July 15, 2008

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Will Romney's Combative Style Net VP Nod?
Scott Conroy/CBSNews.com (07/15/2008)
Mitt Romney spent over $35 million of his own money and more than a year of his life on a bid for the presidency that fell short and ended abruptly. The former Massachusetts governor is not one to wallow in failure, but even for the incurably optimistic Romney, portraying his unsuccessful run in a positive light would seem an impossible task. Still, he manages.

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
Mass. lawmakers weigh gay marriage expansion
Steve LeBlanc/Associated Press (07/15/2008: ap.google.com)
BOSTON — Gay couples from across the country may soon be welcome to be married in Massachusetts. An effort is gaining momentum to repeal a 1913 law that has banned most out-of-state gay couples from coming here to be married. The Senate was scheduled to vote Tuesday on a repeal of a state law that says couples cannot wed in Massachusetts if their unions would be illegal in their home states.

DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE
100,000 Catholics gather for youth event in Sydney
Tanalee Smith/Associated Press (07/15/2008: ap.google.com)
SYDNEY, Australia — More than 100,000 Roman Catholic pilgrims from around the world swarmed Sydney Harbor on Tuesday, waving the flags of their countries and singing as they awaited a Mass opening the World Youth Day festival. The star of the show, Pope Benedict XVI, remained ensconced at a retreat on Sydney's outskirts where he was resting before joining the celebrations Thursday.

EDUCATION
Texas leads nation in abstinence education dollars
Associated Press (07/15/2008: dallasnews.com)
AUSTIN – Texas spent a nation-high $17 million last year for abstinence education programs that continue to stir debate about whether classes promoting virginity before marriage work in public schools. Federal statistics in June showed that 52.9 percent of Texas students in ninth through 12th grades had sexual intercourse, compared with 47.8 nationally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reported that Texas youths are less likely to use condoms.