the factions.

5. Milosevic trial lawyers to quit - (p 16) STEVEN KAY and Gillian Higgins, the British lawyers assigned to defend Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslav president, because ill health prevented him acting on his own behalf have asked to be removed from his war crimes trial. They told an appeals hearing they were unable to present a proper defence for Milosevic because he refused to co-operate. - AFP

6. Spain suspends claim to Gibraltar in conciliatory move - by Isambard Wilkinson in Madrid and Anton La Guardia (p 17)

7. Britain baulks at EU plan for border guards (p 17) - by Ambrose Evans-Prichard in Brussels and George Jones - THE GOVERNMENT quietly acquiesced in moves to abolish Britain's veto over immigration and asylum last week but clashed with France over far-reaching plans for a European Union-wide justice policy. [Brief: 2 col.]

8. Britain is losing battle over production of heroin (p 19) by Colin Freeman in Kabul - BRITISH-LED efforts to fight heroin production in Afghanistan will be dealt a blow this week with the publication of a United Nations report showing the country has become the world's biggest supplier of illicit drugs. Although £70 million of British taxpayers money has gone into fighting narcotics since 2002, the latest figures will show the war-torn country has overtaken Columbia. Britain, which has a direct interest in tackling heroin because of its own addiction problem, has led international efforts against the trade through law enforcement, education and crop substitution projects. The report from the UN Office of Drug and Crime exposes a huge rise in the cultivation of opium poppies - the raw ingredient for making heroin. The situation contrasts sharply with Colombia, where a American-backed fumigation campaign has cut production of the coca plant - which provides the base paste for cocaine. America has been criticised for turning a blind eye to local warlords' involvement in the trade in return for co-operation in hunting down Taliban and al-Qa'eda elements.

9. Mugabe brainwashes police in brutal military camps (p 21)

10. White (Zimbabwe) MP is jailed with hard labour for hitting minister (p 21)

11. Judges sentence Pitcairn islanders (p 21)

12. Vote No to the constitution, and save Europe from itself (again) - Simon Wolfson on how courage and common sense can save us. (p 26)

13. [Editorial from Daily Telegraph]: Rome may prove fatal for another leader (p 27)

14. Cup of plenty: Prince almost ends up with Turkish wife (photo caption) (p 27)- AN INNOCENT cup of coffee nearly landed the Prince of Wales with a young Turkish bride in the 7,000-year-old city of Mardin. According to local tradition, the Prince's fate could have been sealed there and then, depending on what he did with his cup. He was offered the drink by Berna Yagci, 26, at the city's post office. But just as he was sipping it, Temel Kocaklar, the Governor of Mardin, warned him to be careful what he did with his cup. The coffee ceremony is a local tradition where grooms are offered the beverage by potential wives. If the man places the cup back on the tray afterwards without producing gold or money, then he is betrothed to the woman who served him. "I'm glad you warned me," laughed the Prince, who placed the cup firmly back in Berna's hand. Afterwards Berna joked: "I nearly became a princess."

Globe & Mail, Nov.3, 2004: -
1. Zundel's lawyer assails judge - Holocaust denier's lawyer criticizes 'Draconian' security certificate process blah blah by Kirk Makin Justice reporter - 'Your lordship has awesome, extraordinary powers to hear secret evidence without safeguards' - Peter Lindsay, defence lawyer. [Brief: 5 col. illus.]

2. B'nai Brith official quits after terrorism remark. By Marina Jiménez 'Terror is an option to be used by states in order to prevent deaths of their own citizens and of others.'

3. Dutch filmmaker shot to death - Great-grandnephew of Vincent van Gogh had received threats after last project - by Toby Sterling, Amsterdam [Brief: 4-col.. illus.] [Also Globe & Mail , 4 Nov. 2004: Arrest follows van Gogh murder [Brief: 3-col. illus.] and Globe & Mail Nov. 11, 2004: Dutch lash out at Muslims after slaying; Liberal Dutch lash out at Muslims; (Editorial): Extremism strikes the Netherlands (pp. 1, A15, A18).

4. Missed calls and missed opportunities - "I didn't realize what a gift it was to get an early morning phone call from my aunt. It was the last time we ever spoke" [article by Emma Rhodes]

5. Social Studies by Michael Kesterton: News for Cats: (a) The Scottish township of Prestonpans has officially pardoned 81 people who were executed centuries ago for being witches. The victims' cats have also been pardoned. In the 16th and 17th centuries, more than 3,500 Scots, mostly women and children, were killed in witch hunts. Many were convicted on flimsy evidence, such as owning a black cat or brewing homemade remedies. (b) A Los Angeles biotech company; Allerca. Is working on a genetically modified cat that will be free of allergy-causing proteins. The company is accepting $350 (U.S.) deposits for the British shorthair breed of cats, for which it plans to charge $3,500 apiece in the United States and $10,000 each in Japan. Company president Simon Brodie said he hopes to sell about 200,000 of the hypoallergenic cats every year.

6. Obituary: Sheik Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan 1918-2004 - The president and absolute ruler of the United Arab Emirates made a Persian Gulf backwater into a world oil giant. [Brief: 5-col., illus.]

7. Obituary: William Dobelle, 62 - He invented system of artificial vision: New York - William Dobelle, a scientist who was responsible for a system of artificial vision for the blind, died Oct. 5 of complications from diabetes ... In 2000, his system created a stir. It restored limited abilities to a blind volunteer. The system uses a miniature camera attached to glasses. The camera's images are relayed to a portable computer then to electrodes fixed to the brain.

8. Tomb saviours target Valley of the Kings - conservation plans for Egypt's most famous graveyard aim to protect the crypts from floods, theft and tourists. [Brief: 6-col. illus.]

Globe & Mail Nov. 4, 2004:
1. 'That's when I said to them "You must just kill me"' - After three days of torture in Zimbabwe, a human rights lawyer flees to South Africa to pursue justice, Stephanie Nolen reports. [Brief: 2-col. illus.]

2. Obituary: Lew Urry, Researcher 1927-2004 - Canadian-born scientist was crucial to the development of the alkaline battery. His prototype paved the way for everything from cell phones and MP3 players to the energizer bunny - by Carol Cooper [Brief: 5-col. illus.]

Globe & Mail Nov. 5, 2004:
1. Zundel not a threat, FBI ruled. [Brief: 4-col. illus.]

2. Can Ottawa act against Mugabe? - A small, courageous group thinks so. Stephanie Nolen reports on a plan that would see Zimbabwe's leader charged with abuse of human rights under Canada's new war-crimes law - Pretoria [Brief: 5-col. illus.]

3. Regional parliament plan dealt blow in Britain

4. [Editorial]: The rule of Mugabe

5. Social Studies by Michael Kesterton:
(a) Realistic ruler: On this date in 1800, the royal title of George III was altered to drop any reference to his being the king of France. For 432 years, since the reign of Edward III, English monarchs had claimed the French throne in this way. 'The abandonment of the title of King of France led to our foreign official correspondence being carried on in the English language, instead of in French, as had previously been the custom." Says Chambers's Book of Days.

(b) A green queen: A planned hydroelectric power plant on the Thames for Windsor Castle is expected to provide a third of the power the residence needs, reports The Sunday Times of London. Buckingham Palace has been fitted with energy-saving light bulbs and the Queen herself is said to switch off lights when she sees them left on unnecessarily.

Globe & Mail Nov. 6, 2004:
1. B'nai Brith files complaint against Concordia

2. Post drops columnist for alleged plagiarism [Brief: 3-col.]

3. Zimbabwe's exiles live 'between danger zones' - an estimated 4 million people have fled Mugabe's regime, many of them finding work in South Africa, Stephanie Nolen reports [Brief: 6-col. illus.]

4. Letters: (a) Chinese weren't first (to develop synthetic insulin) (b) Zundel in context (c) An embryo is human.

5. Dog leads man to 3,000-year-old sunken ship (Israeli archaeology) [Brief: 6-col.]

6. Learning and living history (Remembrance Day - High School theatre arts class staged a First World war play that brought them face to face with echoes of the past - J.M. Sullivan reports from St. John's) [Brief: 6-col. illus.]

7. Details: Lions of friend and foe (Hart House - U of T restorations) [Brief: 2-col. illus.]

8. The Hampson Interview - Princess Michael of Kent Her Royal Pushiness - Brits don't call her Princess Pushy for nothing. This royal writer wants her title and her freedom too Her book about the wife and mistress of France's Henry II is a page-turner. [Brief: 5-col. illus.]

9. Book review: Social Anthropology - The Celtic twilight: The Last of the Celts by Marcus Tanner - Yale University Press 370 pages $47.50.

The Globe & Mail 8 Nov. 2004:
1. Obituary: Dorothy Burnham, textiles Archivist 1911-2004 Born just blocks from Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum, she joined as a draftsman and went on to become a world authority on fabrics and weaving. [Brief: 5-col. illus.]

2. Obituary: Gerard Norton 1915-2004: A South African platoon leader who won the Victoria Cross in Italy, he took up farming in Zimbabwe only to be evicted by Robert Mugabe's land reforms. [Brief: 5-col.]

3. Last Words: Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the next room. I am I and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, that we still are. I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner. All is well. - Canon Henry Scott Holland 1847-1918.

Globe & Mail, 9 Nov. 2004:
1. Bin Laden driver entitled to hearing, U.S. court rules.

2. Bosnian Serbs admit 7,800 Muslims massacred.

3. Assaut on Fallujah (p. 1) - U.S. is committed to complete victory in Fallujah (p. A15) [Brief: 5-col, illus by map, photo.]; Blix attacks war logic.

4. Aliens 'r'us? "Most of the cells in your body are not your own, nor are they even human. They are bacterial... That's the view of scientists at Imperial College London, who published a paper in Nature Biotechnology Oct. 6 describing how these microbes interact with the body," says wired magazine. "More than 500 different species of bacteria exist in our bodies, making up more than 100 trillion cells. Because our bodies are only made of some several trillion cells, we are somewhat outnumbered by the aliens."

5. Obituary: Bob Waddy, Soldier and Mill Worker 1921-2004 Dieppe gunner who three times eluded the Germans married the farmer's daughter whose letters had sustained him as a PoW.

6. Obituary: David Shulman, 91 - Dictionary wordsmith wartime code breaker

7. Obituary: Herman Postma, 70 - Director led transition at Oak Ridge nuclear lab.

The Weekly Telegraph No 694 November 10-16 2004:
1. Three Black Watch men killed in Iraq - Alawi declares martial law as final assault on Fallujah begins. (p 1); Lament for men of the Black Watch - as battle of 'good versus evil' begins (p 4-5); They died for oil and money, says brother; 'We will not be deterred from our task'; 'Shoddy Hoon put the lives of thousands of troops at risk' (p 4)

2. How a schoolboy left the Revenue short of an answer - by Ben Fenton THE Inland Revenue wrestled for seven years with a taxing issue raised by a 10-year-old boy trying to solve a school holiday quiz; why April 5? Learned memos and copies of centuries-old acts of Parliament circulated within the Revenue as officials sought a definitive answer as to why the tax year runs the way it does. A document just released from the National archives shows that Mark Meadowcroft, now 50, set the wheels of bureaucracy in motion after he and fellow pupils at Longfield Church of England primary school, Kent, were asked the question as part of an Easter holiday task in 1965. His father, Aubrey, then employed by the Revenue's Dartford office, helped him to find the answer, but it differed from the explanation offered by the headmaster, who then wondered who was right. "Mark won the school prize getting all the other answers right, so I suppose the headmaster thought he might have got his facts wrong and must have asked me to look into it because of my job.:" Aubrey Meadowcroft, now 82, recalled. His handwritten letter to the Revenue's librarian at Somerset House sparked a long debate. The Treasury was asked to consult the personal files of William Pitt the Younger, the father of the modern income tax. The file contains relevant copies of complex tax and customs laws from the reigns of Charles II, George II and Victoria. Finally the taxmen thought they had an explanation. In medieval times, the Exchequer that collected the king's income divided the year into two periods, one ending at Easter and one at Michaelmas, or Sept 29. Mark Meadowcroft said "what a waste of time."

3. Smacking allowed as long as it's gentle (p 9)

4. Church of England school told to drop its 'offensive' saint's name - by Liz Lightfoot Education correspondent - (p 9) A CHURCH of England school has been told to drop the word "saint" from its name - in case it offends other religious groups. The practice of calling schools after saints or bishops alienates people from other faiths and none-believers, say officials and councillors in Islington, north London. The row is over the name of the first church of England secondary school to be built in the borough, which lost control of education five years ago after Ofsted, the regulator, found it was running some of the worst schools in the country. Islington council plans to incorporate the existing St Mary Magdalene C of E Primary school into a new city Academy for five to 18-year-olds. The church, which is giving £2 million towards building costs, has been told by the local authority - a partner in the scheme - that the name of the new school cannot be religious. James Kempton, a spokesman for the council's ruling Liberal Democrats, said a consultation had been launched because of concerns over the use of the word "saint". "We want to create a school open to everybody, not a school that selects through the back door," he said. "We need to ensure that this school is appropriate for Islington in the 21st century. Churchgoing is now a much less significant part of people's lives." Parents, governors and teachers at St. Mary Magdalene are determined to keep the name. John Stewart, the head teacher, said: "We have been serving the community since 1710".

5. Church may split to clear way for female bishops - by Jonathan Petre Religion correspondent - THE CHURCH of England has paved the way for women bishops by 2010 but conceded that it might have to split into two parts, one with women clergy and one without. A long-awaited report by a House of Bishops working party said an enclave for opponents of women bishops might have to be created to prevent a mass exodus. The idea is one of seven options raised by the working party chaired by the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali. Its inclusion, however, triggered a fresh row. [Brief: 5 col. illus.]; Protagonists cite Bible as evidence (p 13)

6. Make-up, another thing the Romans did for us [Brief: full page, colour illus.] (p 15)

7. Let history guide us, Queen tells Germany (p16)

8. Web may shows New York and California joining Canada (p 18)

9. US accepts name of Macedonia - (p 20) THE United States has prompted fury in Greece by officially recognising the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia simply as Macedonia, a name redolent of the ancient civilization of Alexander the Great which the Greeks claim as their own. The US ambassador in Athens was summoned to receive a formal complaint as Greece claimed the move would upset a 13-year search for a compromise name.

10. Tsvangirai to face new treason case - (p 20) MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, Zimbabwe's opposition leader returned to court last week, to face a second treason case three weeks after being acquitted of plotting to kill President Robert Mugabe. The court adjourned the case until Jan 13, just weeks before a general election due in March. Mr. Tsvangirai, head of the Movement for Democratic Change, already faces separate treason charges linked to anti-government protests in June 2003.

11. Fathers seek mothers - (p 20) THE highly conservative Greek Orthodox Church last week started a highly unorthodox recruitment drive - for women - after aspiring young priests complained that they could not find wives. The Greek church accepts married priests, but young men with a vocation have told the country's Holy Synod that priests, with their black robes and austere lifestyle, are not the catch they used to be.

12. Immersion of modern idols is 'poisoning' the Ganges - by Peter Foster in New Delhi (p. 21) THE Ganges river is being poisoned by the centuries-old practice of immersing Hindu idols in its sacred waters. Indian environmentalists have warned. Thousands of brightly painted idols of the goddess Durga are dunked in the water every year to mark the end of the festival of Dusshera. However, the modern paints and glues that colour the effigies of Durga are causing serious pollution problems in the river, whose eco-system is already on the point of collapse. Among the most obviously affected species is the Ganges river dolphin, known locally as the Susu, which faces extinction, according to a study by WWF-India. "The Ganges river is considered sacred by Hindus but we are polluting it by immersing idols." Said Arun Kumar Singh, of the conservation group Green Life.

13. Obituary: Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester - Duke's daughter who married George V's son Prince Henry, and eventually became the oldest ever member of the Royal Family. [Brief: 6-columns, full page, illustrated.]

Globe & Mail, 10 Nov. 2004:
1. U.S. pierces heart of Fallujah; Fallujah fight may fail to win political goal; Clerics threaten boycott of January election; Rocket the vote: election weapons - Washington is determined that Iraqis will democratize - even it it kills them - by Naomi Klein (pp. 1, A19, A23)

2. Controversial Ashcroft resigns from cabinet (p. A20)

3. Social Studies by Michael Kesterton: Tourists' breath: Every day, 9,000 tourists visit the tombs in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, reports Kent Weeks, a professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo. This is beginning to destroy the painting and fabric of the tombs that once housed Ramses II, Seti I and Tutankhamen. The tombs must be lit by hundreds of 40-watt bulbs, steadily raising the temperature in what were once sacred subterranean corridors, dark for 30 centuries. Four hundred or more tourists a day each leave behind an ounce of moisture - about a third of a teacup - from their breath in any one tomb. Source: The Guardian

4. Cartoonist to end For Better or For Worse in three years - Health problems, daily grind of pleasing fans have taken a toll on Lynn Johnston - by Donna Horowitz Santa Rosa, Calif. - Lynn Johnston is winding down her popular strip for Better or For Worse in three years. Much as the late Charles Schulz announced in 1999 that he was putting his legendary comic strip Peanuts to bed after almost 50 years. She said she plans to tie up some loose ends in the lives of her imaginary family - the Pattersons - and then crate a retrospective. "It will be as if you're looking through a family album," the Canadian cartoonist said during a visit to California over the weekend. "That way I won't have all the deadlines." Twenty-five years of drawing the cartoons that have delighted her fans have taken a toll. When Johnston, 57, and her husband are travelling, away from their home in Corbell, Ont, a small town near North Bay, she can never completely relax. "I've worked at hotels and on air-planes," Johnston said. And because she has developed health problems, it makes it hard to keep up the same pace. Besides the strain on her eyes, she also has a neurological disorder that requires heavy medication. Johnston's comic strip is one of the most popular in the world. It is in more than 2,000 newspapers in 20 countries and is translated into eight languages. She visited the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, Calif., this weekend as part of a book tour. Her latest book, Suddenly Silver, looks back on 25 years of the comic strip Johnston said she and her husband, Rod Johnston, came to visit Schulz, who created the legendary comic strip Peanuts and who died four years ago. Johnston bases her tales about her imaginary family - the Pattersons - loosely on her own family. ... [Brief: 6-column article, illustrated.]

5. A time to weep: 8 lives are lost - by Christie Blatchford - [Brief: Fire destroys home during night, wiping out a family of eight. (Wife and 7 children dead.)] Also Globe & Mail, 11 Nov. 2004: Two families, friends grieve loss while fire investigators sift ashes; Tiny Christian sect seen as the centre of Woerlens' lives. [Brief: The group has no formal name, calling itself simply "The Christian Church." It has 25,000 to 30,000 adherents living in 55 countries and they are not communal but closely knit, and attend communal feasts about 10 times a year. The movement was limited to Norway and Denmark until the Second World War when occupying German soldiers came into contact with it and began spreading its teachings throughout Europe... the church's web-site places children as the first priority for its adherents, saying, "Our goal in everything we do with our children is to awaken their interest in our heavenly calling and nurture in them a sense of responsibility and care for other people."]

Globe & Mail, 11 Nov. 2004:
1. Veterans of Italy hope for recognition

2. Serb Republic apologizes for Srebrenica massacre: Sarajevo - Bosnia's Serb Republic offered its first formal apology yesterday for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which its forces killed as many as 8,000 Muslims in Europe's worst atrocity since the second World War... . The statement accompanied the final version of the Bosnian Serb government's report on Srebenica, in which it admitted that Bosnian Serb forces had been responsible for atrocities. Reuters.

3. Memories of Doc Riley - The life of a father I never knew was shrouded in mystery, until I tracked down those who served with him - by Susan Riley.

4. Social Studies by Michael Kesterton: (a) Canada's war dead - In 74 countries around the world, Canada's war dead are buried in thousands of cemeteries. Some notes: - In five major conflicts - the Nile Expedition (1884-85), the Boer war (1899-1902), the First and Second World Wars and Korea - 116,000 Canadians lost their lives. Only about 15 per cent or 17,000 are buried in Canada. France has the most Canadian war graves: nearly 52,000 in 861 cemeteries. Next is Flanders (Belgium) with more than 18,000; Britain, with 12,623; Italy, 5,963; the Netherlands, 5,755, and Germany, 3,242. Source: The Canadian Press (b) Graves or not - Of the Canadian total of 116,000 war dead, 30,000 have no known grave and are remembered on large memorials. Many of those who died in battle (in the First World War) could never be laid to rest," writes British historian John Keegan. "Their bodies have been blown to pieces by shellfire and the fragments scattered beyond recognition... Of the British Empire's million dead, most killed in France and Belgium, the bodies of over 500,000 were never found or, if found, not identified. A similar proportion of the 1.7 million French war dead had also disappeared .... The Germans, working on foreign soil, and obliged to construct compact and inconspicuous cemeteries, often excavated enormous mass graves." (c) Thought du jour - "the great war of 1914-1919 lies like a great angry scar across the history of Western civilization. At least 13 million people died in the war, most of them young men. So did four old empires. A dozen newly sovereign states emerged, among them Canada." - Canadian historians Desmond Morton and J. L. Granatstein.

5. War is no answer to a WMD threat - Hans Blix

6. Never to be forgotten - The 1938 McGill Redmen football team enlisted to a man when war broke out. Seven of the players never returned

7. Obituaries: Week of Remembrance; Mary Edwina Watson, 'Cipherette' 1921-2004 - Well-born Newfoundland woman who cracked naval codes during the battle of the Atlantic found love and war on her doorstep.

Globe & Mail 12 Nov. 2004:
1. Israeli nuclear whistle blower arrested - Vanunu taken from church sanctuary on suspicion of revealing classified data [Brief: 5 col. colour illus.]; Also: Globe & Mail 13 Nov. 2004: Editorial: Vanunu even now

2. Week of Remembrance: Bill Jewell, Naval Officer 1913-2004 - Captain's secret mission involving The Man Who Never Was saved the lives of untold numbers of Canadian soldiers in Sicily

Globe & Mail 13 Nov. 2004:
Activism: Interested in peace? 'I must have been subversive' (Norman Alcock, 86)

Globe & Mail 15 Nov. 2004:
1. CSIS spy-warrant requests meet with little opposition, documents reveal [Brief: Approval rate 99.3 per cent of the time.]

2. Lost city of Atlantis is uncovered, researcher asserts

3. X-rays to solve mystery of king Tut's death

Globe & Mail 16 Nov. 2004:
1. Powell's out, Rice to step in - 'Team player' tabbed to replace White House voice of moderation; Powell never the dove admirers imagined - former top T.S. soldier played key roles in invasion of Panama, both Iraq wars; Editorial: Exit Colin Powell; [Also: Globe & Mail 17 Nov. 2004: Bush names Rice Secretary of State - Insider to be 'America's face to the world'

2. Ugly CIA squabble boils over; More CIA resignations expected

3. Niagara synod backs blessing of gay unions

4. U.S. marine killed prisoner, video shows.

5. Social Studies by Michael Kesterton: Religious marketing - St. George's Episcopal church in Laguna Hills Calif., recently placed an ad in a local alternative weekly. Its Top 10. reasons for visiting an Episcopal parish included: 10. No snake handlings! 9. You can believe in dinosaurs. 4. Free wine on Sunday. 2. You don't have to know how to swim to get baptized. 1. No matter what you believe, there's bound to be at least one other Episcopalian who agrees with you. Source: Los Angeles Times

6. Obituary: Ellen Fairclough, Politician and Accountant 1905-2004 [Brief: 5 col. illus.]

The Weekly Telegraph No 695 November 17-23 2004:
1. Blair wins pledge on Mid-East; Bush to pay return visit as Britain gears up for election (p 1)

2. Heart attack risk from vitamin E - (p 2) TAKING high-dose vitamin E supplements can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes among elderly people, scientists said last week. Researchers found that those who took daily doses of about 400iu (international units) or more for long periods had a one in 20 chance of dying earlier than those who took dummy tablets.

3. Patients to grow new livers - (p2) PATIENTS whose livers are destroyed by alcohol or infection could grow a new organ using their own stem cells after a breakthrough by British scientists. At present the demand for new livers outweighs the number provided by donors by 10 to one. Trials are due to begin that could enable patients to rebuild livers within five years.

4. Racial tensions halt dispersal of asylum seekers around UK - by Daniel Foggo and Tony Freinberg - (p 4) THE GOVERNMENT has been forced to stop sending asylum seekers to cities and towns across Britain after being warned by the police that its policy is creating racial tension and violence. Among the places where the dispersal of refugees has been halted are Derby, Burnley and Nelson in Lancashire, Bootle on Merseyside, and large parts of Manchester, Nottingham and Doncaster. According to the most recent figures, for the end of 2003, these areas had at least 6,100 asylum seekers between them. The Government had hoped to send more, but admitted that it has been forced to stop because of the reaction of the local communities. A Home Office spokesman conceded that the suspensions were because of racial conflict, saying: "The whole point is to avoid any tension and not putting a burden on any one particular area." Sir Andrew Green, the chairman of Migration Watch UK, a group that campaigns for stricter controls on asylum applications, said that the disclosure, made by the Government last week in a parliamentary written answer, highlighted the problems that the continuing influx was causing. "These suspensions are a clear sign of the growing strain resulting from the very large flow of asylum seekers in recent years." He said. Local authorities can apply to become dispersal centres for asylum seekers in return for government funding. Many have abandoned the idea, however, because of the impact it is having on race relations and law and order. South Yorkshire police have requested no male asylum seekers from Middle eastern countries be sent to Doncaster because of violence in which a local man was stabbed. The wounding happened during a confrontation in the village of Hexthorpe, near Doncaster, between a group of Iraqi asylum seekers and a number of local white men. In Nottingham, two properties previously used for accommodating asylum seekers have not received claimants for the past three months because of tensions with the local community. Burnley, which suffered race riots three years ago, has been off the list for taking asylum claimants since December 2002. Its population has shown significant support for the British National Party, the far-Right political group, which uses the asylum issue to propagate its racist policies. Chief Supt Jerry Graham, of Lancashire police, said the continuing suspensions meant that sections of the county were effectively off limits for new asylum seekers. [A related article states:] In a separate development, a Whitehall whistleblower has criticised the Government's immigration policy by revealing the "lies and false excuses" that enable failed asylum seekers to settle in Britain. Anwar Rizvi, an interpreter employed by the Department for Constitutional affairs in the asylum appeal court, has claimed that asylum seekers have been allowed to stay in Britain after claiming they were gay, depressed or suffered from minor ailments such as headaches, nightmares or stomach ulcers. His claims appear to have been supported by court records.

5. All-out assault was biggest city operation since Vietnam (p 6) [Brief: 6-columns, illustrated. The bulk of the article simply relates the Order of Battle as the attack proceeded. However, one item, towards the conclusion of the article states "White phosphorus shells lit up the sky as armour drove through the breach and sent flaming material on to suspect insurgent haunts..."]
COMMENT: this appears noteworthy as it seems to confirm a highly disturbing Internet report from the Sunday Mirror which stated, in effect, that a variant of Napalm was used by the US forces to take out any enclaves even suspected of being dangerous to their approach. The report added that "A 1980 UN convention banned the use of napalm against civilians." (http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=14920109&method=full&siteid=106694&headline=fallujah-napalmed-name_page.html)

6. 'Genes make you religious' (p 13) RELIGIOUS belief is determined by a person's genetic make-up, according to a study by Dr Dean Hamer of the US National Cancer Institute. After comparing more than 2,000 DNA samples, the molecular geneticist has concluded that a capacity to believe in God is linked to brain chemicals.
COMMENT: Two thoughts occur to your editor: one is that such a possibility may give rise to the humanist concept that "God" is merely a superstitious fantasy created merely by brain malfunction - which would be like seeking someone who phones you by dissecting the telephone in your own hand. The other is that such a concept if true, might underlie selection by The Almighty of a single man (Abraham) and his seed as a priestly kingdom and nation!

7. 'Racist' Belgian party will have to disband - by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in Brussels - BELGIUM'S most popular political party has been banned as racist by the country's high court, fuelling claims that the judicial branch is being used to eliminate political enemies. The Vlaams Blok, a Flemish independence party promising to abolish Belgium as a nation, now cannot receive any funding and will have to disband. Frank Vanhecke, the party's chairman, accused the ruing elite of using totalitarian tactics to stop legitimate political expression and vowed to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights. "This is an attack on democracy," he said. "Our political opponents have changed the racism laws six times in a campaign to have us condemned." Party leaders plan to relaunch it with a new name, Vlaams Belang, or Flemish Interest, and a manifesto extolling women's rights, the secular state and the rule of law. The Vlaams Blok has risen from murky neo-fascist roots to reinvent itself as a modern free market party.

8. Divers plunder war grave wreck - THE WRECK of a German ship sunk by Soviet torpedoes in the Baltic Sea 60 years ago, with the loss of 9,000 lives is being systematically and illegally, plundered by rogue divers. The Wilhelm Gustloff was packed with refugees when it sank in what experts say is the worst maritime disaster in history. It is recognised as a war grave.

9. American judge says Guantanamo tribunals are illegal

10. Lost Atlantis 'found near Cyprus' - A TEAM of US ocean researchers say they are convinced they have found evidence of the lost kingdom of Atlantis off the coast of Cyprus. The team used the latest sonar technology to create images of the sea bed a mile below the surface of the Mediterranean. The expedition leader, Robert Sarmast, said: "The sonar images showed what appeared to be two straight walls each about a mile long at either end of a flat-topped hill where the city's temples would have been situated."

11. Israel arrests Vanunu again - MORDECHAI VANUNU, the whistleblower who spent 18 years in jail for revealing Israel's nuclear programme to the world, was rearrested last week. Mr. Vanunu, who was freed in April, has been accused by Israeli authorities of having communicated "secret information to foreigners" and of violating restrictions imposed on him by the security services. - AFP

12. Labour voters look at Tony Blair but see only George Bush (p 26)

13. Obituary: Edna Morris - EDNA MORRIS, who has died aged 80, was one of the first three women - known as the Flying Nightingales" to land in Normandy after D-Day; as a nursing orderly in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). She flew on the first RAF transport aircraft to evacuate the wounded from the French battlefields (p 31) [Brief: 2 columns, illustrated.]

14. ExpatLiving: Ava Hubble meets a frozen pensioner with a fascinating past: A veteran of Churchill's War Room (Irene Clayton-Pearson): [Brief: 4-columns, illustrated, outlines the accomplishments of Irene Clayton-Pearson. The article focuses on the problem of frozen pensions now pressing stringency upon many such patriotic servants of the Nation from the WW II years who retired to countries like Australia. Some have indexed pensions, others not, depending on present country of residence.]

Globe & Mail 17 Nov. 2004:
1. Senior bureaucrat named head of CSIS

2.Blindfolded woman slain on tape (Margaret Hassan) (p 1) Slain hostage had dedicated her life to humanitarian causes in Iraq (p A21); The terrible price of caring - When great powers insist on saving the world at the point of a gun, deaths such as Margaret Hassan's are inevitable, says activist Sally Armstrong; In her own words ... From Baghdad, May 17, 2003 (p. A27); Also Globe & Mail 18 Nov 2004 - Editorial: Margaret Hassan; (And Margaret Wente Article Who really killed Margaret Hassan?) [See also The Weekly Telegraph No 696, November 24-30, 2004: "Iraq aid chief is shot dead on video; Hassan family hearts broken by murder; Tireless worker described as Iraq's Mother Teresa" (pp 1&5)
[COMMENT: Your editor has the greatest sympathy for the victims of such occurrences. However, a missing element should be explained regarding all such episodes. Two systems of ancient and widely respected "Justice" are clashing in the homeland of one of these, and the constant use of the words "terror" and "terrorist" can be greatly misleading. The Western Concept of Justice, drawn from the Biblical Law given to Israel at Sinai, is found in Deuteronomy 24:16: "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin." A system which has ancient roots in much of the Middle East and Africa, consists of "Tribal Justice", (perhaps since the time of Hammurabi, prior to the Law delivered at Sinai). It is exemplified in the Biblical Book of Judges. The "Whole Tribe" becomes "guilty" through any individual(s) of that tribe assaulting any individual(s) of the neighbouring Tribe. Cf. 1 Samuel 15:2-3 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." (It is the Tribal Lex Talionis.)]

3. Top court is asked to rule on conspiracy theory: Judges to consider whether Cotler abused powers by facilitating Abella appointment [Also Globe & Mail 18 Nov 2004: Charges against Cutler 'absurd']

4. Fallout from Fallujah: Pentagon launches probe after marine videotaped shooting Iraqi prisoner; "He's ... faking he's dead.' Gunshots ring out. He's dead now.': Now U.S. takes fight to Mosul

5. CanWest buys Jerusalem Post stake - Prized Hollinger property will be half owned by Aspers

6. There's little change on the 'Island of Stone Money' - Giant stone currency may have given way to the greenback on the South Pacific's Yap Island, but here women shop bare-breasted, everyone chews betelnut and there isn't a timeshare salesman in sight (Travel article)

Globe & Mail 18 Nov 2004:
1. Medieval harvests reveal climate change - Present global warming unprecedented, 600 years of data on pinot noir grape show [Brief: 5 col. colour illus.]

2. Trustees argue over collecting race statistics - Motion introduced after staff report showed 11,000 students falling behind

3. Kosher confusion - Kosher consumers worldwide have 731 kosher symbols to negotiate, according to the on-line news service Kosher Today, citing Kashrus magazine. The magazine warns kosher consumers against the ambiguity of the generic k. A letter "k" does not indicated who the certifying agency or person is and often neglects to inform consumers whether the product is dairy.

4. Obituary: Tony Boram,, 77 - He blew the whistle on Robert Maxwell

Globe & Mail 19 Nov. 2004:
1. Group backs reporter cited for contempt - (Hamilton Spectator reporter Ken Peters has refused to disclose the source of leaked papers.) [Also see Globe & Mail 24 Nov 2004: Hamilton reporter could face fine or jail for not naming source. And Globe & Mail Nov 25 2004: (Editorial) A journalist's sources.]

2. Landmark claims rulings made - Government must consult aboriginals before allowing development on disputed lands, top court rules [Brief: 4-col. illus.]

3. Social Studies by Michael Kesterton: The biggest invention? - "What would you say was the most influential invention in human history? The wheel? The light bulb? How about the alphabet?" writes Nathan Bierma in The Chicago Tribune, reviewing David Sacks's Letter Perfect. "We tend to take it for granted, but the alphabet was a human invention... The invention [of] a system that used symbols to represent individual sounds rather than things or ideas, revolutionized human language. Before the alphabet was invented, only scholars could write as hieroglyphics used hundreds of symbols for words and syllables that took years of training to master. Today, our 26 letters do all the work of representing the approximately 45 phonemes (individual sounds) and 500,000 words of English."

The Weekly Telegraph No 696, November 24-30, 2004
1. Telegraph 'hates everything I stand for'-George Galloway MP takes The Daily Telegraph to court over claims that he was in the pay of Saddam Hussein; Reporter had 'no doubts' that the Baghdad papers were real (p 3)

2. £860,000 to save psalter - THE CAMPAIGN to keep a magnificent illuminated medieval manuscript in Britain received a huge boost when the national heritage Memorial Fund agreed to give £860,000 by Feb 10 to prevent the psalter going to the Getty Museum in California (p 4)

3. Forgotten papers prove Gurkhas were PoWs (p 18)

4. 'America's new face to the world' - Bush names confidante as secretary of state (Condoleezza Rice); Dutiful soldier brought down by being too loyal (Powell) (p 19)

5. Iran 'breaking nuclear deal in secret' (p 20)

6. Sharon thought of coup to force war with Egypt (p 20)

7. More British and Irish to Australia - (p 20) FOR the first time in nearly a decade, the number of British and Irish immigrants accepted by Australia has outstripped those from South-east Asia, a report revealed. The figures from the immigration department, showed the number of migrants from the UK, and Ireland more than doubling in the past four years to more than 18,000. That compares with 16,800 settlers arriving last year from south-east Asian nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Population experts said the change reflects the Anglophile leanings of the Prime Minister, John Howard.

8. US withdraws marine seen killing wounded insurgent in mosque (p 21)

9. [Editorial]: A load of old Bills (in the UK Parliament) - (p 27) Some examples are offered: The Civil Contingencies Bill, The Housing Bill, The Children Bill, The Civil Partnership Bill, The Mental Capacity Bill, The Anti-Social Behaviour Bill, The Pensions Bill, The Hunting Bill. Last day of Parliamentary session is deadline.

Globe & Mail 24 Nov 2004:
Obituary: Rafael Eitan, soldier and politician 1929-2004 - Army officer who fought in every Israeli war rose to become the country's top general and after won a place in the Knesset as leader of a maverick party.

Globe & Mail 25 Nov 2004:
1. Jailing violates his rights, Zundel says in lawsuit

2. Obituary: George Silk, Photographer 1916-2004: A lensman for Life magazine, he made his name as a war correspondent assigned to cover Australian troops wherever the went

3. Obituary: Sir John Vane, 77: Doctor won Nobel Prize for figuring out aspirin

Globe & Mail 26 Nov. 2004:
Supreme Court agrees to hear Cotler case

Globe & Mail 29 Nov 2004:
1. Family unit now defined by function, not just form - Emotional interdependence is replacing legal categories that once prevailed.