Best way to view the forums...

[Under Dog]

Is there a way to see which topics have "new" posts without having to look into each forum topic?  Or a way to mark the various topics as "read" so that I don't see them again?

[paul-f]

Sure, Doug.

Look in the box on the upper right of the window for the links:
 
  Show unread posts since last visit.
  Show new replies to your posts. 

On the resulting list, you will have the opportunity to mark all messages as read (hopefully after you've read the ones you want to read).

[Under Dog]

PERFECT!  That is exactly what I was looking for!