Meanwhile, back at the ranch... - In a story from another commonwealth, the Washington Blade runs a post mortem on the failure of Equality Virginia to achieve -- well -- anything. More particularly, it describes the fiasco that was the governor's attempted veto/amendment to the Marriage Affirmation Act.

Massachusetts Roundup - Things have been fairly quiet on the gay marriage front these days, but here is a short updater from the Washington Post. The main point is that Mass. will take advantage of a conflicts-of-law provision in its marriage code to deny out-of-state gay couples from wedding there once gay marriages begin on May 17th.

That's sure to be a disappointment to many, not least of all the catering and hospitality industry in Provincetown. But I wonder if this isn't a useful way to turn down some of the heat around this issue. Why not give native homos the chance to introduce their neighbors in the Commonwealth to this radical idea of gay marriage, before we start exporting trouble to 49 other jurisdictions?* I've always thought that the deliberate workings of federalism are key to achieving lasting acceptance of progressive law.

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* Or is it forty-eight? The WashBlade reports that DC mayor Williams has received a legal opinion from the city’s corporation counsel on whether D.C. law permits the city to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, but the opinion hasn't been made public yet. If the answer is yes, then arguably DC residents might be allowed to marry in MA.

The Quick Brown Fox - Hey, weren't we just talking about media biases? What do you think it says that Veep Dick Cheney has stated that Fox News Channel is more accurate than other news outlets?

Mourning Edition - What's the most memorable part of the Washington Post's farewell profile of Bob Edwards? That he is a nicotine junkie who has to dash outside during Carl Kassel's newsbreak to get his fix.

Save the Date - As the battle over same-sex marriage continues, the California Supreme Court has set a court date of May 25 to hear the arguments in the San Francisco gay marriage cases.

Games People Play - I read about the controversy over promotions for Friday's 20/20 earlier this morning and didn't think much of it. But then, I happened to be listening to talk radio in the afternoon. My goodness, people are quick to anger even (especially?) when they don't have all the information. So, the story is that a promo ran about an adoption story that made it a reality game show. Barbara Walters apologized on The View this morning for the way in which the promo was selling the story, clarifying that the cameras were simply following a young woman who had chosen to give her child up for adoption. Oh, and by the way, Barbara Walters is the mother of an adopted child. This situation where the birth mother is relinquishing her parental rights is not one that was created by Walters or ABC News.

In response to the talk radio callers: Yes, ABC News is at times guilty of liberal media bias. That being said, the public has not yet had an opportunity to view this story, only the promotions for it. But, based on the information I've seen, this story is about adoption, not a game show or an advertisement for abortion. Promotional materials often take things to an extreme in order to advertise and sell a product. (Hello, NBC's melodramatic promotions department?) This story on 20/20 may be stupid or exploitative or poorly reported, but it's not a game. But, really, don't potential adoptive parents compete for the limited pool of healthy, Caucasian babies every day?

Book Club - I had been thinking about picking up one of those pop-scholarly type books on early Christianity, ever since reading the big Time story back in December. But Saturday I found myself at Borders, in pressing need of leisure reading for the flight to Sacto, and so I settled instead on the bestselling novel everyone's been telling me to read. I'm only about half way through The Da Vinci Code, but I can already appreciate why many Christian groups would be up in arms about a mystery thriller whose premise is a nefarious Catholic plot to stop a secret society from exposing Jesus' true nature as a mortal man who married and begat a line of offspring that later settled in France. (Wonder what Mel Gibson thinks of that?)

On a barely tangential topic, what is it with the recent fascination in pop culture with Hieronymous Bosch's painting The Garden of Earthly Delights? Sure, Dan Brown alludes to the work in the Code, but Christopher Rice went overboard in using it as a centerpiece to his plot in The Snow Garden. Then there's that Diesel ad campaign (noted recently by Andy Towle) that riffs on the painting. Seems unlikely that the authors all just finished taking the freshman survey course in art history.

TV News - A few quickie, mostly unrelated items that fall under the umbrella topic of television. First up, Trading Spaces designer Vern Yip is leaving for his his own design show to be aired on NBC. Also attracting some attention are the TV Food Babes including Rachael Ray and Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson. (Who now has her own line of kitchen products, right, John?) Finally, the NYT celebrates the recent season of South Park.

East Coast Envy - Waddya think, John, do these Sacramento condos in our North Natomas neighborhood resemble "East Coast row houses" as claimed? I'm leaning towards no. I'm sure they're stylish, well-constructed townhouses, but let's not carry the sales pitch too far. Hard to believe that 7 years ago only 600 people lived in th e North Natomas area now inhabited by 30,000.

Out of Touch - Courtesy of Wonkette...really, who doesn't like to rub a shaved head now and again?

Gamwell for Prez - Oh these kids today...take seventeen year old Jarred Gamwell who is running for student body president of his high school on the platform of being gay. It's most interesting to see the different headline given various stories on the issue: "Hunt H.S. Student Fights To Use Campaign Posters," "ACLU Sues Over Censorship of Gay Student," "NC Student Fights to Run As 'Queer Guy'" and finally, the Fox News chestnut, "Teen Promotes Own Homosexuality in School Election." And to think, back in the 90s, most gay high school students were closeted and serving as vice president of every club and school governing body on campus. We've come a long way, baby.

Gaga for Google - Some of the luster is returning to initial public offerings of stock, mainly in the form of Google IPO. The NYT does a nice backgrounder on the company, focusing on its finances. I was interested to note what a significant percentage of the technology behind search engine is owned by Stanford University.

The Male Feminist - By now, we've all heard about the massive pro-choice march in Washington this weekend. But for a slightly different take, we turn to the WaPo's Hank Steuver's article, appearing in the Style section which also took note of the male attendees at the event: "And the guys! These could be, like, some of the best boyfriends and husbands ever. They all have perfect three-day stubble and look like Gideon Yago from MTV. " Oh, that Gideon, he's a girl's dream come true.

Respect for Elders - A new study by the LA Times generally finds that Californians are more likely than the rest of the nation to support gay marriage. But the real key demographic to be highlighted are Californians 65 and older where, "one-fifth said they favored gay and lesbian marriage...Nationwide, only one-tenth of seniors favored same-sex marriage..." Now there's the demographic we really need to mobilize to help our cause.

Museum Musing - On my way back from lunch, I was listening to NPR's Talk of the Nation: Science Friday report about the new Marian Koshland Museum of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC. Sounds like they've got an unusal way of making visitors rethink their outlook on science and the world around them. Perhaps a good place to stop on my visit to DC in a few weeks?

And speaking of museums, last weekend while in Southern CA, Kevin and I visited the Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills. It's an unusual place...very stark and wide open, without any exhibits. Mostly, it serves as an archive but also hosts live forums about current television shows in production. I think that one attending one of those events would be a lot more interesting than watching an old episode of Laverne and Shirley as most of the other visitors were doing. While they do have some screenings of clips on a particular topic, the current series of screenings, on gay images on TV seems like the poor man's version of a VH1 special.

Who knows, maybe this weekend will end up including a museum visit as well. What do you think, John...I hear that the California State Railroad Museum is exceptionally well done.

Global Lunchroom - I caught a great item by Stanford linguist Geoff Nunberg on WHYY's Fresh Air the other day. He began by mentioning his own attempts at blogging and the difficulty many journalists have in finding the right online voice. Nunberg notes that there are many forms of blogging -- from the stiffly formal campaign blogs to the what-I-ate-today kind of personal diary popular at livejournal.com, but he focuses his attention mostly on those A-list sites that "traffic in commentary about politics, culture or technology" -- sites like Instapundit and Wonkette. (Hello, Geoff, what about the Beav???)

Nunberg describes the language of these blogs is a type of "anti-journalese, informal, impertinent and digressive, casting links in all directions." But he finds some troubling issues in the collective conversation of the "blogosphere":

If there's a new public sphere assembling itself out there, you couldn't tell from the way bloggers address their readers -- not as anonymous citizens the way print columnists do, but as co-conspirators who are in on the joke. Taken as a whole, in fact, the blogging world sounds a lot less like a public meeting than the lunchtime chatter of a high school cafeteria, complete with snarky comments about the kids at the tables across the room.

After breaking down blogging's cultural and literary history, including distant print predecessors to the likes of blog-pioneers Mickey Kaus and Camile Paglia, Nunberg goes on to express concern about the exclusionary aspect of blogs:

The high formal style of the newspaper op-ed page may be nobody's native language, but at least it is a neutral voice that doesn't privilege the speech of any particular group or class. Whereas blogspeak is actually an adaptation of the table talk of the urban middle class. It isn't a language that everybody in the cafeteria is equally adept at speaking. Not that there's anything wrong with chewing over the events of the day with the other folks at your own lunchtable but you hope that everybody in the room will keep reading the same newspapers at breakfast.

Aw, he sounds like just another bitter old-media type. Heh.

Salad Days - John, what's this I hear about Paul Newman being outraged by the use of his name as part of a stunt at Princeton? Give us the unwritten history!

How Green Is My Valley - In light of the AIDS crisis in straight porn, the LA Times has picked up the story that's old news for Beaverhausen readers, that Titan Media is requiring condom use by performers in all their on-screen roles.

It gets worse, Virginia - There's really just no saving grace for this pathetic f*cking excuse for a state.

Pottery Barn Rule - Both Drew and Wonkette wrote today about the scandalous quote attributed to Colin Powell in Bob Woodward's Plan of Attack, comparing the situation in Iraq to dropping ceramics at Pottery Barn: "You break it, you own it." The Barn VEHEMENTLY denies having such a policy, and a Foggy Bottom spokesperson even rushed to their aid, saying "I don't think anybody from the State Department would ever have intended to cast aspersions on Pottery Barn's commitment to customer service."

Geography Thrills - Ok, I admit it... I'm a total nerd when it comes to maps and cartography, especially when they involve urban planning. (I owned the original SimCity 1989 and even wrote a paper about it for my Geography and Public Policy class in college.) Since my Princeton roommate Adam shared a similar fascination, I just had to take him to the National Building Museum when he visited DC recently to show him their exhibit on the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative.

The thing is that this city (Washington) is crazy with people like us, who find inspiration in the likes of L'Enfant and McMillan. Take for example the guy who runs a website on redevelopment of his neighborhood south of the Hill. Then there are those don't just sit at home looking at maps but who get outside and practice the quasi-illegal hobby of urban exploration. Trespassing in a city jumpy about terrorists isn't the greatest idea, but I am sorely tempted by those secret rail tunnels beneath Capitol Hill. Okay, okay -- sorry about the "confession of a dork." I'm done now.

American Booty - Oh come ON, Kevin Spacey! We know what you were doing, out cruising that London park at 4:30am. Deny it all you want, but I doubt you were just being a good Samaritan to share your phone.

Big Things Shakin' in Sacto - Just down the street from Ben at the Cali statehouse, the Judiciary Committee of the California State Assembly voted 8 to 3 today in favor of the Marriage License Non-Discrimination Act (AB 1967). While this is far from the end of the road to enactment, it may be the first time even a committee of any legislature has supported a "gay marriage" bill.

(Honestly, the bill only lets marriage licenses be issued. Despite Equality California's claim that such papers will "allow same-sex couples to access the benefits of marriage in California," I have questions about the actual impact under countless other spouse-specific laws in California.)

Technicalities aside, it's a great accomplishment that allows us to at least imagine a day when full-fledged marital rights are enacted not just by "activist" judges and local politicians but by the people's representatives directly. Then what'll the bigot brigade say?

Bulletheads Against Bush - Lots of press this past week for the good geeks at the American Anthropology Association, who took on the president's claim that monogamous straight marriage is the cornerstone of civilization. The board of the group issued a formal statement disputing that point, and they also had an op-ed in the WaPo. The Washington Blade also had an in-depth article.

Yeah, yeah, I realize these folks stand little chance of actually moving the policy debate on the FMA. But for those of us with a brain, it is interesting to learn about how recent a development the non-arranged, love-based marriage really is - basically only arising after the Industrial Revolution. And frankly, extending that concept to same-sex couples is precisely consistent with the direction marriage has been moving in those last 200 years. So spare me the anachronistic projections of 1950s life into ancient biblical times, W.

Be the Ball - Light posting from me today as I return from my LA getaway to a big meeting at the office. But, I couldn't resist this quickie post of a gratuitious Speedo shot of Prince William.

Help Me Understand - Ben, all the talk these days in DC is about the proposed "mayoral takeover" of the DC school system (specifically, the ability to hire and fire the superintendent). The move would shunt the school board into an advisory role. So as an expert in this area, can you tell me: do many independent school boards really have executive authority over the school system in other states and municipalities?

Not the Best Way to Come Out - Move over, HBO - Playmakers can't hold a candle to this. Outsports reports on a possible homosexual angle to a bizzare tale of an NHL player's arrest Friday on murder-for-hire charges. Allegedly the would-be victim was St. Louis Blues center Michael Denton's live-in lover. If true, this would be the first big leaguer of any sport to be outed while still a current player, though I dare say his career is over for other reasons. But the kid sounds like such a flaky drama queen that it may take some time to get to the bottom of it all.

An Update for Ross - Our old buddy at OSC, Scott Bloch, has surrendered. But as Drew notes, he's doesn't want to talk about it.

Homos in the Heartland - Jason informs me that even in rural north Iowa they have now heard of the Day of Silence. Maybe we chalk up the increased awareness to recent local news about the gay nominee for the state school board being rejected by the legislature? (After he was painted as a gay activist in favor of that dreaded agenda, natch.) So are there any GLBT on the state school board in California, Ben?

Virginia Law - Governor Warner has taken a modest step towards helping gay people in Virginia by "amending" (i.e., editing by veto) the General Assembly's bitterly homophobic superDOMA. The version being sent back to the legislature still invalidates gay marriages and civil unions, but it no longer voids any "partnership contract or other arrangement" purporting to bestow the benefits of marriage. This is an important fix, since the original draft would arguably have abolished wills, living wills, custody agreements and possibly private DP benefits (to the extent those aren't already prohibited in Virginia).

It's a bit shocking to think such a restraint on contractual freedom is even constitutional, but it's better if it doesn't become law at all. It only takes a simple majority in both houses to override the "veto," so spread the word and contact your legislator. Click here to compose a message automatically.

Hometown Business News - The gay-flick barebacking controversy has been overtaken by a mainstream media sensation, as the Associated Press reports that LA-based straight adult video companies are imposing a "voluntary work quarantine" in the wake of an HIV scare. The story was broken by Adult Video News, which confirmed that a woman who worked with a recently-diagnosed male performer has tested positive. The result has been the compilation of list of porn stars who will be quarantined for an incubation period before being allowed back in the business if they test negative. (GPG finds the publication of names to be disturbing.) After some resistance, several companies have even imposed a general moratorium on filming until their stars can be checked out.

It is interesting to see industry players taking the lead in this battle against STDs - especially the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, which was formed in the aftermath of a similar scare in 1998. Hey, Ben, I see their clinic is in Sherman Oaks. How far is that from where you grew up?

Why pirate mp3s? - Consider this factoid: To fill up a 20Gb iPod using the iTunes Music Store or a competing service (at 99 cents a song), you'd spend $19,800. Hope you have a back-up.

We've Got a Black Hawk Down - Mogadishu. It's what we all feared but were prepared for last year when the U.S. invaded Iraq... only it didn't happen. Then. But hard-core urban combat certainly seems to be the order of the day now, according to this morning's reports in both New York Times and the Washington Post. It may not be Vietnam, but it's still a jungle - just made of concrete.

Seating Chart Blues - As a "B" and a long-time denizen of the first row of desks in the classroom, I have to say that the Montomergy County, MD policy on school seating isn't such a kooky thing. For fairness and an end to discrimination of the people at the end of the alphabet, I think Congress should turn this local policy into a law with nationwide impact. I'm just glad that it didn't apply to me, otherwise, I wouldn't have sat next to the hunky J____ B_____ for all those years. ;-)

Veronica's Closet - The lovely Wonkette is my new fave blogger (so much so, we even added her to the blogroll!). And today, she bats one out of the park with her post on the adopted gay son of Operation Rescue leader Randall Terry.

The Terry article is pretty interesting, in that he reiterates that his son was adopted at a fairly old age as a means of waving off any accusations that his parenting may have played a part in the son's behaviors and lifestyle. But in response to his statement that "probably the most painful part for me as a dad is that my son prostituted my name for $5,000: He sold out our family's privacy and private discussions for cold cash. Can you imagine a family member doing that to you?" I must respond that I absolutely cannot imagine that...I really hope that any family member of mine would ask for a lot more than $5,000 before selling out our family's privacy. Come on now, five figures, at least!

And I know how much John loved the Heathers reference in the title of Wonkette's post, so I continue the allusion in my headline as well.

Not Your Kid's Happy Meal - Given the overt sex appeal of Mickey D's new "I'm Lovin' It" television ad campaign by DDB, it is clear the recently revamped McDonald's Corp. has ditched the kiddie market and is going grown-up. I mean, come on! Have you seen the one where the female office manager snacks on a chicken salad while hunky male clerks, co-workers and window washers flash by?

I guess toying with the idea of installing Wi-Fi Internet access is all part of the new adult appeal.

The IE - Even in the Inland Empire, home to the 909 area code and the city of Chino, homosexual kids want to go to college. And so one mother has set up a fund at UC Riverside to help subsidize the cost of tuition for gay students who lost the financial support of their parents when they came out.

Cake Toppers are Tacky - I thought the argument for full marriage rights is that gay couples want to be treated exactly like straight couples. Therefore, isn't this statement made in an SFChron followup about gay wedding receptions a little incongruous: "Some people brought gifts, but like many of the couples throwing wedding parties, Festa and Harker asked guests to donate to a marriage equality group in lieu of gifts -- and even set up a Web site for donations." Shouldn't we be registry-hungry and demand presents just like straight people? I thought that was the whole point of having a reception!

Where are you on the Lark-Owl spectrum? - Given your recent difficulties finding a mutually agreeable workout routine, Ben, you may have to concede that you and your gym buddy Scott simply are different chronotypes. Find out your relative score on the morning/evening-person scale by taking this test.

The Private Pain of the Gay Republican - The NYT Magazine profiles the men and women (well, mostly men) of the Log Cabins, America's oldest gay conservative movement, and their now highly public dispute with the president over the FMA. In exposing the shadowy world of GOP homosexuality, the Times takes a moment to explain an aspect of Washington life that those of us who live here have long understood:

What people from outside political Washington may not fully realize is the extent to which gay and lesbian staff members populate offices in the executive branch and Congress -- and by no means just on the Democratic side. ''The perception outside the Beltway would be that if there are gay staff members, they must work on Barney Frank's or Teddy Kennedy's staff,'' said Christopher Barron, Log Cabin's political director. ''The reality is there are gay men and women working in tons of Republican offices, in the White House and in the president's re-election campaign.''

Or as DC council member (and former Bushie) David Catania exclaims, "oh, my God, this town could not function without the gays and lesbians who by and large don't have responsibilities for children, who can work 80 hours and who sacrifice everything on behalf of their careers.'' Um, duh. We all know the velvet mafia runs the Hill.

Now these folks are on the horns of a dilemma -- deeply devoted to a party whose leader, at least, has forsaken them to shore up support among the bigot brigade. Somewhat surprisingly, the Times' author appears largely sympathetic to their plight. Personally, I am too. As a fairly conservative guy, I could easily see myself in those shoes - but I drew the line at swearing allegiance to any political party. Which gives me the ability, unlike the LCR, to say Bush is a schmuck when it's true.

Boom-chica-boom - The Pulitzer Prize-winning LA Times announces the local angle on census data: Boom! Counties throughout southern CA are growing, and the illustration used to demonstrate just how much helps to put things in perspective. While there is massive growth in places like Houston and Loudon County, VA, the growth in the Southland over the last three years is "akin to scattering the entire population of San Francisco and Marin counties among communities from Ventura south to San Ysidro." Hmm...no wonder traffic is so bad.

They Put the UN in Fun - The gay marriage debate goes beyond American borders, as shown in this LA Times report on a United Nations policy on benefits for gay couples. The Secretary-General's policy would allow the same-sex spouses of UN employees, whose home country recognizes the relationship legally, to be eligible for benefits. There's been an uproar from Islamic states and the Vatican and so the process of internal policy adoption at the U.N. is being questioned. Of course, the story notes that under most U.N. regulations, "marriage has been defined as a union between a man and a woman — or between a man and up to four women for countries where polygamy is legal." No double standard there, eh?

The Ethicist (Gay Porn Edition) - This post comes courtesy of Gay Porn Blog. Our friends at Titan Media, home of the woofy Jon Galt, have announced that an official policy against barebacking. Not only have they declared that none of the titles they produce will feature barebacking, but they've also vowed to not cast any actors in their movies who do bareback work for other studios.

Titan states that their mission is to eroticize and portray safer sex practices. That being the case, I think they've done the right thing. I think a lot of gay men do learn some of their techniques and tricks (no pun intended) from porn. A lot of sex, especially fetish play, is gleamed from watching others. The spread of HIV continues to be an issue, and reminders of that for people of my generation and younger are especially important. And so I believe that it is a thoughtful decision on Titan's part to take a stance on this issue they feel is of critical importance.

What percent of your workforce is "diverse"? - To follow up one of Ben's recent posts, the NYTimes blurbs a new book surveying the prevalence of "being out" at the office. A USC dean followed 300 of the school's gay alumni to come up with a report entitled The Lavender Road to Success: The Career Guide for the Gay Community. While the findings reaffirm that there's a lot of discomfort about sexual orientation in the workplace, one of the more surprising results was that "those who were open about their sexual orientation had more authority and earned 50 percent higher wages, on average, than those who were not."

Apparently, the closet takes its toll by preventing employees from focusing on their careers. I do believe in being open with your co-workers over the long haul, but it's best to tread cautiously on the way into a job, as the book advises. Then again, straight applicants really shouldn't mouth off about their wives and kids in their job interviews either, and it is definitely unwise to ask about such things if you are the one posing the questions. That's just an excellent way to set yourself up for a discrimination lawsuit.

Coincidentally, the HRC's annual survey of gay-friendly corporations is also out this week. In a real shocker, Replacements Ltd. and Mitchell Gold once again scored a perfect 100. Heh.

Don't trust your soul to no backwoods Southern lawyer - It's not just politicians chasing "Nascar dads." One small-town Maryland law firm has decided that it can best reach potential clients by sponsoring motorsports, putting its name on entrants in the Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series. The message? Your lawyer's a good ole boy, just like you. (Paging Vicki Lawrence...)

Blow Up - So John's friends at Princeton are considering a plan to curb grade inflation. Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism appears to be having the same conversation, as have other schools. I've never really understood why people get all atwitter over the fact that a high percentage of students at prestigious universities get good grades. Of course they do, the universities have selected these students as the most outstanding members of the application pool, and so it's natural that they'll perform at a level that is above average. Do all grades have to be given on a bell curve? Why create a disincentive for me to be a little fish in an Ivy pond instead of the big fish at Hollywood Upstairs Medical College.

NCAA Showdown - Some fifteen years after the greatest upset that never was, Georgetown is looking to steal Princeton's thunder again, this time in the form of our basketball coach.

Malibu Law - My brother's law school has a new dean: Kenneth Starr.

AdNonSense - Alert reader Ed has noted that the Google AdSense advertisements running on this page frequently include a link to "Homosexuality Help" - a site for those wishing to change their sexual orientation. "Kind of nauseating, and a bit insulting too," he notes, and I would agree. The AdSense program works by scanning the website where the ads are posted and matching its content with mini ads that are in some way relevant. For that reason, we sometimes get ads for two-dad adoption -- and we also get ex-gays. In effect, AdSense sometimes completely backfires by matching a site to its opposite rather than its compliment.

If we were the owners of our site, we would actually have some control over this, since the system allows account holders to filter the content of ads placed on their site. However, because Google subsidiary Pyra Labs owns the Blog*Spot site and presumably the Google account, I predict there's little I can do to get them to address this problem. (Aside from paying to eliminate ads, and that's not gonna happen.) As stated in our terms and conditions:

Pyra runs advertisements and promotions on BlogSpot Sites. By creating your BlogSpot Site, you agree that Pyra has the right to run such advertisements and promotions. You also agree that you will not attempt to block or otherwise interfere with advertisements displayed on your BlogSpot site via JavaScript or any other means. Doing so is grounds for immediate termination of service. The manner, mode and extent of advertising by Pyra on your BlogSpot Site is subject to change.

I may send Pyra and/or Google a note just to see what sort of response I get, but I'm not holding my breath. Alternatively, maybe we can get Google to kick us out of AdSense for inappropriate content or click-through violations, although we'd have to be careful not to also violate our Blog*Spot hosting agreement. Failing all that, our dear readers can always patronize the ex-gay sites and tell them exactly how you feel about their advertisements. (Honestly, I'd just rather ignore them.)

By the way, Google has announced that it is planning to use a similar system in connection with its new free web email service. This has caused quite a ruckus amoung privacy experts, since Google will be electronically scanning your email to "match" it with relevant advertising. Privacy aside, if you think ex-gay ads on Beaverhausen are annoying, can you imagine if they were attached to personal emails sent to friends and family?

The Electric Company - Laying the blame squarely on the shoulders of Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. - a company I've wrangled with as part of my job - investigators are now saying the big Northeast blackout of 2003 could have been prevented if only they'd pulled the plug on Cleveland. I knew our Ohio friends John K. and Vince had something to do with that fiasco. Heh.

From Provost to President - There is talk that Condoleezza Rice's testimony before the 9/11 Commission may be an audition for a position of Secretary of State or Defense in a Bush II Cabinet. But some are arguing that Dr. Rice's real audition is for President in 2008. That might be a battle worth watching: Hillary vs. Condi!

Bad Gay TV - My most favorite reality show of the moment, Playing It Straight has been put on hiatus! How dare they deny me the chance to figure out which of the men is gay and which is straight on this phenomenal Satanic spawn of The Bachelor and Boy Meets Boy. But while we're bemoaning the removal of this fantastic, Nevada-set, program from the schedule, we can ask ourselves why gay men on reality TV can paint bedrooms but aren't allowed to pair-bond.

Thankfully, we've got some new programming to add to the gay TV pantheon, including Gaydar, a new game show for VH1 featuring American Idol hasbeen Brian Dunkleman as host. And maybe the recently announced fifth incarnation of Amazing Race will hold some hope for gay contestents to repeat the success of Chip and Reichen.

Closure Denied - Sad, but true news from the Buffyverse. Sarah Michelle Gellar will not appear on the series finale of Angel. Even though you may not know that this item is important, to many, it matters.

Off the Map - John, how do you feel about Reason's decision to give their 40,000 subscribers a personalized cover to the magazine, with an aerial map of their mailing address? Portent of the dangers of invasion of privacy or nifty gimmick? I don't think I'd feel very violated to receive such a thing in the mail...after all, you can check it out on Mapquest yourself any time you want.

Age Appropriate - Diet guru and sequined-tanktop afficiando Richard Simmons assaulted a motorcycle salesman at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport last week. Seems that an off-handed comment about "sweating to the 50s" (instead of "sweating to the oldies") really rubbed Richard the wrong way. Wonder if someone is a little testy about getting older?

Marital Strife - A couple pieces on less happy side of gay marriage. First up, the AP revisits how the issue of gay marriage has driven a wedge in the Knight family, as the father whose name was synonymous with the California defense of marriage initiative refuses to comment on the fact that his gay son was one half of a couple married last month in San Francisco. This isn't new news, but it is a reminder that many of the strongest voices against gay marriage and gay rights have a close relative who is homosexual.

Secondly, the WaPo looks to promote gay marriage though a look at gay divorce. The point is that the breakup of any marriage, even a gay marriage, is when the legal structure, guidance and protection of the institution of civil marriage is needed most. Without a partnership contract, when the union dissolved, the couple was on their own to divide their belongings and property. Is this sort of legal arrangement something you have some knowledge about, John? ;-) And that's probably a LOT of property and goods...after all, Forbes estimates that legalizing same-sex marriages would mean a windfall of approximately $16.8 billion for the wedding industry.

The final gay marriage story is about a protest of Catholics marching through the San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood this weekend. It was a relatively small, quiet protest, but the quotation that came from a ten-year-old boy who participated in the march with his parents seemed especially interesting to me:

Marchers Brian and Elizabeth Hockel of Walnut Creek brought their eight children along, including two in a baby stroller. Ten-year-old John Hockel said he was proud to march with his family. 'There shouldn't be same-sex marriages because it's impossible,' John said. 'I mean, how could they have children without someone else coming in and helping?

Impossible, indeed. So, wait, if someone else DID come in and help out with having children, should gays then be allowed to marry, young Mr. Hockel?

JOHN RESPONDS: In counterpoint to the sad end to the Schwandt-Fortunato nuptuals, here's an uplifting story about a bi-national couple who wed in 1975 and pursued a claim of legal recognition all the way to the Ninth Circuit. (They were contesting the deportation of the foreign partner.) Although they lost their court case, they are still together almost 30 years later. (Not to mention living in the United States, despite the legal outcome.) Wish there were more stories like this one.

If Drew can do it, we can too - Yes, I think unpaid bloggers deserve a little Spring Break respite...especially since their readers all seem to abandon ship once the weather starts getting nicer. So now that you're rested and tanned, it's time to come back to the fold, jump on the bandwagon and start flinging comments once again! Maybe John can start stalking Wonkette to drive up readership!