August 20, 2008

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Conservatives upset over abortion rights VP contenders
CNN (08/20/2008)
WASHINGTON -- Speculation that Sen. John McCain is considering two men who support abortion rights as a running mate has sparked a backlash among social conservatives, including radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh.

Women's Health Debate Reaches Boiling Point
Kate Barrett/ABC News (08/20/2008)
In less than one week, more than a quarter of a million people have voiced objections to a government proposal they argue could stifle women's access to reproductive health care, Planned Parenthood and MoveOn.org said Wednesday.

McCain's faith journey largely unspoken
Adelle M. Banks/Religion News Service (08/20/2008: pewforum.org)
WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain has one story he tells again and again about his religious life. In a campaign ad, a family memoir, and most recently a televised interview with megachurch pastor Rick Warren, he recalls a guard in his prisoner of war camp in Vietnam who silently shared his faith one Christmas.

DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE
Christian parents seek out `holistic circumcisions’
Nicole Neroulias/Religion News Service (08/20/2008)
Mark Kushner pulled up to the Watson family's suburban Philadelphia home a week after the birth of their first son, Colin. In the dining room, he unpacked the tools of his trade: sterilized surgical instruments, topical anesthetic, prayer shawls and a small bottle of kosher wine. The shawls went back into his black bag. But to Megan and Christopher Watson's happy surprise, the mohel had copies of several prayers appropriate for the Presbyterian parents to read for the occasion.

ARTS AND MEDIA
Why 'Godspell' won't be on Broadway this fall
Associated Press (08/20/2008: cnn.com)
"Godspell" had been set to open October 23 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The musical, reportedly budgeted at more than $4 million, joins a growing number of shows that are doubtful for Broadway engagements in a nervous, recession-wary environment.