[Lynne]

REmove this stuff:

// Can't get the footer to show!!  This apparently will NOT work: 
$myfooter = vB_Template::create('footer'); 
$myfooter->register_page_templates(); 
print_output($myfooter->render());

You've already output the page here:

print_output($templater->render());

Did you require_once the global.php page? If so, your register_page_templates should be rendering the footer (and header and headinclude and headinclude_bottom)

If it's not showing, then perhaps you have some error in it somewhere.