Sunday, August 10, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - August 10, 2008

Ray's List will be offline until Friday, August 22. We'll be visiting family in Michigan and Ohio.

Best wishes!

Ray and Michael

GLBT DIGEST - August 10, 2008

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NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - August 10, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.

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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Energy Fictions
A nation that uses one-quarter of the world's oil while possessing less than3 percent of its reserves cannot drill its way to happiness at the pump.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/opinion/10sun1.html?adxnnl=1&ref=opinion&adxnnlx=1218369620-NQwRxiP4d6afB3INuUHb5A

-The United States v. the Driver
The priority assigned to Salim Ahmed Hamdan is an example of President Bush's hapless approach to combating terrorism.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/opinion/10sun2.html?ref=opinion

-Op-Ed Columnist: Flush With Energy
The Arctic Hotel in Ilulissat, Greenland, is a charming little place on theWest Coast, but no one would ever confuse it for a Four Seasons - maybe aOne Seasons. But when my wife and I walked back to our room after dinner theother night and turned down our dim hallway, the hall light went on. It wastriggered by an energy-saving motion detector. Our toilet even had twodifferent flushing powers depending on - how do I say this delicately - whatexactly you're flushing. A two-gear toilet! I've never found any of this atan American hotel. Oh, if only we could be as energy efficient as Greenland!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/opinion/10friedman1.html?ref=opinion

-Op-Ed Columnist: Make Diplomacy, Not War
Iraq and Afghanistan are the messes getting attention today, but they areonly symptoms of a much broader cancer in American foreign policy. A fewglimpses of this larger affliction: The United States has more musicians inits military bands than it has diplomats.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/opinion/10kristof.html?ref=opinion

-Op-Ed Contributor: Learning to Read Democrat
THE purpose of a party platform is pandering, but it is pandering of aparticular sort. The Democratic Party's platform committee has produced its2008 edition, and now this draft awaits approval at the Democratic NationalConvention later this month. Like all platforms, it is not an outreachdocument. It is aimed at the faithful, under the assumption that only theywill read it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/opinion/10kinsley.html?ref=opinion

-Woman in Edwards Affair Will Not Allow DNA Test
A day after former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina offered to take apaternity test to prove he did not father a child out of wedlock, the womanwith whom he admitted having an affair, Rielle Hunter, said Saturday thatshe would never agree to such a test.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/us/politics/10edwards.html

-The Food Chain: Darfur Withers as Sudan Sells Food
ED DAMER, Sudan - Even as it receives a billion pounds of free food frominternational donors, Sudan is growing and selling vast quantities of itsown crops to other countries, capitalizing on high global food prices at atime when millions of people in its war-riddled region of Darfur barely haveenough to eat.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/world/africa/10sudan.html?hp

-Hopes Grow For Zimbabwe Power - Sharing Deal
HARARE (Reuters) - South African President Thabo Mbeki, mediating inZimbabwe's crisis, began meetings with President Robert Mugabe and thecountry's opposition leaders on Sunday amid signs a power-sharing deal isclose.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-zimbabwe-crisis.html

-News Analysis: In Georgia Clash, a Lesson on U.S. Need for Russia
The image of President Bush smiling and chatting with Prime MinisterVladimir V. Putin of Russia from the stands of the Beijing Olympics even asRussian aircraft were shelling Georgia outlines the reality of America'sRussia policy. While America considers Georgia its strongest ally in thebloc of former Soviet countries, Washington needs Russia too much on bigissues like Iran to risk it all to defend Georgia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/world/europe/10diplo.html

-Slipstream: Olympics Online, With a Hook
CAN the leopard shed his spots? This month, Microsoft is offering Websurfers in the United States a seductive viewing treat. In conjunction withNBC, the software publisher is offering thousands of hours of free videodirect from the Olympics in Beijing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/sports/olympics/10stream.html

-A Tall, Cool Drink of ... Sewage?
Before I left New York for California, where I planned to visit awater-recycling plant, I mopped my kitchen floor. Afterward, I emptied thebucket of dirty water into the toilet and watched as the foamy mess swirledaway. This was one of life's more mundane moments, to be sure. But withwater infrastructure on my mind, I took an extra moment to contemplate mywater's journey through city pipes to the wastewater-treatment plant, whichseparates solids and dumps the disinfected liquids into the ocean.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/magazine/10wastewater-t.html


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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-THE UNITER: That Was the Obama We're Still Waiting For
As the Democratic convention approaches, it's a safe bet that the cablenetworks will transport us back in time to late July 2004 by showing clipsof Barack Obama's electrifying keynote address to that year's gathering.That was the speech that made him a star (and unlike John McCain's ad team,I mean this as a compliment). But I've sometimes wondered in recent months:Whatever happened to that Obama, to that enemy of excessive partisanship andevangelist of national unity?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/08/AR2008080802944.html

-Obama Tax Plan Would Balloon Deficit, Analysis Finds
Democrat's Promise to Cut Taxes Without Adding to Debt Relies on Bush FiscalPolicy
On the campaign trail, Sen. Barack Obama bashes President Bush for"reckless" economic policies that are "mortgaging our children's future on amountain of debt." But the Democratic presidential candidate has adopted akey component of Bush's fiscal policy: A novel bookkeeping method thatguarantees that the $9.5 trillion national debt will get much bigger.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/09/AR2008080901860.html?hpid=moreheadlines

-Detainee May Not Go Free After Sentence
U.S. Still Might Hold Hamdan as 'Combatant'
The short sentence a military jury handed down this week to the first manconvicted of terrorism-related charges at a Guantanamo Bay trial has takenthe Defense Department by surprise, spurring high-level discussions aboutwhat to do with Salim Ahmed Hamdan when his sentence expires in January.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/09/AR2008080900800.html?hpid=moreheadlines

-Raising Issues Of Race in Anglican Rift
Conservatives' Links to Africans Questioned by Black U.S. Bishops
CANTERBURY, England -- For five years, conservative Episcopalians eager toescape their liberal U.S. church have been building ties with AfricanAnglicans half a world away.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/08/AR2008080803256.html?hpid=sec-religion


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

-Is your drinking water safe? Tips on how to check it
Ask your water company for its most recent Consumer Confidence Report, whichwill list the contaminants found.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-ferntestboxsbaug10,0,4256850.story

-John Edwards' affair was most costly political risk, sinking a once-soaring political career
Backed by his friendly Southern drawl, the practiced charm of a courtroomwarrior and a smile bright enough to blind the camera's eye, John Edwardsnever lacked the confidence to take the big risk.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-edwards-affair,0,3045050.story

-Photos from Beijing
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/olympics/la-olympics-photos-2008-pg,0,207253.photogallery


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Historic global boom hits the wall
The global economy is a runaway train that is slowing, but not quicklyenough. That is what the extraordinary run-up in prices for oil, metals andfood is screaming at us. The spectacular and historic global economic boomof the past six years is about to hit a wall. Unfortunately, no one,certainly not in Asia or the United States, seems willing to bite the bulletand help engineer the necessary coordinated retreat to sustained sub-trendgrowth, which is necessary so that new commodity supplies and alternativescan catch up.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/634426.html

-AFGHANISTAN
General: More troops aren't the answer
There's military slang that seemingly applies to the situation on the groundin Afghanistan today. The operative acronym is FUBAR -- Fouled Up Beyond AllRecognition. One of the sharper military analysts I know has just returnedfrom a tour of that sorrowful nation, which has been at war continuouslysince the Soviet army invaded it in late 1979.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/634427.html


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Echelon Magazine
Newspapers in the Digital Age: Not Dead, Just Different:
It used to be that delivering a superior news product was enough to buildbrand consistency and guarantee success. A great editorial environment wasalways the foundation for attracting print advertisers in search of aqualified consumer audience.
http://www.echelonmagazine.com/index.php?id=338


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Democrats derail bid by Clinton backers to ban caucuses
Devoted Hillary Clinton supporters urged the Democratic Party Saturday toend caucuses, the town hall meetings in states like Iowa where Clinton'spresidential campaign first stumbled and Barack Obama launched his march tothe nomination.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/635471.html

-Democrats inch closer to universal health care
Democrats shaped a set of principles Saturday that commits the party toguaranteed health care for all, heading off a potentially divisive debateand edging the party closer to the position of Barack Obama's defeatedrival, Hillary Clinton.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-fladems00810sbaug10,0,5947978.story

-Elizabeth Edwards: This isn't "just John's cause"
As the nurse fumbled to find the vein in her arm Wednesday, ElizabethEdwards, bracing for the worst possible news, said her decision about herhusband's presidential campaign was sealed. A doctor already had told her abone scan revealed that her cancer had returned in an incurable form.Edwards was preparing for further tests - ones she said she expected wouldreveal a perilous spread of the cancer - and her husband, who is squeamishabout IVs, had left the room.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003635018_mrsedwards25.html

-FBI admits spying on multiple US reporters, apologizes
Offers no explanation for spying -
We're sorry.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/FBI_admits_spying_on_multiple_US_0809.html

-POLITICS: Defining 'home' can be a stretch for politicians
In grand South Florida tradition, some politicians have tenuous connectionswith the districts they represent -- or hope to.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/635766.html

-A Six-Figure Solution Missing One Common-Sense Addition
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the picture on the ground inIraq is quickly making military personnel who can translate Arabicpriceless. This morning's Christian Science Monitor reports that the Armyis preparing to offer a staggering $150,000 retention bonus to servicemembers who are proficient in Arabic, "in reflection of how critical it hasbecome for the US military to retain native language and cultural know-howin its ranks." Indeed, as the war in Iraq goes on, and the militarysubsequently finds fewer and fewer people anxious for extended stays in thedesert, retaining trained troops is becoming a critical centerpiece of manycommanders' strategies. The supply of Arabic speakers just isn't keeping upwith the demand created by ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-ralls/a-six-figure-solution-mis_b_116975.html

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FLORIDA DIGEST - August 10, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

Stonewall Library & Archives has joined forces with ArtsUnited and FortLauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) for a new monthly featurefilm series, F4U (Films for Us). These first-run LGBT films and will beshown at Cinema Paradiso, at 8:00 pm on the second Wednesday of every month.Cinema Paradiso is located in Fort Lauderdale at 503 SE 6th Street, a blockeast of Broward County Courthouse on south bank of New River. The Augustfilm selection, to be shown on Wednesday, August 13, is the award-winning"Butch Jamie," a quirky, gender-bending comedy about an out-of-work lesbianactor willing to try almost anything for a role. Dressing up as "FemmeJamie" for auditions, struggling actress Jamie Klein (writer/directorMichelle Ehlen) continually faces rejection as she fails to be a typicalleading lady until she takes a different approach, auditioning as herself -aka "Butch Jamie." General admission: $9; Senior and students: $7.00;Members of Stonewall,
ArtsUnited or FLIFF: $5.00
For further information, please contact:
Jack Rutland, Executive Director
Stonewall Library & Archives
954-763-8565
info@stonewall-library.org


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The Sunshine Cathedral
http://www.sunshinecathedral.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Upcoming Schedule of Events
With the completion of the Dr John Graves Chancel and the installation ofthe Rodgers Organ and Ruffattii pipes there are several opportunities thatyou will not want to miss in the coming months. The Sunshine Cathedral andthe Sunshine Community Foundation would like you to save these dates. Lookfor more detailed information on these events soon.
..Labor Day Picinic Monday, September 1, 2008 - Caldwell Pavillion located
in Synder Park, 11:00am until 4:00pm
..Dr. John Graves Chancel Dedication, Sunday, October 12, 2008 - During ourregular Sunday morning worship services. 9:00am & 10:30am
..Sunshine Cathedral's Diamond Ball, Sunday, October 19, 2008
..Organ Concert featuring Fred Swann, Saturday, November 8, 2008
..Hebble/Zettler Pipe Organ Dedication, Sunday, November 9, 2008 - Duringour regular Sunday morning worship services, 9:00am & 10:30
..Christmas Eve Services, Wednesday, December 24
..Bravissimo! 2009, Saturday, March 28, 2009
www.sunshinecathedral.org


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You are cordially invited to
RE-ELECT COMMISSIONER SUZANNE BOISVENUE CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISER
Oak Tree Country Club Neighborhood
At the FLYNN home - 2930 Oak Tree Drive
Oakland Park, FL
Sunday, September 28, 2008 - 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
R.S.V.P. (954) 730 0469
Please join us for food and fun! All contributions limited to $250.00 maximum allowed per person. The purchase of a ticket for or a contributionto, the campaign fundraiser is a contribution to the Campaign of SuzanneBoisvenue


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

-Delray temple welcomes its first gay rabbi
Temple Sinai of Palm Beach County is welcoming a new spiritual leader intoits Delray Beach congregation. Rabbi Greg Kanter will be the official rabbias of Sept. 1. Kanter has been, and will continue, performing services as aguest rabbi until he officially assumes the role. He said the congregationhas been warm and welcoming from his first visit.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/palmbeach/sfl-flrabbi0810psaug10,0,491262.story


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Broward Schools face cutbacks as new year gets closer
Support staff is cut; magnet bus routes are consolidated
Kids who spent much of their summer watching their parents save money willstep into Broward County classrooms on the first day of school and feel thesqueeze of district's penny-pinching.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/education/back-to-school/sfl-flbbtslesssbaug10,0,1423891.story

-Shear strategy: Obama campaign seeks out potential voters at barbershops,salons
Obama staffers tap barbershops, salons to register voters
Barack Obama's campaign went looking for unregistered black voters inbarbershops and beauty salons across the state Saturday, including Browardand Palm Beach counties, in a new outreach effort to African-Americans.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbpblackoutreach0810sbaug10,0,3244963.story

-Time for voters to make their marks on new paper ballots
Palm Beach County to debut system that can verify election results
After eight years of voting turmoil, from punch cards and hanging chads inthe 2000 presidential election to the high-tech, touch-screen votingmachines distrusted by so many, Palm Beach County voters are about to get anew, seemingly simple way to vote: marking a paper ballot.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flpearly0810pnaug10,0,3318549.story

-South Florida Muslims gathering to urge involvement in communities
Muslims in South Florida plan large event to promote understanding throughinvolvement in communities
South Florida's Muslims have decided it's time to raise their profile. Forthe first time, Muslim leaders from Broward, Palm Beach and other southernFlorida counties will gather for a summit that will allow them to socialize,share safety concerns and find ways to make their voices heard in localcivic life. Muslims from Miami, Homestead, Key West, Fort Myers and Naplesare expected to be among those who attend.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flpmuslim0810pnaug10,0,4192314.story


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-CAMPAIGN 2008 | STATE SENATE
State Senate candidate Bird lags in fundraising stakes
Democratic candidate Linda Bird raised roughly $25,000 in her high-profilebid to unseat the incoming state Senate president, according to the firstcampaign finance report released since she entered the race last month.Bird's two-week total trails incumbent Sen. Jeff Atwater, a North Palm BeachRepublican, who raised about $111,000 in the same period.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/635732.html

-All-boys public school to open in fall
The Young Men's Preparatory Academy will become Miami-Dade's first all-boyspublic high school when it opens this fall. The technologically advancedmagnet will strive to produce leaders.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/east/story/634870.html

-Mandates on the use of renewable energy would have a profound impact on the environment, but at what cost?
A crucial argument about the best way to combat global warming comes down totwo alternatives that may seem deceptively simple: Force utilities to makea certain percentage of electricity from renewable resources, such as solarand wind.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/634419.html


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Can McCain catch Obama's FL groundgame?
Unemployed Palm Harbor resident George Riley may be among the most importantand overlooked political figures in Florida these days. "Hi, I'm calling onbehalf of the Florida Republican Party and John McCain,'' the 27-year-oldsaid, hunched over a stack of papers one night last week with a cell phonepressed to his cheek. "Currently in the race for president, do you supportJohn McCain, Barack Obama, or are you undecided? John McCain? Okay.''
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2008/08/can-mccain-catc.html

-U.S. Sugar deal raises questions about future of industry
Downsizing, when it comes to the sugar business, is nothing new. Since1985, more than half of the sugar-producing operations in United States haveshut down, according to the American Sugar Alliance, the chief lobbyinggroup for the nation's cane and sugar beet growers.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/business/epaper/2008/08/10/sunbiz_sugarindustry_0810.html

-Experts: GOP to retain control in Fla.
Although the Democrats expect this to be a good year nationally, thatpolitical momentum may not filter its way down to state legislative races.
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080809/NEWS/623974830/1002&title=Experts__GOP_to_retain_control_in_Fla_

-The latest tax idea: Leap first, look later
We've been hearing a lot lately, and will hear a lot more, about Amendment 5
on the Nov. 4 ballot. It's a big change in the way Florida is taxed thatwill affect a lot of us, one way or the other.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article765016.ece

-COMMENTARY TAKING NAMES: So many reasons why you should oppose Amendment 5
Want a good reason to vote against the latest tax scheme to come out of Tallahassee? Here are 10 of them.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/columnists/orl-maxwell1008aug10,0,2385962.column

-Candidates aren't big fans of early voting
More and more voters are eschewing Election Day. They're voting when andwhere they please, either with absentee ballots that now can be obtainedwithout an excuse such as being out of town, or through early voting thatallows people to cast ballots at any special site in the county for twoweeks before an election.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/08/candidates_arent_big_fans_of_early_voting.html

-Voting starts Monday at area election offices
Betty Allen-Oxendine voted early for the presidential preference primariesJan. 29 and doesn't plan to vote at the polls again if she can avoid it.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080810/NEWS01/808100322/1006/news01&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL

-School accountability, vouchers -- and deceit
Seven years later than many of us in public education had already suspectedand perceived, details of the purpose and means of the federal No Child LeftBehind Act have been made public. Susan Neuman, a member of the group thatwrote the NCLB legislation, admitted that some members "saw NCLB legislationas a Trojan horse for the choice agenda, a way to expose the failure ofpublic schools and blow it up a bit."
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Editorials/opnOPN08081008.htm

-Erosion of the capital press corps creates concern
Because of Florida's peculiar geography, with its state Capitol locatedhundreds of miles from its major metro areas, a relative handful ofreporters have the task of covering an enormous bureaucracy andmultibillion-dollar budget. It's never been a cakewalk, but it's about toget a whole lot harder.
http://floridahealthnews.org/index.cfm/go/public.articleView/article/8549/top/true

-Analysis: Fresh energy problems for new president
No matter who moves into the White House in January, energy problems willhit him with the punch of a winter storm.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/09/AR2008080900712.html?hpid=sec-politics


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Florida Forum for Change on New Energy for America
Please join us this Monday, August 11th, when New Mexico Governor BillRichardson will address a Florida Forum for Change in Pembroke Pines.
Governor Richardson will speak about New Energy for America and aboutgrowing this grassroots movement for change.
Pembroke Pines Charter High School Cafeteria - 17189 Sheridan St.
Pembroke Pines, FL
Monday, August 11th
Doors Open: 4:30 p.m.
http://fl.barackobama.com/RichardsonEnergyFL

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