Scandal in Washington - Mix Catholic school and Mid-Atlantic Leather and you get controversy! John, any local insight you can share?

Fratboy Fiesta - Watched the premiere of Fraternity Life last night, featuring boys from Buffalo. Overall, I think they probably could have found a more attractive group of men. My favorite is already Jake, the boy whose cap rests on top of his head. The drama and tension aren't quite as prevalent as with the ladies, but it seems as though the producers are already trying to set up Grant as the bad boy. We've also already got a villain, in the form of Alex's off-screen girlfriend. Here's hoping that MTV shows more shirtless, drunken antics! (And to those that object to the show on the basis that its not an objective depiction of fraternities, I say "what-eva!") And if Televisionwithoutpity.com has already included Fraternity Life recaps on their site, you know it's got to be good.

Condi vs. Ahnuld? - Is Condoleezza Rice contemplating a run for Governor of California in 2004?

Showtime - Be sure to reset the Tivo, because Queer as Folk and Six Feet Under both come back this Sunday.

Cheesecake - As a longtime fan, I'm pleased to announce that today is the 25th anniversary of the first Cheesecake Factory. While they are still very underrepresented in Northern California (I'm not seeing a Sac location coming anytime soon), at least the future holds a new location in downtown Palo Alto and two in Northern Virginia. While I didn't make it to sister concept Grand Luxe Cafe while in Vegas, it's definitely on my list next time I'm at the Bev Center or in Chicago.

Race and AIDS - I can't even pretend to understand the scientific implications or methodology behind the study of a new vaccine for AIDS. While the test was deemed a failure, the results are potentially very interesting because of the racial differences that are hinted at. I'm going to leave the analysis up to people who better understand these types of things, but thought that the news was worthwhile for Beaverhausen readers to see.

Reality Craze - All these wacky reality TV shows are having an impact on a forgotten segment of the population: the Harvard graduate. Once able to go straight from Cambridge to join the writing team of The Simpsons, these poor souls seem to be hurt more than anyone with fewer scripted sitcoms being put on the air.

Safe - Is it safe to suck? I can't say I know anyone who uses a condom for oral sex, so this theory just goes to reinforce what the majority of people seem to already be practicing.

The Freshmaker - So, Terry Gross of NPR's Fresh Air only made $85,000 last year? Even though I know that the public radio crowd makes far less than their commercial broadcasting counterparts, I can hardly believe that she made so little money. Maybe if the liberal elites of NPR made more money, they'd turn into Republicans anyway.

Towards a Gay Foreign Policy - Drew criticizes a new opinion piece by Tina Brown calling for less testosterone and more homosexual swish in the Bush-Rumsfield cabal. Surprise, Drew doesn't like the "homophobic" implication that gays lack testosterone, are androgynous, and are "soft on dictators." I'm sure he knows several submissive-type homos who would be quite hard for -- er, on -- dictators, eh, Ben?

MTV meets Home Design - I couldn't manage a visit to CB2 while I was in Chicago over Christmas, but I saw the billboards. Now the Washington Post has a piece about the newest home furnishings trend -- a Crate & Barrel spin-off catering to us now-circa-30 Gen X'ers. Nice to think we're still relevant in that most important of ways -- as a marketing demographic. Looks like I fit in perfectly as "the core CB2 shopper":

• Urban professional, age 25 to 40, on the cusp of peak earning years.

• More likely to live in a loft, apartment or townhouse than a house in the suburbs.

• Skeptical, impatient and highly mobile.

• Known for spur-of-the-moment purchases, devoted to techno gadgetry.

• Likes trends, but not gimmicks.

• Gravitates to the cool and casual.

Interesting that this new Target "Swell" line has the same pitch. Wonder how West Elm is doing?

Be Informed - From the people who brought you Operation TIPS comes Ready.gov -- the government terror preparedness webguide. The WaPo has a review.

Getting Beaverhausen on the Map - Cool -- it's a DC blog locator! But where do I put the B-haus, at Courthouse or Eastern Market?

Checking in on the Isle of Lesbos - Our intrepid investigator Dr. Paul Vasey has issued a fascinating report observing a rare occasion where the female is the promiscuous sex -- and frequently prefers her own kind.

'More Food - For Jamie and John, here's a link to a lengthy NY Times piece on the food of Baltimore. Now, I must make a blasphemous revelation: I don't like seafood. But that's no reason not to enjoy the article, which also discusses the social and linguistic quirks that make the city unique.

DP - This article from Frontiers about California's gay legislative caucus details some of their proposed bills as well as provides insight into how the caucus was able to be officially formed. If the group is able to get some of these measures passed, it sounds as though my domestic partnership registration may have more meaningful consequences than when we originally "got notarized."

Totally Radical - A group I'm sure John would belong to if he was a student at Princeton today, the Queer Radicals are protesting Bill Frist's appearance on campus. Meanwhile, speaking of radicals, it looks like the breakaway subgroup at the San Francisco peace march on Sunday were stymied in their real goal: smashing the capitalist landmarks of Union Square. However, I'm not convinced that smashing the windows of the A&F at San Francisco Centre really accomplishes anything meaningful or long-lasting.

Safety Patrol - The LA Times reports on the lowering rates of crime in America's Safest City with a population over 100,00, the glorious Simi Valley, California. Just over the hill from my hometown, Simi Valley has always been the wicked stepsister to Thousand Oaks. Back in the 60s, the decision to build the 101 Freeway through Thousand Oaks paved the way for further business developments, such as the 1978 construction of The Oaks mall along the freeway corridor. While this information is probably more background than you need, the intention is to point out that while Simi Valley may carry the title of "safest city," there's also not a whole lot going on there: no mall, no full-service bookstore, just the Reagan Library and the courthouse where the Rodney King trial was held. Oh and the article also fails to note that a significant percentage of Simi Valley's population is made up of current and retired police officers, which probably helps to further explain the level of community policing.

Publish or Perish - The NY Times is claiming that Bushie is marginalizing California. I think most Californian's have already written him off, so why should he bother pretending to like us. "Few people now look at California as the nation's bellwether state." I think 30 million people would disagree. Texas may have gained prominence through the eyes of the Bush Administration, but California's still a trendsetting leader...it just takes other states a little while to catch up with us.

The Big Tease - When a national magazine (other than the Enquirer) puts the words "Is there a gay man on the Supreme Court?" on its cover, how much do you suppose it needs to know about the answer to that question? And should that answer be "no"?

The Advocate puts speculation about the private life of Bush Sr.-appointee Justice David Souter in banner type, then carries the story inside where the lead article speaks of "rumors about .. Souter’s personal life." But there's no explosive scoop or investigative expose. The best we have are 13-year-old whispers by "Republican Party officials" surrounding Souter's original nomination in 1990, combined some more recent speculation the extent of which can be summed up in this paragraph:

Justices seldom discuss their personal lives, and Souter never addressed the speculation. But some have speculated that justices’ private musings about Souter’s sexual orientation have elevated the level of debate about gay rights and the law. “David Souter isn’t gay, as far as anyone knows, but there’s enough speculation about it that his fellow justices have to be a little more careful about what they say, at least in his presence,” says a veteran observer of the court who didn’t want to be quoted by name. “There’s enough vagueness about him as a bachelor in this regard to raise the level of debate. Even something that’s nothing more than rumor can change the equation. Why would conservatives want to risk alienating him and losing his vote forever?”

So what we have here is an unnamed person's speculation about other people's speculation about Souter. That's pathetic journalism. Disgusting, really, and less that what I expect from senior Washington correspondent Chris Bull.

I'm much more impressed by those gay clerks who have served at SCOTUS and are willing to go on the record about it. Okay, one clerk: out lesbian professor Chai Feldblum who worked for Harry Blackmun. The story also mentions a former Blackmun clerk but doesn't name him. I myself have heard of stories about a certain law school dean who clerked for the fateful swing voter on the Bowers catastrophe, but to my knowledge he's never come forward publicly. The other interesting anecdote about the Court's brushes with gayness is the story of an elderly gay couple who lived next to Chief Justice Rehnquist for a number of years (just down the road in Arlington). That's all fine and dandy, but if you're gonna make accusations about Souter, you better be able to deliver the goods, Mr. Bull.

The Onion Speaks Truth - In its regular What Do You Think? column, the Onion asks the man and woman on the street "can North Korean nukes reach the U.S.?" Jennifer Cotto, Research Assistant, responds: "It's about time the West Coast started carrying its fair share of the scared-shitless load."

Log Cabin Fever - Working from home has given me great coping skills when it comes to the horrors of getting snowed in, as described in this WaPo piece. Ben, any comment on young Mr. Wilson Stafford, the article's protagonist whose Explorer was trapped in Dupont after he spent the night "visiting a friend in the neighborhood"?

Joe Dirt - Well, it's official, Joe Millionaire made his selection and sweet, small town girl Zora Andrich made the cut. And not only did Evan get the right girl, but in the "shocking twist ending you'll have to see to believe," Evan and Zora get to split a million bucks in prize money. (Not all that much when you divide it in half and factor in Uncle Sam's take). And if tonight's 110 minutes of hype and 10 minutes of show wasn't enough for you, be sure to catch Joe Millionaire: The Aftermath next week to see what all our favorite whores are up to these days! Maybe hostess extraordinaire Alex McLeod will even show up to earn her keep.

Oh and by the way, if Sarah's foot bondage fetish video didn't make any waves, I still don't understand why Frenchie can't be reinstated to American Idol.

Over There - I'm not sure this perspective is that far off the mark.

More on the Homosexual - Terror Nexus - Drew points out an unusual angle in today's Times scoop about our best Al Qaeda turncoat. Apparently, Shadi Abdullah -- a 26-year-old Jordanian arrested in Germany in connection with on-going terror plots in April 2002 -- is gay. While the article plays down the significance, Abdullah is quoted as saying he originally left Jordan for Germany "to start a new life" and "to live a freer life.... This involves my sexual tendencies toward men. I had expected problems and disadvantages in relation to this in Jordan."

Now, since his arrest, Abdullah has provided intelligence authorities with a wealth of information about Qaeda operations in Europe and elsewhere. Unlike many hard-core Al Qaeda, Abdullah "often portrayed himself as a reluctant and repentant warrior." Sullivan comments :

The Jordanian originally fled his own country because he was gay. Then he was caught up in the ex-patriate fundamentalist-terrorist world, trained in Afghanistan, and deployed in Europe to manufacture false passports in order to import more terrorists into the West. So a man who left tyranny for freedom ended up attempting to import it back to the West. And now, in a weird denouement, he has become a critical element in foiling new Qaeda operations. Just like the 9/11 murderers who seemed as much drawn to the West as repelled by it, we have a psychological profile that's highly conflicted and repressed, wreaking havoc on the world. And when you think of what Islamist culture does to the healthy psychological development of men and women, its sex-phobia and misogyny, it's no surprise that we have some characters this disturbed. Another reason why we will have no real peace until the fundamental culture of the Middle Eastern Islamic world is shifted.

Hmm, is he describing Islamo-fascism or the Catholic church? Maybe Ben has done some reading on the subject of homosexuality in Islamic societies and can shed some further light on this phenomenon.

Just Say No - to Duct Tape - Gregg Easterbrook shifts from NASA nag to terror preparedness know-it-all. Says some smart things, too. Meanwhile, the Bush staff at the White House has discovered other uses for the versatile tool.

Snow Day! - Woo hoo, it was quite a Sunday in Washington, as the WaPo reports. We're expecting the total snowfall to surpass the 17.1 inches recorded in January 1996, but probably fall short of the biggest snow storm ever to hit Washington -- the "Knickerbocker" storm on Jan. 27-28, 1922 which blanketed the city with 28 inches of the white stuff. Jamie and I took advantage by sledding down hills and behind 4x4 trucks, then came in for his famous cherry amaretto cocoa. The scenery was beautiful, perfectly timed to snuff out terrorist worries. Check out the pictures.

Beaverhausen Joins Internet Heavyweight - Search engine powerhouse Google has purchased the owner of Blogspot and Blogger.com.

Love and Marriage - In what is becoming a Valentine's Day ritual, gay couples attempted to get marriage licenses all across the country yesterday. The NY Times has a report out of The Valley. There were similar "protests" in Wisconsin, South Dakota, Michigan and Connecticut. Looks like this kind of non-violent action could become a regular thing, up until they legalize gay marriage, say around 2010?

That's My Teach! - Quotes from Dr. Jerry Grey, director of science and technology policy at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, have been showing up in a lot of articles about the Columbia inquiry lately. One example is today's NY Times speculator on what to do about restarting shuttle flights if the root cause remains elusive.

Grey was one of my professors at Princeton. (This one course in mechanical and aerospace engineering shows up as an odd-man-out on a transcript heavy on English lit and political science.) Honestly, I didn't take his non-technical class in spaceflight too seriously. He ran it on a Friday night and Saturday morning so as to minimize his time away from Washington, and knowing full well I'd never make the Saturday morning classes, I decided to take the course pass-fail. Good thinking, John -- considering the man gave me an A+ for my final grade. Obviously grades do not equate to common sense.

Poor Kobe - Today's LA Times recounts how Reebok has broken off talks about keeping the Laker's all-star guard as their spokesmarketer. Though sometimes considered the heir to the Jordan crown, the other Times explains that:

Some sports marketing experts say he does not connect with young urban blacks who drive the sales of high-end sneakers. Bryant, who has lived overseas and speaks Italian, is perceived in some quarters as being too suburban, too aloof.

Is this a polite way of saying he's not black enough for Reebok?

Maybe Bryant needs to look elsewhere for his marketing millions. As the article notes, Chinese super-rookie Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets is showing up everywhere these days (such as the cover for both Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine), and he's pitching more than just basketball shoes.

Happy Lupercalia - The SF Gate explains the pagan roots of St. Valentine's Day. Does this kind of smut actually get printed in the Chronicle hard-copy?

Jason Gould - With reports that Barbra Streisand's son is HIV-positive, I wonder if she will become even more visible in celebrity events to raise money for the fight against AIDS.

What color is your alert? - Howard Kurtz has a run-down of the self-reinforcing media-public hysteria over the terror alert. I think it's a fair question to ask what got everyone so excited. The way I figure it, some critics were charging that the homeland security honchos we not giving out any useful advice about what to do when the threat level gets elevated. That led the said honchos to issue (or perhaps, point out already-issued) guidelines. Now, most of those guidelines were very simple precautions that make a lot of sense for any emergency. The whole thing runs for pages, but the media all seized on the one paragraph having to do with "sheltering in place" by creating a temporary safe room -- advice I have already discussed here.

Last night Jamie and I met up with our friends Tim and Pete. Pete is a new Capitol Hill staffer, and apparently he has been given the job of emergency contact in his Congresswoman's office. That is, if there is an alert or an evacuation, he gets notified and he's supposed to make sure the good lady gets to safety. He told me how they had recently had drills to train on the use of their escape hoods, and had a briefing on other security measures. Apparently, they are so concerned up there on the Hill that the security officials had considered calling it a red alert, not just orange. They also encouraged staffers and representatives to leave town for the weekend if they didn't have pressing business in Washington. Boy that all makes me feel good.

This morning I was chatting online with Kevin, another Hill acquaintance. He found the whole thing a lilttle silly and decreed that no one should be "hiding in their basement covered in duct tape and plastic." That's easy to say when you have an entire police force whose job is to be concerned for your welfare 24 hours a day. Besides, this week's alert has been a good exercise in thinking about what to do, just in case. While the chance of dying is very remote, the chance of being caught in the chaotic aftermath is much greater, and I'd like to think I can prepare for chaos. It was an appropriate step for authorities to get people to start thinking about that, no different than if it were a hurricane.

While you may not be able to predict what irrational hate-mongering terrorists are going to do, but you can predict what a panicked public would do in response to those actions. There's plenty good reason to approach this thing with prudence rather than non-chalance. So while I haven't bought any duct tape (not because of terrorists, anyway), Jamie and I have taken the following steps: (1) We talked it over and figured out an out-of-town contact we should both call if we cant get in touch with each other. (2) We decided where we would meet if we have to leave our work/home separately. (3) We laid in a few supplies so as not to need to go out, even if the power and water wasnt working. Now all I need to get is a good, cheap battery-powered radio. I'm not sure my iRiver SlimX-350 really qualifies.

What would Moses do? - Gay columnist David Bianco has announced that he has given up sex with men to be a better Jew. (Apparently we aren't kosher.) In his most recent "Over the Rainbow" column, Bianco waxes philosophical on the nature of attraction, likening it to putting a bull's eye around each potential mate. Then he delivered this shocker:

In my own case, though there may be more men than women near the core of my bull's-eye, my religious beliefs have led me to celibacy for now, while hoping that God will someday help me create an honest, successful loving partnership with a terrific Jewish woman -- even if she's a few rings out.

Now, this guy Bianco is not your typical ex-gay -- the thirty-two year old authored Gay Essentials: Facts for Your Queer Brain and founded one of the premiere content providers serving the nation's independent local gay newspapers. Even after his revelation, he describes himself as a "queer Torah-observant celibate bisexual Republican show-tune queen." Talk about your minorities.

Gay City News carries Rex Wockner 's rather conversational interview with Bianco. He doesn't come across as particularly preachy and seems to indicate that this is a personal choice. Bianco also admits that he continues to respond erotically and emotionally to men, so I guess it's more a case of a bisexual choosing semi-celibacy. On the other hand, by justifying his decision as an obligation he must meet under Jewish law, he implies that gay Jews who do not follow his example are apostates. Here's one who has a retort.

Life Imitates South Park - What does this story about Madonna befriending a terminally ill child have to do with this SP episode? Here's some dialog to provide a hint:

Laura: So Kenny, if you could have ONE wish, what would it be? [there's no answer. A moment of silence]

Bob: What's your wish, pal?

Kenny: (I guess the only thing I wish is to not die.)

Laura: What did he say?

Kyle: He said his wish is not to die. [a long stretch of silence in which the cameraman looks from person to person.]

Laura: ...O-kay, and, what if you're gonna have two wishes, what would the second one be?

Bob: I know! I bet you wanna meet Madonna, huh?

Kenny: (No. Fuckin' Madonna...) [his words trail off and are hard to understand]

Bob: Wu what was that?

Kyle: He said Madonna is an old anorexic whore who wore out her welcome years ago, and that now she suddenly speaks with a British accent and she thinks she can play guitar and she should go fuck herself. [the Foundation reps are stunned. Madonna appears in the doorway]

Madonna: Should I come in now?

Bob: Uh no not quite yet.

Oh good - I feel safer already. (I just posted that for Pablo.)

Et tu, Frenchie? - Our friend Ivan is at a loss for words, and Jamie quoted LaRhonda as saying "this changes everything."

Meanwhile, in other sex-and-singing news, move over Marilyn's Boys, here comes a homosexual group whose song is actually hitting the top of the pops. Tatu's lesbian antics may be just a show, but I'm amused.

Orange Alert - Now, what happens when your house or apartment doesn't have an "interior room without windows that's above ground level"? Don't look to the Red Cross Terror Attack Manual for answers. That's what they say you need if you plan to "shelter in place" from a possible chemical, biological or nuclear attack. And don't forget the duct tape and heavy plastic sheeting. Maybe there's a secret panic room in our new rowhouse, but I doubt I would have missed that on the MIS listing. Oh well, at least we're not dealing with an alien attack.

Queer Eye - Bravo, home of Gay Weddings and that lame Provincetown reality show, is now bringing a makeover show to a television near you, featuring a team of gay men improving the appearance of a straight man. How is this all that different from any other makeover show besides explicitly stating the sexuality of the participants? Ever watch a makeover on The View or A Makeover Story? Yeah, those stylists are gay too! Shocking!

A Gastric Bypass Wouldn't Solve His Real Problem - Is it just me or does the author of this editorial in The Advocate fail to see the difference between being obese and being stupid?

Dude, you're getting a nickel bag! - The cliched headlines are rolling in about Benjamin Curtis's arrest this weekend on marijuana charges. Dell hasn't commented on the future of their once (and future?) spokesdude, but given that the "Steven" campaign was "absolutely a success that resonated with the younger folks," perhaps this just boosts his street cred.

Tread Lightly - Ben, how is the über-trendy anti-SUV movement faring in your corner of California? Here's a NY Times article out of Marin County, where "wealth and liberal politics converge." But have they caught the save-a-gallon bug down in Thousand Oaks? Yeah, you and I both drive Explorers, I know, but at least I put very few miles on mine. So I can still be smugly superior to those H2 drivers, right?

(I had to chuckle seeing a billboard for Hummer at the Courthouse Metro station the other day. Some waggish vandal had modified the slogan "It does great at the poles" by inserting the word "melting" after "at.")

Legal Puzzler of the Day - If there is a nuclear, biological or chemical attack on Washington, am I still obligated to close on my Capitol Hill rowhouse?

TiVo Alert - It's appointment TV time, as the Ab Fab girls travel to NYC to find Edina's long-lost favorite son Serge (played by House of Yes's Josh Hamilton). With a nod to the show's most faithful demographic, the prodigal turns out to be a closet case whose been hiding from his mother all these years, not exploring Antarctica or the deep sea floor as Edina believed. BBC has a run-down of some of the cameos, but neglects to mention an appearance by a certain former First Daughter.

Loss of Columbia - A Special Report - (Sorry, no theme music.) Spaceflight Now is carrying the full text of Craig Covault's blockbuster scoop on the Columbia disaster. AF cameras were watching the shuttle re-enter the atmosphere and saw detailed images of serious wing damage to the craft. These classified telescopes are so sharp, they even captured images of the yaw thrusters firing to correct for drag on the left wing. Covault is Aviation Week's senior space reporter, and it's no surprise he was able to break this story -- which also happens to be one of the most thorough recitations of what we know to-date. (The magazine is spoken of in military circles as "Aviation Leak.") Back in college when I conned McGraw-Hill to give me a cut-rate "insiders" subscription, I used to love Covault's in-depth explanation of all things NASA. I think you'll appreciate it too.

Meanwhile, you can read all about the thoughts of Arabs about the Columbia disaster at the MEMRI website. (Part two can be found here.) It's a mixed bag -- some authors write quite movingly about how they share in the loss, since the American space program represents the entire human race and is part of our common heritage, while others express glee over the comeuppance for the United States and, more brutally, for the loss of the first Israeli astronaut. It really comes as a shock to those of us used to more civilized political discourse how much gloating and name-calling passes for learned commentary in that part of the world.

Since we're the ones putting rockets into space, Americans must grapple with what the loss means in a very concrete, programmatic sense. Others with more time on their hands have taken this opportunity to wax a bit more metaphoric. Some even manage to discern the hand of a supernatural power, who, since he/she is motivated by quasi-human psychology, must have been acting out some kind of morality play when he/she caused the accident. These commentators of course find such divine retribution to fit neatly into their personal view of the world. Needless to say, I consider such mysticism to be Grade A horse manure. Other right-thinking people agree.

Aside from these easily discarded hacks, I really haven't been hearing too much from the hard core, usually leftist anti-space crowd -- the ones who want to scrap the whole endeavor and have humanity live out our remaining days scuttling around on the planet's surface like beetles. Maybe I'm missing it, or maybe the war in Iraq has them all pre-occupied. Their silence seems to have given room, for a change, to the more sophisticated critics of the space program. These people, like Easterbrook, want more than anything a space program that works, that achieves great things. They view the shuttle and the space station as obstacles to getting on with the good stuff -- like a mission to Mars. They look to replace the shuttle, not just cancel it. That's a worthy viewpoint, and it would be great to have a national debate on the subject. However, I worry that these critics will become pawns of those who would gut NASA but have no desire to build a viable alternative.

As with September 11, I find myself being thankful that we have a Republican administration in office. Not that Bush has taken any lead on space exploration; he's had other concerns. But a President Gore, I feel, would have been much more amenable to putting our dreams under the budget axe. Congress and the President have a great opportunity to work together to build a more successful future for manned space flight. If the right kind of constructive criticism makes its way into policy, we can expect good things to come out of this terrible tragedy.

News Roundup - Earlier this week, a single issue of the NY Times had updates on a number of stories Beaverhausen has been following:

The previously reported demise of the Oscar Wilde gay bookstore in Greenwich Village was somewhat exaggerated, according to this
follow-up report. The folks at Lamba Rising have come to the rescue, and by doing so have expanded their franchise. I've never understood how Norfolk came to be in their portfolio -- it makes an odd companion to NYC, Washington and Rehoboth Beach, especially when you consider Lambda isn't even the only gay bookstore in town.

In other news, Boston College has permitted its students to found a gay-straight alliance -- this after a similar club was banned at the prep school affiliated with Boston University because of opposition from the university's crusty old chancellor, reported here in September.

Finally, the Times looks at the aftermath of the nine gangland-style executions of Cape Town sex workers, which we noted last month. Unfortunately, there still have been no arrests of the perpetrators, despite fairly complete descriptions from the now-sole survivor. The Times instead focuses on the community support for the victims and their families and its involvement in helping to solve the case. Maybe that's notable, but it seems reasonable to me that sympathy for sex workers would be much greater among gays than the general straight population.

Uniformity - There are some retail apparel workers in California who are suing their employers because they "being pressured" into buying the brand of clothing sold by the store in which they work. You know, for a seasonal employee, $500 seems like an awful lot of Gap clothing you'd need to own. $35,000 in Polo clothing? Why not buy one or two nice, versatile outfits and leave it at that? But, maybe I'm missing the whole basis of the lawsuit. As a one-time Retail Professional, I am definitely not convinced that anyone forced or coerced these employees to buy that much clothing. Yes, retails managers DO pressure employees to make purchases and to wear clothing that is from the brand for which they work. But I don't feel much sympathy for people who are so easily manipulated and won't stand up for themselves to challenge the attitude of managers when it clearly goes against the written corporate policies.

Linguistics - Scientific proof that people from the South are dumb! Okay, now that I've inflamed you, read about how people tend to believe that speaking slowly is tied to lack of intelligence. I had to read some of Deborah Tannen's linguistics-for-the-masses books (titled for easy talk show bookings, no doubt) as an undergrad. I remember finding them to be very insightful, although a bit too New Age-y, on everyday communication. This article factors in the role of TV shows with fast-paced dialogue like West Wing and Gilmore Girls, plus instant messaging in influence the way we interpret and give value to speech patterns. As an un-accented American, I don't have very strong reactions, but perhaps our readers with drawls or British lilts may have a different opinion.

For Rent - The Bay Area rental market is starting to look up for potential tenant, as dotcommer are finally moving on and landlords finding that the throngs who once were willing to overpay and make concessions and bake them brownies now need a bit more of an incentive to move. We very briefly considered a move into the City at the height of the rental craze and it simply didn't make sense for us, even if we had been willing to kowtow to the whims of evil landlords. Even with the changing fortunes though, the prices are still way too high.

Carson Daly is a Robot! - Well, okay, not really, but Clear Channel is using the digital editing techniques to cobble together radio programming featuring Mr. Daly's voice by reusing existing clips of his speech. Sounds like a good way to save time: cut down on the involvement of the "talent."

"I'm not gay...but my boyfriend is" - In this month’s Instinct magazine, editor Parker Ray (who inexplicably changed his name from the perfectly respectable Ben Rogers) tells critics of a feature on "straight men in a gay relationship" to fuck off. Now, it's not that I don't respect a man's right to label himself in any way he likes -- that's an entirely separate issue. But I do question how being a straight guy with a boyfriend affects the relationship. If you boyfriend is gay and you are not, what does that say to the boyfriend about the long-term prospects? What does that say to your family and friends about the importance and permanence of this person in your life? How do you explain in shorthand what this person means to you?

These straight guys are not with their gay partners merely because of situational convenience -- they aren't in an artificially enforced same-sex environment like a prison. The straight men claimed that they simply fell in love with another person who happened to be a man. It was the soul they fell for, not the outer package. Okay, sounds weak to me, but I’ll go along with it for the sake of argument. The thing is, "gay" is the most accurate label for these guys. They aren't just "men who have sex with men." It is an ongoing, loving, romantic relationship, not just a sexual encounter. The guys profiled in the article call their significant other "boyfriend," not "fuck buddy." These are relationships out in the public, not on the down low. I know that "gay" is a relatively recent concept, and that being labeled bothers some people, but don't be offended, Ben Rogers, if people assume you're gay because your boyfriend is. Perhaps you've seen the novelty t-shirt? Clearly, based on the criticism the magazine has received other gay men agree with me. But what do you, dear Beaverhausen readers, think?

Chicago - Here's my abbreviated review of the much-lauded film Chicago. Now, normally I think Catherine Zeta-Jones is a talentless hack. (Can anyone stomach those T-Mobile commercials? I thought not.) So, her performance in Chicago was a revelation -- she has talent! Not only could she sing, but she could belt out a song! Graham Norton seems to take especial delight in mocking Mrs. Michael Douglas, and while she is young enough to be Mike's great granddaughter, perhaps even he could concede that she makes Chicago a great picture. Overall, the cast was quite good: Renee Zellweger and Queen Latifah especially. However, John C. Reilly fails to make much of an impact as he continues his run of playing put-upon sad sacks. The production was clearly influenced by the design of Moulin Rouge. The action of Chicago also seemed rather theatrical, and I was surprised that the director chose not to take greater advantage of the greater freedoms found in a film production. I'm not much of an expert in the area of American musical theater, but I definitely enjoyed the self-aware exploitation of song in Chicago.

Hail, Columbia! - Faithful readers will know that I am a bit of a space junky. As such, the news yesterday left me not only stunned but frankly feeling a bit sick to my stomach. I first heard the unsubstantiated rumor of catastrophe from three Fairfax County schoolteachers who were riding up the lift at Snowshoe Mountain, W.V. with me. I hoped they had heard wrong. Soon enough I found out the truth.

In a weird twist, I had been traveling home from another skiing trip in 1986 when I found out about the Challenger disaster. That experience and its aftermath taught me that keeping people in space isn't just a technological feat; it's a near-impossible political balancing act. I was soon converted from an observer into an advocate. One year later, for my high school senior speech, I propounded a forceful defense of the manned space program. Yes, the shuttles flew again. The space station was even funded. Yet NASA remained vulnerable, hemorrhaging political clout and budgetary resources over the years. In a sad re-run of Challenger, Saturday's loss comes at a time when the space program has again been relegated to the back burner by the media and powers-that-be alike.

I caught the heartbreaking footage of Columbia's final plunge during lunch at the slopeside cafeteria on Saturday, but, it is only now, finally back home on Sunday night, that I can access all the online news stories and monitor the reactions from the blogosphere. Glenn Reynolds, my once-upon-a-time space law professor, has some good analysis, while Best of the Web cites the live transcript of other space junkies who were trying to spot the re-entry and who, of course, were the first (after NASA) to spot trouble. There's also news that this was not the first fatal mishap involving Columbia. Before its maiden flight, two ground technicians were asphyxiated in a pad accident when they entered a nitrogen-filled compartment. I can't say I remember that, but I certainly vividly recall watching the 1981 inaugural space shuttle launch. (1975's Apollo-Soyuz was my first space memory, but the details are much hazier.) In April 1981, I stayed glued to the TV set in our old den for hours, watching every minute of the riveting techno-drama. In fact, I can remember how, soon after orbiting, NASA discovered missing thermal tiles on Columbia's upper exterior. That caused quite a stir, with commentators worrying that tiles might have come off on the all-important underside heat shield. Since that time, even close observers like me came to believe they had worked out all the kinks on the revolutionary, but troublesome, tiles. Obviously not.

Last night, as the day's events sank in, I wondered whether NASA would even be able to survive this disaster. The signs had been pointing to this sort of thing for some time. How can an organization that loses space probes left and right (to such boneheaded mistakes as not converting from English to metric!) be left in charge of such life-and-death risk taking as human space flight? Of course the anti-space crowd is always yammering at how the NASA budget steals money from the mouths of orphans -- as if that was the choice. Would this be the final straw?

Upon further reflection, however, I have decided the nay-sayers will not carry the day. Our country has been through some remarkable changes since 1986, especially in the last seventeen months. Since 9-11, America has shown increasing maturity and a willingness to bear the costs of leadership. A new realism prevails, which sees losses like this one as the inevitable attendant to our role in the world. If we are the one nation that leads the way, that can be counted on to do whatever it takes to ensure mankind moves forward, then this kind of pain is bound to befall us. We will always have a higher cost to pay -- and we do it willingly. Just as America provokes terrors concocted by cruel and hate-filled men, we also face the simple, unyielding harshness of nature. Because we dare to dream the farthest, we sometimes get hit the hardest. It is to be expected.

Maybe there will be some big shake-up ahead, but I feel good about the eventual outcome. We aren't a country that gives in to backbiting and recriminations. We move on. In addition to the sorrows, there can be a certain pride in the losses we absorb along the way. It stiffens our resolve and makes us recognize the extraordinary worth of our accomplishments -- along with the need to keep pressing on. I have no doubt that's exactly what we're going to do.