This year, a fire in the German town of Ludwigshafen killed nine Turks and led to accusations of racially motivated violence. But Germany’s Muslims — mostly Turkish immigrants — are becoming more vocal. Martin Seemungal reports from Cologne, Germany — home to 120,000 Muslims — where the city’s first official mosque is being built. Watch. (Originally aired: 11/17/2008).

* Iraqi cabinet approves withdrawal date
* Negotiations on Israel ceasefire
* Whose Europe?: Muslims in Germany
* The final days of the polar bear
Watch.

Nearly two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Worldfocus travels to four countries to examine the progress and pains of post-Soviet life. Watch stories on Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Ukraine, and Poland. (Originally aired: Nov. 2008)

R & E profiles the poet and writer Kathleen Norris, whose books have won her many admirers, especially among religious believers. After nearly 10 years of literary silence she has a new book out called Acedia and Me. Acedia, Norris says, is a kind of spiritual gloom that she has endured on and off since she was 15. Watch. (Originally aired: 11/14/2008).

This week on Reel 13:

* The Last Butcher In Little Italy
* Bob’s Knee, about an inventor
* The Copper Cowboy

Watch now. Then vote for your favorite.