<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Is John McCain losing it? Newsletter - August 1, 2008</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> I’ll be in Three Oaks Tomorrow at their annual fair.  Here’s this week’s newsletter a day early. Is John McCain Stupid? Is John McCain losing it? By DANIEL HENNINGER.  Copyright by The Wall Street Journal.  July 31, 2008; Page A13.  On Sunday, he said on national television that to solve Social Security "everything's on the table," which of course means raising payroll taxes. On July 7 in Denver he said: "Senator Obama will raise your taxes. I won't." <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/is-john-mccain-stupid-is-john-mccain.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/is-john-mccain-stupid-is-john-mccain.html</a> McCain Charge Against Obama Lacks Evidence By Michael D. Shear and Dan Balz.  Copyright by The Washington Post.  Wednesday, July 30, 2008; Page A01.  For four days, Sen. John McCain and his allies have accused Sen. Barack Obama of snubbing wounded soldiers by canceling a visit to a military hospital because he could not take reporters with him, despite no evidence that the charge is true. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/mccain-charge-against-obama-lacks.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/mccain-charge-against-obama-lacks.html</a> Republican angst over McCain strategy By Edward Luce in Washington.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 30 2008 23:19 | Last updated: July 30 2008 23:19.  Few people would associate Barack Obama with Britney Spears or Paris Hilton – America’s blondest and least political of celebrities. But thanks to the latest campaign advertisement from John McCain that link has now been established. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/republican-angst-over-mccain.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/republican-angst-over-mccain.html</a> Why McCain's tax wobble unnerves the right By JOHN IBBITSON jibbitson@globeandmail.com.  © Copyright 2008 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc.  July 30, 2008.  WASHINGTON -- Conservative critics are accusing John McCain of a flip-flop on taxes. But it would be more accurate to say the Republican presidential nominee is trying to persuade Americans that he can rescue Social Security without actually telling them how. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/why-mccains-tax-wobble-unnerves-right.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/why-mccains-tax-wobble-unnerves-right.html</a> As Aides Map Aggressive Race, McCain Often Steers Off Course By Juliet Eilperin and Robert Barnes.  Copyright by The Washington Post.  Thursday, July 31, 2008; Page A01.  KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 30 -- Sen. John McCain last week delivered one of his sharpest critiques yet of Sen. Barack Obama's Iraq policies, carefully reading a prepared speech that accused his Democratic rival of failing the commander-in-chief test and promoting ideas that would force American troops to "retreat under fire." <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/as-aides-map-aggressive-race-mccain.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/as-aides-map-aggressive-race-mccain.html</a> No spotlight for McCain? No problem By Eric Zorn. Copyright by The Chicago Tribune.  Originally posted: July 30, 2008.  Did you hear that John McCain all but called Barack Obama a socialist in an interview recently, right about the same time he was quoted as all but calling him a traitor? <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/no-spotlight-for-mccain-no-problem.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/no-spotlight-for-mccain-no-problem.html</a> International Herald Tribune Editorial: McCain's campaign takes the low road.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: July 30, 2008.  Well, that certainly didn't take long. On July 3, news reports said Senator John McCain, worried that he might lose the election before it truly started, opened his doors to disciples of Karl Rove from the 2004 campaign and the Bush White House. Less than a month later, the results are on full display. The candidate who started out talking about high-minded, civil debate has wholeheartedly adopted Rove's low-minded and uncivil playbook. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-herald-tribune-editorial_30.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-herald-tribune-editorial_30.html</a> 13 Things to Know About Mac's 3rd Straight Attack Ad Against Obama By William Bradley.  Copyright by NewWestNotes.com.  July 29, 2008.  John McCain's third straight attack ad. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/13-things-to-know-about-macs-3rd.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/13-things-to-know-about-macs-3rd.html</a>  Editorial note.  These adds have been approved by Mr. McCain Weaver, McCain's Former Strategist, Calls "Celeb" Ad "Childish" Copyright by The Atlantic.com.  30 Jul 2008 04:10 pm.  John Weaver, for years one of John McCain's closest friends and confidants, has been in exile since his resignation from McCain's presidential campaign last year. With the exception of an occasional interview, he has, by his own account, bit his tongue as McCain's campaign has adopted a strategy that Weaver believes "diminishes John McCain." <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/weaver-mccains-former-strategist-calls.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/weaver-mccains-former-strategist-calls.html</a> Editorial note:  None of these ads have been approved by Mr. Obama.  These are simply bloggers like me having fun with a very easy target.  You can get all of the contents of these ads at: <a href="http://therealmccain.com/">http://therealmccain.com/</a> John McCain Is Really Old <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bjJDvkMQjQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bjJDvkMQjQ</a> THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF TEST  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgF39TRCPPE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgF39TRCPPE</a> John McCain - Lost in Space The “Straight Talk Express” has derailed: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLuqxXwG4nE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLuqxXwG4nE</a> Obama holds bipartisan economy talks By Edward Luce in Washington DC.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 29 2008 00:57 | Last updated: July 29 2008 00:57.  Barack Obama on Monday welcomed three prominent Republicans, including two former officials in the George W. Bush administration, to an “economic summit” aimed at displaying his bipartisan credentials. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/obama-holds-bipartisan-economy-talks.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/obama-holds-bipartisan-economy-talks.html</a> Kaine in 'Serious' Talks With Obama By Michael D. Shear and Shailagh Murray.  Copyright by The Washington Post.  Tuesday, July 29, 2008; Page A01.  Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has told close associates that he has had "very serious" conversations with Sen. Barack Obama about joining the Democratic presidential ticket and has provided documents to the campaign as it combs through his background, according to several sources close to Kaine. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/kaine-in-serious-talks-with-obama.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/kaine-in-serious-talks-with-obama.html</a> Michelle Obama talks up family life at fundraiser - Democrat reaches out to Clinton supporters By John McCormick.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  11:04 PM CDT, July 28, 2008.  Campaigning for her husband's presidential bid, Michelle Obama often talks about the rigors of daily life that face American mothers. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/michelle-obama-talks-up-family-life-at.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/michelle-obama-talks-up-family-life-at.html</a> Outside look at Obama shaped by omissions - NEW YORKER - Controversial cover is brilliant satire -- too bad the accompanying article missed the boat.  BY LAURA WASHINGTON. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times.  July 28, 2008.  The Oval Office, 2008: An Afro-adorned beauty bedecked with an AK-47. The turbaned Osama stares from a picture on the wall alongside a turbaned, fist-bumping Obama. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/outside-look-at-obama-shaped-by.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/outside-look-at-obama-shaped-by.html</a> Are the media biased against Obama? By Steve Chapman.  Copyright 2008 Chicago Tribune.  Originally posted: July 28, 2008 11:10 AM.  A lot of readers ridiculed my claim in yesterday's column that reporters who like Barack Obama can nonetheless do their jobs in a fair and professional way. But the latest evidence is that the media are doing Obama no favors. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/are-media-biased-against-obama.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/are-media-biased-against-obama.html</a> International Karadzic extradited to The Hague By Michael Steen in The Hague and Neil Macdonald in Belgrade.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 30 2008 08:16 | Last updated: July 30 2008 14:34.  Police in Belgrade on Tuesday night fire tear gas to break up scuffles with youths during a demonstration by hardline Serbian nationalists against the extradition of Radovan Karadzic <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/karadzic-extradited-to-hague.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/karadzic-extradited-to-hague.html</a> Eurozone inflation surges to 4.1% By Gerrit Wiesmann in Frankfurt.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 31 2008 11:00 | Last updated: July 31 2008 11:00.  High energy and food costs pushed eurozone inflation to an annual 4.1 per cent in July, a tenth of a point higher than the previous month’s rate and another record for the nine-year-old, 15-member currency region. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/eurozone-inflation-surges-to-41.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/eurozone-inflation-surges-to-41.html</a> China Financial Times Editorial Comment: Dirty air and the Beijing Olympics.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 30 2008 19:09 | Last updated: July 30 2008 19:09.  The arrival of dense smog in both Beijing and Hong Kong in recent days has delivered a salutary fright to the organisers of the Olympics less than two weeks before the opening of the games on August 8. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/financial-times-editorial-comment-dirty.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/financial-times-editorial-comment-dirty.html</a> China accused of breaking Games pledges By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing, Tom Mitchell in Hong Kong and Roger Blitz in London.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 28 2008 16:32 | Last updated: July 28 2008 16:32.  Two prominent international campaign groups on Monday accused Beijing of failing to meet promises it made on human rights and the environment when it won the bidding to host the 2008 Olympic Games. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/china-accused-of-breaking-games-pledges.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/china-accused-of-breaking-games-pledges.html</a> China limits Olympics journalists’ web access By Mure Dickie in Beijing.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 30 2008 14:25 | Last updated: July 30 2008 14:45.  China is to maintain its censorship of overseas websites even for journalists covering the Beijing Olympics, undermining earlier claims by the International Olympic Committee that international media would enjoy unfettered internet access during the Games. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/china-limits-olympics-journalists-web.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/china-limits-olympics-journalists-web.html</a> Mess-o-potamia Pakistanis aided attack in Kabul, U.S. officials say By Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: August 1, 2008.  WASHINGTON: U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that members of Pakistan's powerful spy service helped plan the deadly July 7 bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, U.S. government officials say.  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/pakistanis-aided-attack-in-kabul-us.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/pakistanis-aided-attack-in-kabul-us.html</a> Financial Times Editorial Comment: Opium trafficking in Afghanistan.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 29 2008 19:23 | Last updated: July 29 2008 19:23.  At least one part of the Afghan economy is doing well. Unfortunately, it is the part involved in the illegal production of opium and related narcotics. In the latest sign of just how entrenched the business has become, the United Nations has warned that drug traffickers are now importing chemists from surrounding countries to produce heroin inside the country. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/financial-times-editorial-comment-opium.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/financial-times-editorial-comment-opium.html</a> Afghan drug lords hire foreign chemists By Jon Boone in Kabul.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 28 2008 18:44 | Last updated: July 28 2008 18:44.  Drug lords in Afghanistan, where poppy growing has soared in spite of the billions that western powers have spent in trying to stamp it out, have started to recruit foreign chemists to help turn raw opium into highly refined heroin, the United Nations warned on Monday. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/afghan-drug-lords-hire-foreign-chemists.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/afghan-drug-lords-hire-foreign-chemists.html</a> Handful of images for thousands of deaths - If the conflict in Vietnam was notable for open access given to journalists, the Iraq war may mark an opposite extreme By Michael Kamber and Tim Arango.  Copyright 2008, The New York Times.  10:54 PM CDT, July 26, 2008.  BAGHDAD — The case of a freelance photographer in Iraq who was barred from covering the Marines after he posted photos on the Internet of several of them dead has underscored what some journalists say is a growing effort by the U.S. military to control graphic images from the war. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/handful-of-images-for-thousands-of.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/handful-of-images-for-thousands-of.html</a> Women bombers kill 37 in Iraq By Sudarsan Raghavan in Baghdad.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 28 2008 19:12 | Last updated: July 28 2008 19:12.  Female suicide bombers targeted Shia pilgrims in Baghdad and Kurdish political demonstrators in the northern city of Kirkuk on Monday in one of the bloodiest days of violence in recent months. The bombings killed at least 37 people and injured scores of others, officials said, and clashes in Kirkuk prompted by the attack left another 12 people dead. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/women-bombers-kill-37-in-iraq.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/women-bombers-kill-37-in-iraq.html</a> Israeli prime minister to resign in September, throwing Mideast peace efforts in question By MARK LAVIE.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  1:27 PM CDT, July 30, 2008.  JERUSALEM (AP) _ Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Wednesday he will resign in September, throwing his country into political turmoil and raising doubts about progress for U.S.-backed Mideast peace efforts. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/israeli-prime-minister-to-resign-in.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/israeli-prime-minister-to-resign-in.html</a> National Police: Letter indicates suspect targeted Tenn. church for shooting because of liberal views By DUNCAN MANSFIELD.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  2:11 PM CDT, July 28, 2008.  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ An unemployed man accused of opening fire with a shotgun and killing two people at a Unitarian Universalist church apparently targeted the congregation out of hatred for its support of liberal social policies, police said Monday. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/police-letter-indicates-suspect.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/police-letter-indicates-suspect.html</a> Happy in America By Eduardo Porter.  Copyright by The New York Times.  Published: July 28, 2008.  Sometimes, I wish America's founding fathers had included an instruction manual with the Declaration of Independence, like when it came to the pursuit of happiness. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/happy-in-america.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/happy-in-america.html</a> Washington Post Editorial: Mr. Stevens's Extreme Makeover. Copyright by The Washington Post.  He got a garage, a deck, a grill -- and a seven-count indictment alleging he failed to report them.  Wednesday, July 30, 2008; Page A14  ANEW FIRST floor. A new garage. A two-story wraparound deck. Plumbing and electrical wiring. A professional Viking gas grill. These are among the more than $250,000 worth of gifts that prosecutors allege Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens accepted from an Alaska oil services company, Veco, and its former chief executive, Bill J. Allen, but failed to report on his annual financial disclosure forms. Not only failed to report, according to the seven-count indictment handed up yesterday by a federal grand jury in Washington, but actively concealed -- not surprisingly since, according to the indictment, Mr. Stevens simultaneously "received and accepted solicitations for multiple official actions from Allen and other Veco employees," including help with projects in Pakistan and Russia, requests for federal grants and contracts, and help with efforts to build a natural gas pipeline from the state's North Slope./Stevens's Payback Moment By Michael Crowley.  Copyright by The New Republic and The Washington Post.  Wednesday, July 30, 2008; Page A15  If the charges announced yesterday are true, the powerful Alaska Republican Ted Stevens will end his four-decade Senate career in a sleazy flameout; the conservative committee baron is accused of concealing more than $250,000 in payments from the oil firm of an Alaska businessman who was allegedly seeking legislative rewards. Stevens says he is innocent, but if he's convicted, few tears will be shed in Washington. Stevens cultivated a tyrannical image and personalized politics to an extreme degree, dividing the world into friends and enemies and showing no mercy. This outlook carried him to great heights. But, nourished by the culture of a Republican-dominated Congress, it eventually became toxic. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/stevenss-payback-moment.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/stevenss-payback-moment.html</a> GOP Rep. Sessions' Defends His Burlesque Fundraiser By Mary Ann Akers.  Copyright by The Washington Post.  July 29, 2008.  We had never heard of a member of Congress holding a fundraiser at a Las Vegas burlesque nightclub... until now.  And the culprit is card-carrying conservative Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.). The same Pete Sessions who scolded Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake for forcing "their liberal values upon the rest of the country" after their infamous 2004 Super Bowl halftime striptease.  But that was then. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/gop-rep-sessions-defends-his-burlesque.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/gop-rep-sessions-defends-his-burlesque.html</a> Slavery didn't end in 1865, book explains By Leonard Pitts.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 29, 2008.  This is how John Davis became a slave: He was walking one evening from the train depot in Goodwater, Ala., when a white man appeared in the road. "Nigger," he demanded, "have you got any money?"  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/slavery-didnt-end-in-1865-book-explains.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/slavery-didnt-end-in-1865-book-explains.html</a> Chicagoland Chicago Tribune Editorial - The tale of 'Governor Goofy'. Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 27, 2008.  He was a Croatian immigrant's son, a populist Democrat with a peculiar hairdo that absorbed too much of his time. Early in his tenure as governor he seemed candid, quixotic and fresh. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-tribune-editorial-tale-of.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-tribune-editorial-tale-of.html</a> Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - The silent treatment is childish, Mr. Madigan.  Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times.  July 31, 2008.  What are we paying him for? Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, arguably the most powerful Democrat in the state, takes home $95,000 a year but refuses to sit down with the governor. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-sun-times-editorial-silent.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-sun-times-editorial-silent.html</a> Chicago Tribune Editorial: Cook County Government: 'It's just war'.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 31, 2008.  On the radio Sunday morning, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger went after his critics, including this paper. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-tribune-editorial-cook-county.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-tribune-editorial-cook-county.html</a> Chicago Tribune Editorial: Trash talk.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 30, 2008.  Mayor Richard Daley wants to trash Chicago's commercial garbage-hauling system, tossing the private contractors who compete to empty Dumpsters outside restaurants, office buildings and retail stores and replacing them with haulers chosen by the city. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-tribune-editorial-trash-talk.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-tribune-editorial-trash-talk.html</a> Chicago Tribune Editorial: Barking up the wrong tree.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 30, 2008.  Two summers ago, the Chicago City Council debated a proposal to require that all dogs be microchipped, not because microchips facilitate happy reunions between wandering pets and their owners (though they do), but because some aldermen sincerely believed it would help police track down the owners of marauding pit bulls./Kennel Club barking mad at pet-neutering law - Plan won't stop attacks or be enforced, chief says BY VIVIAN HUANG AND STEFANO ESPOSITO.  Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times.  July 29, 2008.  A proposed city ordinance aimed at tackling "brutal dog attacks" is all bark and no bite, says the president of the International Kennel Club of Chicago./Aldermen put off decision on pet neutering idea.  Copyright by The Chicago Tribune.  July 29, 2008.  Posted by Hal Dardick at 9:15 a.m.; last updated at 3:23 p.m.  Former "The Price Is Right" host Bob Barker received a standing ovation Tuesday at City Hall, but the spay and neuter cause he championed met with mixed reviews. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/kennel-club-barking-mad-at-pet.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/kennel-club-barking-mad-at-pet.html</a> Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Good cause, bad idea.  Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times.  July 29, 2008.  Rev. James Meeks, you're wading into dangerous waters. On Monday, the South Side pastor and state senator pledged to keep "several thousand" Chicago public schools kids out of class the first day, Sept. 2. Instead, he and a long list of pastors will try to enroll them in affluent North Shore schools, including New Trier. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-sun-times-editorial-good-cause.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-sun-times-editorial-good-cause.html</a> Uptown Theatre goes on the block By Chris Jones.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  Originally posted: July 28, 2008.  Want to buy Chicago's historic Uptown Theatre on Tuesday morning? It's relatively easy./ UPTOWN THEATRE, Chicago, sold for $3.2 million. Copyright by The Uptown Adviser.  July 29, 2008.  Local media is reporting that Chicago-based JAM Productions purchased the UPTOWN THEATRE, Chicago, 4816 N. Broadway, today in a judicial sale for $3.2 million. It was also reported that JAM was backed in-part by real-esate developer Joseph Freed and Associates <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/uptown-theatre-goes-on-block.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/uptown-theatre-goes-on-block.html</a> Your Lack of Money US jobless rate hits four-year high By James Politi in Washington.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: August 1 2008 14:09 | Last updated: August 1 2008 16:02.  The US unemployment rate moved up in July to 5.7 per cent, its highest level in four year, as the economy shed jobs for the seventh consecutive month, the labor department said on Friday. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/us-jobless-rate-hits-four-year-high.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/us-jobless-rate-hits-four-year-high.html</a> Weak US growth adds to gloom By James Politi in Washington.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 31 2008 14:35 | Last updated: July 31 2008 15:14.  The US economy grew at an annual rate of 1.9 per cent in the second quarter, a faster pace than earlier in the year but slower than economists were expecting, the commerce department said on Thursday. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/weak-us-growth-adds-to-gloom.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/weak-us-growth-adds-to-gloom.html</a> US credit crisis is hitting the wealthy By Francesco Guerrera and Saskia Scholtes in New York.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 28 2008 19:36 | Last updated: July 28 2008 19:36.  The US financial crisis is spreading from subprime borrowers to wealthier consumers, with evidence mounting that more affluent people are failing to pay their mortgages and credit card balances. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/us-credit-crisis-is-hitting-wealthy.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/us-credit-crisis-is-hitting-wealthy.html</a> Has the U.S. stock market reached bottom? By Floyd Norris.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: July 31, 2008.  From cockiness to capitulation. From distinction to desperation. From pride to panic. Such is the story of John Thain as the chief executive of Merrill Lynch./U.S. economy responds weakly to stimulus checks By Peter S. Goodman and Michael M. Grynbaum.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune  Published: July 31, 2008.  The American economy expanded at a weaker-than-expected 1.9 percent annual rate between April and June, the Commerce Department announced Thursday, while numbers for the last three months of 2007 were revised downward to show a contraction — the first dip since the recession of 2001. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/has-us-stock-market-reached-bottom.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/has-us-stock-market-reached-bottom.html</a> Profits at oil companies soar By Clifford Krauss and Julia Werdigier.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: July 31, 2008.  HOUSTON: Exxon Mobil reported Thursday its best quarterly profit in history, lifted by the surge of prices at the pump, while the European giant Royal Dutch Shell also reported a sharp rise in earnings./Exxon again sets US profits record By Sheila McNulty in Houston.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 31 2008 14:21 | Last updated: July 31 2008 15:12.  ExxonMobil on Thursday said its second-quarter earnings were $11.68bn, the highest ever profit by an American company, thanks to increasing oil and natural gas prices, but the results missed analysts’ expectations and the shares fell. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/exxon-again-sets-us-profits-record.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/exxon-again-sets-us-profits-record.html</a> GM plunges to $15.5bn loss By Bernard Simon in Toronto.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: August 1 2008 12:53 | Last updated: August 1 2008 12:53.  General Motors lost a towering $15.5bn in the second quarter as it was hammered by falling sales in its core North American market and a dramatic shift from big pick-up trucks and sport-utility vehicles to more fuel-efficient but less profitable cars.  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/gm-plunges-to-155bn-loss.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/gm-plunges-to-155bn-loss.html</a> Chevron earnings hit by losses at refineries By Sheila McNulty in Houston.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: August 1 2008 15:56 | Last updated: August 1 2008 15:56.  Rising oil and natural gas prices in the second quarter led Chevron, the second biggest oil company in the US, to report net profits of $6bn, up from $5.4bn in the same quarter a year ago, in spite of falling production from its ageing fields and a loss in its refining and marketing segment. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/chevron-earnings-hit-by-losses-at.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/chevron-earnings-hit-by-losses-at.html</a> BA tumbles amid ‘worst trading ever’ By Kevin Done, Aerospace Correspondent.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: August 1 2008 08:00 | Last updated: August 1 2008 14:18.  British Airways’ first-quarter pre-tax profits fell by 88 per cent, as the UK flag carrier announced plans on Friday to cut flights during the coming winter season and to reduce capital expenditure in an effort to cope with the surge in fuel costs. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/ba-tumbles-amid-worst-trading-ever.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/ba-tumbles-amid-worst-trading-ever.html</a> Commodities Oil $125.43 Silver Bullion $17.56 Gold Bullion $911 Platinum Bullion $ $1656 Euro                $1.5551 Br. Pound       $1.9723 International Herald Tribune Editorial: Keeping oil prices high with wasteful subsidies.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: August 1, 2008.  It is not too surprising that oil prices in the United States have retreated from the lofty highs of more than $140 a barrel reached in July. Energy consumption is falling across the industrial world. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/international-herald-tribune-editorial_01.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/international-herald-tribune-editorial_01.html</a> International Herald Tribune Editorial: America's gas price follies.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: July 28, 2008.  Add high energy prices to a sagging economy in an election year and American politicians will inevitably come up with bad policies, like converting the corn crop into ethanol or John McCain's proposal to suspend the federal gas tax - neither will provide real relief at the pump while both are guaranteed to create other problems. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-herald-tribune_28.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-herald-tribune_28.html</a> The US dollar.  Copyright 2008 by the Financial Times.  Published: August 1 2008 09:20 | Last updated: August 1 2008 15:58.  The dollar has had a torrid time since 2002: on a trade weighted basis, it has fallen 40 per cent. But now that the Federal Reserve has joined Washington in attempting to talk up the US currency, does its recent steadiness against the euro indicate a turn in its fortunes? <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/us-dollar.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/us-dollar.html</a> Housing Today's loan rates RATE                                                                            LAST WEEK 30 yr fixed mtg                                            6.26%        6.39% 15 yr fixed mtg                                            5.84%        5.95% 30 yr fixed jumbo mtg                                7.47%        7.56% 5/1 ARM                                                       5.81%        5.91% 7/1 ARM                                                       6.09%        6.27% The Homeownership Obsession By Robert J. Samuelson.  Copyright by The Washington Post.  Wednesday, July 30, 2008; Page A15.  The real lessons of the housing crisis have gotten lost. It's routinely portrayed as the financial system run amok; the housing market became a casino. The remedy, we're told, is to enact rules that prevent a repetition. All this is partly true. But it ignores a larger truth: Our infatuation with homeownership, embedded in dozens of government policies, has turned housing -- once a justifiable symbol of the American dream -- into something of a national nightmare. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/homeownership-obsession.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/homeownership-obsession.html</a> The Short View: US house prices By John Authers, Investment Editor.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 29 2008 20:27 | Last updated: July 29 2008 20:27.  Are US house prices nearing rock bottom? If they are, then maybe, just maybe, other banks will not have to follow Merrill Lynch’s lead and sell distressed assets tied to the US mortgage market for a steep loss./US home prices plunge by 15.8% By James Politi in Washington.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 29 2008 14:47 | Last updated: July 29 2008 23:31.  US house prices suffered a record annual decline of 15.8 per cent in May, according to data released on Tuesday, offering scant hope that the ailing US housing industry could be on the path to recovery.  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/short-view-us-house-prices.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/short-view-us-house-prices.html</a> Despite reservations, Bush ready to sign mortgage relief for 400,000 strapped homeowners By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  1:29 AM CDT, July 27, 2008.  WASHINGTON (AP) _ Congress approved mortgage relief for 400,000 struggling homeowners Saturday as part of an election-year housing plan that also aims to calm jittery financial markets and bolster the sagging economy. President Bush said he would sign it promptly, despite reservations. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/despite-reservations-bush-ready-to-sign.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/despite-reservations-bush-ready-to-sign.html</a> The Unraveling of the Suburban Fringe - Most of the overbuilding during the housing bubble took place in outer-ring suburbs. They are also likely the places to be hit worst by the downturn by Prashant Gopal.  Copyright by Business Weep Publications.  July 12, 2008, 12:01AM EST.  The 30 or so highway miles from Prince William County in Northern Virginia to Washington, D.C., are among the nation's most stress-inducing stretches. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/unraveling-of-suburban-fringe.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/unraveling-of-suburban-fringe.html</a> Iowa builder's failure puts $96 million in property in limbo - 9 parcels foreclosed, 400 more at risk.  Copyright by The Associated Press.  July 27, 2008.  DES MOINES—About $96 million worth of residential and commercial property is under threat of foreclosure because of the collapse of Regency Homes, Iowa's largest home builder. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/iowa-builders-failure-puts-96-million.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/iowa-builders-failure-puts-96-million.html</a> Fed extends emergency lending for banks By John Authers and Jeremy Lemer in New York.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 30 2008 15:19 | Last updated: July 30 2008 15:19.  The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced that it was extending two emergency lending facilities for banks until the end of January of next year. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/fed-extends-emergency-lending-for-banks.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/fed-extends-emergency-lending-for-banks.html</a> Banks pressed to follow Merrill debt sale By Francesco Guerrera, Ben White and Henny Sender in New York.  Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.  Published: July 29 2008 19:19 | Last updated: July 29 2008 19:19.  Leading global banks including Citigroup and UBS on Tuesday faced renewed pressure to write down or sell billions of dollars in toxic assets following Merrill Lynch’s disposal of $30bn in mortgage-related securities at a cut price. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/banks-pressed-to-follow-merrill-debt.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/banks-pressed-to-follow-merrill-debt.html</a> Bush Bashing Bush expected to leave $482 billion deficit.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  By Robert Pear and David M. Herszenhorn.  Published: July 29, 2008.  WASHINGTON: The White House has predicted that President George W. Bush would leave a record $482 billion deficit to his successor, a sobering turnabout in the U.S. fiscal condition from 2001, when Bush took office after three consecutive years of budget surpluses. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/bush-expected-to-leave-482-billion.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/bush-expected-to-leave-482-billion.html</a> Report says US national security system is outdated and needs massive changes By BARRY SCHWEID.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  5:33 AM CDT, July 29, 2008.  WASHINGTON (AP) _ In a report aimed at the next president, security specialists are proposing a vast overhaul of the U.S. security system, declaring it problem-plagued. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/report-says-us-national-security-system.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/report-says-us-national-security-system.html</a> US judge sides with Congress, says Bush aides can be subpoenaed. By MATT APUZZO.  Copyright by The Associated Press.  12:41 PM CDT, July 31, 2008.  WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Bush's top advisers are not immune from congressional subpoenas, a federal judge ruled Thursday in an unprecedented dispute between the two political branches. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/us-judge-sides-with-congress-says-bush.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/us-judge-sides-with-congress-says-bush.html</a> America's leaders violated one of the Commandments By ANDREW GREELEY agreel@aol.com.  Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times.  July 30, 2008.  T.S. Elliot summarized the issue, "When good does evil in its struggle against evil, it becomes indistinguishable from its enemy." <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/americas-leaders-violated-one-of.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/americas-leaders-violated-one-of.html</a> Obama Would Order Review Of Bush's Executive Orders By JESSE J. HOLLAND.  Copyright by The Associated Press.  July 29, 2008 11:34 PM EST.  WASHINGTON — Barack Obama told House Democrats on Tuesday that as president he would order his attorney general to scour White House executive orders and expunge any that "trample on liberty," several lawmakers said. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/obama-would-order-review-of-bushs.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/obama-would-order-review-of-bushs.html</a> Bush approves execution of Army private.  Copyright by CNN News.  updated 10:29 p.m. EDT, Mon July 28, 2008.  WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush has approved the Army's request to execute a soldier convicted of rape and murder, the White House announced Monday evening. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/bush-approves-execution-of-army-private.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/bush-approves-execution-of-army-private.html</a> GLBT Mass. Gov signs bill to let out-of-state gay couples marry.  Copyright by The Associated Press.  Thursday, July 31, 2008.  Gay couples from outside Massachusetts are now free to marry in the state. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/mass-gov-signs-bill-to-let-out-of-state.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/mass-gov-signs-bill-to-let-out-of-state.html</a> For gay couples, divorcing is as challenging as getting married - No split in states that don't accept nuptials By Sue Horton.  Copyright © 2008, Los Angeles Times.  July 27, 2008.  PROVIDENCE, R.I. — On May 26, 2004, Cassandra Ormiston and her longtime partner, Margaret Chambers, arose early, hopped in the car and raced across the border into Massachusetts. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/for-gay-couples-divorcing-is-as.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/for-gay-couples-divorcing-is-as.html</a> GUEST VIEWPOINT My Family by Alan O'Brien-Myers.  Copyright by Windy City Times.  2008-07-30.  John McCain should talk to the real expert on my family: Me.  As someone who was adopted by two lesbian moms, I was certainly disappointed to find out that John McCain, a candidate for president of the United States, doesn't “believe in gay adoption.” <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/guest-viewpoint-my-family.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/guest-viewpoint-my-family.html</a> Chicago Free Press Editorial: No more arguments on military ban.  Copyright by The Chicago Free Press.  July 30, 2008.  The Congressional hearing held July 23 on the U.S. military’s ban on openly gay and lesbian personnel did little to actually end the ban—Democratic leaders say they’re not asking Congress to change the ban right now because even if they were successful in the U.S. House and Senate, President Bush would veto the change./Congress holds first hearing on military ban By Erica Werner.  Copyright by The Associated Press.  July 30, 2008.  WASHINGTON—Opponents of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays and lesbians in the military denounced it as cruel and unpatriotic July 23. Supporters insisted it is needed to maintain military morale and raised the prospect of a rise of HIV infection among service members if gays are allowed to serve openly. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-free-press-editorial-no-more.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/chicago-free-press-editorial-no-more.html</a> Outside the HRC dinner - HRC's failed strategy on ENDA has needlessly divided our community at a time when we are poised to make great gains in civil rights.  Copyright by San Francisco Pride and San Francisco Bay Guardian On Line.  Wednesday July 23, 2008.  OPINION On July 26, the Bay Area's gay and lesbian elite will gather at the posh Westin St. Francis to raise money for the Human Rights Campaign in the name of securing and protecting LGB rights. Despite flip-flopping its position on a federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which should include protections for gender identity as well as sexual orientation, HRC will rake in money to further advance a version of human rights in the political world of Washington, DC in which transgender and gender-non-conforming people are apparently less than human./Villaraigosa cancels appearance at HRC dinner. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press.  July 30, 2008.  SAN FRANCISCO—Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pulled out as keynote speaker for the Human Rights Campaign’s annual San Francisco fundraising event July 26 following intense lobbying from transgender activists angry over the group’s stand on a federal gay rights bill. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/outside-hrc-dinner-hrcs-failed-strategy.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/outside-hrc-dinner-hrcs-failed-strategy.html</a> MillerCoors & gays: Beer and loathing? by Amy Wooten.  Copyright by Windy City Times.  2008-07-30.  The second and third largest U.S. brewers—one a target of boycotts by gays for decades—have officially entered into a joint venture and will move their headquarters to the Windy City—one of the few cities to continue such a boycott. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/millercoors-gays-beer-and-loathing.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/millercoors-gays-beer-and-loathing.html</a> Sidetrack forum addresses alcohol use By Matt Simonette.  Copyright by The Chicago Free Press.  July 30, 2008.  The GLBT community’s complicated relationship with alcohol was the focus of a forum at Sidetrack July 23. “Let’s Take a Glass Together” was sponsored by Project CRYSP, the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse, Lifelube, Sidetrack and the Feast of Fools podcast./Alcohol forum focuses on bars, choices by Amy Wooten.  Copyright by The Windy City Times.  2008-07-30.  Many members of the Chicago LGBT community recently gathered at one of the nation's most popular gay bars to discuss whether or not the community can have a healthy relationship with alcohol. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/alcohol-forum-focuses-on-bars-choices.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/alcohol-forum-focuses-on-bars-choices.html</a> Immigration International Herald Tribune Editorial: Running amok on U.S. immigration law.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: August 1, 2008.  A story from the upside-down world of immigration and labor:  <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/international-herald-tribune-editorial.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/international-herald-tribune-editorial.html</a> Health Care The wrong way to fight AIDS By Laurie Garrett.  Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.  Published: July 30, 2008.  In a few days some 20,000 people who work in various capacities on the AIDS pandemic will gather in Mexico City for the International AIDS Conference. I will not be there: This will mark the first AIDS Conference I have deliberately missed since 1985, when a cluster of scientists convened the first such gathering in Atlanta. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/wrong-way-to-fight-aids.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/wrong-way-to-fight-aids.html</a> Contraception ban remains bitter pill By Robert McClory.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 27, 2008.  Forty years ago last week, Pope Paul VI issued his encyclical Humanae Vitae, condemning the birth control pill and all other forms of artificial contraception. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/contraception-ban-remains-bitter-pil.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/contraception-ban-remains-bitter-pil.html</a> Technology Phoenix lander confirms ice in Martian soil; mission extended by 5 weeks By ALICIA CHANG.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  6:20 AM CDT, August 1, 2008.  LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The Phoenix spacecraft has tasted Martian water for the first time, scientists reported Thursday. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/phoenix-lander-confirms-ice-in-martian.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/phoenix-lander-confirms-ice-in-martian.html</a> Virgin Galactic unveils mothership for passenger rocket trips into space By ALICIA CHANG.  Copyright 2008 Associated Press.  5:22 AM CDT, July 29, 2008.  MOJAVE, Calif. (AP) _ The space tourism race marked a milestone Monday as British mogul Sir Richard Branson and American aerospace designer Burt Rutan waved to a crowd from inside the cabin of an exotic jet that will carry a passenger spaceship to launch altitude. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/virgin-galactic-unveils-mothership-for.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/virgin-galactic-unveils-mothership-for.html</a> R U ambu-textrous? By Louis R. Carlozo.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  July 29, 2008.  Time was tight, and Kelly Scheiner of Streeterville had many errands to run before her vacation to New Smyrna Beach, Fla. And so, a silver Nordstrom bag draped over her left forearm, she marched north on Michigan Avenue, crossing Illinois Street at a crisp clip, thumbs firing on her BlackBerry. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/r-u-ambu-textrous.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/r-u-ambu-textrous.html</a> Other Diocese says Roselle priest gambled $112,000 in church funds - St. Walter pastor has been placed on administrative leave By Russell Working.  Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.  12:57 PM CDT, July 30, 2008.  Church officials have placed a Roselle Roman Catholic priest on administrative leave after he allegedly misappropriated $112,000 church cash to fund a gambling habit, a spokesman said Wednesday. <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/diocese-says-roselle-priest-gambled.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/diocese-says-roselle-priest-gambled.html</a> Humor Proud to be an American! <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/proud-to-be-american.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/08/proud-to-be-american.html</a> Investment Advice <a href="http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/investment-advice.html">http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/07/investment-advice.html</a> Spiders On Drugs <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHzdsFiBbFc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHzdsFiBbFc</a> New! Carlos now has an online store. Order your books directly from Carlos and have them signed and dedicated. <a href="http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/">http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/</a> In Pride (orgullo), Carlos T. Mock, MD Www.carlostmock.com Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003. Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table. Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation </BODY> </HTML>