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Presents excerpts from a paper by Lt.-Col. John English, curriculum co-ordinator at the National Defence College, Kingston, Ont., from July 1991 to July 1992. His comments on NDC colonels better qualified to lay on hors d'oeuvres and buses than questions about national security and trips to Cape Dorset and Victoria Falls, Africa; Rebuttal from NDC's outgoing commandant, Lt.-Gen. Scott Clements. INSET: Best-sellers, by Brian Bethune..

Tells how Norway is attempting to cut down on the mountains of trash expected to be generated during the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer next February. Coca-Cola will dispense soft drinks in recycled paper cups and advertise on wooden signs. Snack tents will serve food on edible plates, that will later be fed to local pigs. INSET: Best-sellers, by Brian Bethune..

Highlights forcible rape in the Balkans by soldiers, an estimated 20,000 women were raped, and considers the children of those rapes that have been abandoned by all three sides. Example of Serbian woman, Ana, 29 (a pseudonym), gang raped by Muslim soldiers, who has already signed adoption papers for her baby, due imminently; Numbers of refugee children and mothers with infants in a Belgrade orphanage; Babies of rape; Decision on what to tell adoptive parents; Details.

Argues that Finance Don Mazankowski's budget papers reveal in devastating terms just how shoddy and unreliable the whole Canadian budget-process has become. About the only bottom line that mattered was the 1992-93 fiscal deficit, whose publication caused the Canadian Bond Rating Service to downgrade the country's credit standing. History of the deficit total; Unreliable statistics on economic growth; Speculation by investment expert Roy Bennett that Canada's economy would crash.

Tells how the 12-member Canadian team led by Joe Cadham, owner of International Heliflight Schools, Langley, B.C., will attempt to clean up the 16 tons of garbage left by hundreds of climbers attempting to climb Nepal's Mount Everest. Litter includes tents, oxygen tanks, camping stoves and paper wrappers; Test flight; Comments on the garbage.

Lists the 20 acceptable reasons for quitting a job, according to a Canadian government background paper that assures workers they will continue to be eligible for unemployment insurance. Among others, sexual or other harassment; Discrimination within the meaning of the Canadian Human Rights Act; Significant unilateral changes to working conditions; Hiring conditions not honored; Unjustified reduction in wages; Excessive hours of overtime; Unreasonable restrictive conditions; Moral objections.

Examines Canada's finances. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's main problem is that less than 15 percent of federal expenditures in any one year can be classified as discretionary, everything else goes to cover interest on the debt, transfer payments to provinces or direct social welfare payments to individual Canadians. Foundations of Canada's modified welfare state; Leonard Marsh's white paper on employment and incomes dominates thinking of administrations; Pierre Trudeau's legacy.

Discusses Whistler in January, 90 minutes north of Vancouver, where condos march up the benchlands year by year and at $44-a-day for a lift ticket, the skiers just keep coming. Signs on the ski runs on Blackcomb are in English and Japanese, the Japanese travel in packs down the slopes, costumes in wild psychedelic colors, sushi bars are filled and Japanese papers share shelf space with the `New York Times.' Background of Whistler Village; The Rendezvous Restaurant; More.

Contends that newspapers have become helpless victims of noisy interest groups and recounts the financial crisis at the University of Toronto as a prime example. The 1992 version of media manipulation went thus: U of T will abandon its football team, shocked readers of local papers and loyal alumni are outraged (in reality the U of T is the richest university in the nation); Other media con games.

Outlines what Prime Minister Brian Mulroney called `a major public discussion paper on new directions for Canada's social policy,' and the government's intention to ask Canadians which of the country's social programs they want to maintain and which ones should be changed or abolished outright. Ottawa finding it difficult to live up to obligations while battling the deficit; Changes unlikely before the next election; Work incentive programs.

Profiles Doug Creighton, the last Canadian newspaperman to rise to the very top of the trade. Creighton executives and their secretaries were taken every year to a sumptuous lunch, while in February, the celebration of Blah Day meant every employee could take a day to stay home, sleep, get drunk or go to a movie. He treated his employees at the Sun papers as people, not numbers. Celebration of the 20th anniversary of `The Toronto Sun'; Sun owners dispatched Creighton, swiftly, mysteriously.

Says British Prime Minister John Major has ordered an independent judicial inquiry into allegations that Britain sold arms to Iraq despite a self-imposed embargo. Secret papers released at a recent trial appeared to show that former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher covertly approved arms sales to Baghdad just two weeks before Iraq invaded Kuwait in August, 1990.

States that while the `York County Coast Star,' Kennebunkport, Me., (where President George Bush has his summer residence) has endorsed Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton for president, the Little Rock-based `Arkansas Democrat-Gazette' wrote there was something about Clinton's responses `that send a shiver up the spine.' While `Texarkana Gazette' city editor Ethel Channon said Clinton was clearly the most popular candidate, the paper did not endorse Clinton, saving native son Ross Perot an indignity.

Reports that about 1,600 unionized workers at `The Toronto Star' have ended a 31-day strike after giving up attempts to force the paper to delay moves to trim its delivery staff. A spokesman for the `Star,' which published during the strike, said the pa per would resume normal publication this week.

Says that Jean Campeau, officially on leave of absence from his position as chairman of Domtar Inc. (Quebec's provincially owned pulp-and-paper giant) may have lost his job because of his work with Souverainete Quebec Inc., a private pressure group urging the province's business class to support provincial independence. Stand of Premier Robert Bourassa; Comments.

Considers a confidential report from a committee of `Edmonton Journal' editors which found that more men read that paper than women because there are too few females working as reporters. The report calls for reporters to seek out female experts and write more stories about women. Comments from `Journal' books editor Lanoia Van Luven.

States officials of the Reform Party of Canada are trying to win support among French-speaking Quebecers and francophones in other parts of Canada by translating policy papers and leaflets into French. The party is expected to field candidates in Quebec in the future.

Considers a report from Agriculture Minister William McKnight which refers to `farmers and other stakeholders.' A more sweeping definition of stakeholder comes from a Conference Board of Canada paper, which urges support for any initiative to reduce school dropouts on the part of `all educational stakeholders--business, government, educators, labor, parents and youth.'

Considers the average life span of paper money. Bank of Canada spokesman Guy Theriault estimates that the $1,000 bill, which was newly issued with a reflective film patch that changes color when tilted, has an average life span of 33 years. Thenew bills cost eight cents apiece to make, up three cents from the old design.

Outlines some documents obtained by the Canadian Press which show the RCMP kept files on as many as 8,200 men in the Ottawa area as part of a massive hunt for homosexuals between 1959 and 1968. The papers show that former prime minister John Diefenbaker expressed concern that the search might violate civil rights. By 1961, more than 100 civil servants had resigned or been dismissed for security reasons as a result of the secret investigation.

Offers a look at British campaigning for the upcoming general election, and at a political culture where politicians and commentators sometimes seem embarrassed by creeping Americanization in their campaigns. The $300,000 extravaganza staged by the Labour Party for its leader Neil Kinnock in Sheffield; Campaign techniques learned from US political professionals; Use of American campaign experts; Negative advertising; Almost hysterical coverage of Conservative papers.

Announces Olympia & York Developments Ltd. will retire $800 million worth of commercial paper in response to a Dominion Bond Rating Service ratings alert on two short-term debt issues from O&Y. The giant real estate company is controlled by Toronto's Reichmann family.

Compares the fledgling `Sun-Times of Canada' and its major competitor the `Canada News,' both published in Florida and aimed at Canadians who live in Florida or stay there for several months of the year. Advertising and circulation; Background of each paper; Tabloid format; Ability of the expatriate Canadian market to support two rival weeklys.

Speculates on the world's fastest-expanding newspaper empire which is masterminded by Conrad Black in London, but which really operates out of a rundown walk-up office building near Vancouver's Burrard bridge. Franklin David Radler, 49, president of Hollinger Inc., runs 262 papers across four continents from the anonymous-looking location. Radler's background; Recent interesting acquisitions; The American link in the chain; Radler and Black game plan; High aspirations.

Announces that Canadian Pacific Forest Products Ltd. of Montreal will close and scale down mills in Quebec and New Brunswick, resulting in the loss of up to 1,900 jobs. The pulp and paper company, which maintains three other mills in Canada and the United States, lost $107.5 million in revenues in the nine months ending Sept. 30.

Discusess the effects of the death of Robert Maxwell, whose $500 million Canadian investment involves such companies as Maxwell McMillan, P.F. Collier Inc., the Berlitz franchise, Donahue pulp-and-paper operations and Quebecor Printing, on Andre Bisson, 62, the publisher's Canadian representative. Bisson's background and recent importance; Work on solutions to Quebec's economic problems; Encouraging signs on exports; Obstacles to Quebec's move toward independence.

Discusses the obstacles facing Canada's Conservative federal government as it seeks to build public consensus around the competitiveness issue. Political analysts' skepticism; The government's recent draft discussion paper which offered no specific recommendations; Interdepartmental turf battles and provincial jurisdictions; Canadian Labour Congress President Shirley Carr's comments; The Conservative party's sagging popularity.

Reports that Hemp for Paper, a consortium on the Australian island state of Tasmania, wants to grow marijuana plants for pulp. Australian environmentalists' support; Comments by Ian Colvin fo the Tasmanian premier's office.

Discusses `Commersant,' or Businessman, the Soviet Union's first business newspaper. Founder and editor Vladimir Yakovlev, 31; How he started the paper; Climbing sales; Criticism from Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev; Contents of `Commersant';Yakovlev's managerial strategy; English edition.

Examines the controversy over lumber leases granted by Alberta's provincial government. Also discusses a proposed pulp mill on the Athabasca River planned by Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc., a British Columbia firm controlled by Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. and Honshu Paper Co. Ltd. Federal-provincial environmental-impact hearings in Fort McMurray, Alta.; Concern over Japanese companies' environmental record.

Opinion. Discusses the findings of a recent Halifax conference on Canada's production of scientific knowledge and technology. Conference co-chairman Charles McMillans' paper comparing Japan's economic and technological advancement with Canada's embryonic stage of scientific and technological development; Recommendations.

Tells how US developer Donald Trump and George Petty, president of a Montreal, Quebec-based paper company, are leading Palm Beach, Fla., residents in the fight against aircraft overflight noise.

Opinion. Discusses the proliferation of paper, reports, memos, etc., in our personal and work lives, despite the increasing spread of computer technology. Argues that contrary to predictions of a paperless society as a result this technology, computers and printers have given us the opposite.

Examines the controversy surrounding Canadian psychologist J. Philippe Rushton's paper, `Evolutionary Biology and Heritable Traits,' in which he argues that human intelligence and behavior are influenced by racial type. Charges of racism; Comments by Rushton and others.

Discusses the removal of `Toronto Globe and Mail' newspaper editor-in-chief Norman Webster, 47, by publisher Roy Megarry, who was said to be unhappy with the paper's editorial direction.

The article looks at chalk used for writing on blackboards, focusing on chalk made for many decades by the Japanese firm Hagoromo Bungu Co., which it says is highly regarded by many mathematicians. It reports that the firm is going out of business, leading to a sharp increase in the price of Hagoromo chalk as customers try to stock up on it. Topics include blackboards versus whiteboards in classrooms, and comments are presented from mathematician Satyan Devadoss.

The article reports on the popularity in Toronto, Ontario, of a trend in which artists make ink by hand from tree parts. Artist Jason Logan prefers to scrounge parks in Toronto for the ingredients in his black-walnut ink. Logan said that the idea is to use the city as a source of colour and inspiration. It is said that Liz and Jon Chan opened the writing-tools shop called Wonder Pen in Toronto in 2013. Other topics include pen drawing, fountain pens, and the Toronto Ink Company owned by Logan.

The article looks at the LiquiGlide coating developed by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that would allow viscous foods such as ketchup slide more easily from their plastic containers. Also discussed is the incorporation of nanotechnology into food packaging research, including topics such as shelf life, spoilage prevention, and public acceptance.

The article reports on a trend in which thieves steal or use scams to obtain X-ray film from hospitals in order to extract silver, which is often sold to independent jewellers.

The article presents positive news briefs including protests in Russia following an allegedly deeply fraudulent election, an apology from consumer goods firm Johnson & Johnson for the lack of available O.B. brand tampons in Canada, and complaints that Canadian Defence Minister Peter McKay used a military helicopter to pick him up from a fishing trip in 2010.

The article presents a discussion of the popular tampon brand O.B. (ohne Binde), which was manufactured by a division of Johnson & Johnson, and the ire of many consumers at finding it was discontinued. The question of why it was discontinued is raised, and it is reported that boxes of O.B. have been offered for sale on the online auction site eBay for nearly $50 per box.

The article reports on an edible crayon made from sunflower seeds, dried fruit and melted marshmallow that was created by a food blogger at the web magazine "Luxirare."

The article reports that the government of British Columbia has taken over the operation of a pulp mill in Mackenzie, Northwest Territories to stop a chemical spill. Mill workers had to trade empty barrels with local residents for gasoline to continue operations at the facility. They alerted the government that over a million litres of chlorine could freeze and cause an environmental disaster.

The article focuses on the pen-spinning abilities of Ryuki Omura. The author reports that Omura spun and flicked his way to becoming Japan's first national pen-spinning champion in March 2008. According to the article, pen-spinning involves twirling, flicking, and balancing pens on one's fingertips. Omura defeated 276 other contestants.

The article reports that the compartmentalized Japanese lunch boxes known as bento are expanding to the pet industry. The East Nippon Expressway Co. is vending lunch boxes for small dogs, which will feature treats of chicken breast, made from unpolished rice, as well as vegetable soup and a crunchy rice cracker. The boxes' lids also double as water bowls. The author reports that the company is selling the boxes at service-station stops along expressways.

For do-it-yourself types, check out the on-line seven-step program for refurbishing your kitchen from Mill's Pride (www.millspride.com/mills/kitchen design/index.htm). Simply enter the room's dimensions, choose from a variety of cupboard styles, appliances, paint colours and floor patterns, and place them on the blueprint. The program then generates a 3-D image of the room. But be warned: trying this may inadvertently do major damage to your line of credit.

Focuses on Xerox Canada's Workcentre XK35c, which combines print, copy and scanner capabilities into one unit. Features; Price.

Reports that the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) reached an agreement with members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union to end a six-week strike in April of 1999. Terms of the agreement; How the strike impacted CBC; Problems the public broadcaster has faced in recent times.