FLORIDA DIGEST November 23, 2008

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~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Disgraced former Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne shouldn't get pension
It's hard to blame former Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne for trying to win back his estimated $134,500-a-year state pension. If somebody told me there was a way to reclaim a big prize on a semantic technicality after multiple federal felony convictions, heck, I'd hire a lawyer and take my chances, too. With final documents submitted last week, Jenne's pension battle is now in the hands of J.D. Parrish, a Tallahassee-based administrative judge. A decision is expected in 30 to 60 days, according to Mark Herron, Jenne's attorney.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/sfl-flbmayocol1123sbnov23,0,4767202.column

-GOP malaise: Republicans approaching irrelevance . . .
Florida giveth, and Florida taketh away: This state has a certain bittersweet symmetry for Republicans. They exulted after George W. Bush finagled our electoral votes in 2000. Karl Rove was chafing at the bit to engineer their permanent domination of government. This year, John McCain's dying candidacy was resurrected when Charlie Crist helped him win our primary. But ultimately, reliably red Florida went blissful blue for Obama.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/columnists/sfl-sgcol23sbnov23,0,4223460.column

-By the numbers: Medicare drug and health care plan choices
140: Medicare prescription drug plans and health care plans offered to Broward County Click here for restaurant inspection reports residents for 2008.
125: Plans offered in Palm Beach County.
Jan. 1: Enrollment deadline, although health plan members have until March31 (but will pay a penalty).
Numbers to call: For general advice on choosing a plan, contact the Medicare Rights Center at medicarerights.org or 212-869-3850, or the Center for Medicare Advocacy at medicareadvocacy.org or 860-456-7790. The Sun Sentinel has also posted an online guide comparing plans available to South Floridians at SunSentinel.com/medicare.For information: Find far more details via Medicare's online comparison tool at medicare.gov. You can call a counselor from Medicare at 800-633-4227 or from Florida's Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Elders at 800-963-5337.
They can look up information and advise you.
Bob LaMendola
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flztbythenumbers1123sbnov23,0,4854693.story

-Florida's jobless level hits a 15-year high of 7 percent in October
The jobless level in Florida hit a 15-year high of 7 percent in October, it was reported on Friday. And on the same day, President Bush extended jobless benefits up to 13 weeks to ease the pain of rising unemployment nationwide.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-flzjobless1122sbnov22,0,6552866.story

-Let the guilt of good fortune goad you into giving to local food banks
'Tis the season to let the guilt of good fortune goad you into giving
Guilt is a beautiful thing, really. Morals and values have the rep. But they're overrated. Guilt is what really gets things done. What gets us to call Mom and recycle and give when we actually feel like taking. We're moving into prime guilt season. Next Thursday is the annual National Day of Gorging, when we Americans overeat until turkey oozes from our eyeballs. Some people call it Thanksgiving because we're all supposed to give thanks for our many blessings. Which, to me, sounds like the very definition of
guilt. The guilty season - the five weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve - is when the Salvation Army pot gets some much-needed action. When people find pocket change for the homeless. When soup kitchens and food pantries receive the bulk of their donations. But this year, guilt has lost some of its pop. "Donations are down 50 percent in the past two years, while demand has gone up 100 percent," said Ruth Mageria, of C.R.O.S Ministries' food pantry in Lake Worth. The financial wreck at the intersection of giving and needing is having real and immediate consequences for families who visit the food pantry. In the past, families were able to pick up a large bag of groceries every month. Now they are eligible for that relief once every six months. "I've had to turn away four families," said Lynne Piser, one of 30 volunteers at the food pantry. "It's killing me." It's likely to get worse. "We could be out of food by mid-December. And the reality is that if we don't have food in the pantry, we have to shut down," Mageria said. Like at many other food pantries and soup kitchens, the majority of the people who walk through Mageria's doors are the working poor. She estimates they compose 60 percent to 70 percent of her clients. The newcomers these days often have skills and are recently unemployed. Linda Gove, who runs Boca Helping Hands, sees the same thing at her soup kitchen-pantry. "We're seeing educated people coming in for the first time," Gove said. "They've had their lights out for two weeks, they're renting and desperate not to be evicted. We recently had a police officer - a Broward County Sheriff's Office deputy - who came in." "All you have to do is look at our calendar," said Laurie Sullivan, who schedules interviews for new clients. "We used to have one or two interviews a day. Now, we're getting four or five."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpralph1120pnnov20,0,2345914,print.column


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Steve Rothaus
http://www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Saturday with '1,000 Homosexuals'
* Gay comedy about Anita Bryant suddenly gets new relevance
* Performance, writing give depth to Anita Bryant
I attended Saturday's performance of 1,000 Homosexuals at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. (Not quite 1,000 -- 200 (including a few heterosexuals) attended the sold-out performance.)
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/11/saturday-with-1.html


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