Beaverhausen Blog

4 Minutes

2008-04-17T06:04:00.001Z

A sexually provocative, lyrically shallow, cultural plagiarist - these terms describe a naysayer's view of Madonna Louise Ciccone Penn Ritchie's career. However, it can be argued that Mrs. Richie's most recently released single, 4 Minutes (to Save the World), is a thoughtful work that makes a strong case in support of international adoption.

Mrs. Ritchie last year adopted a child from the African nation of Malawi. After visiting the country and making an appearance at an orphanage, she chose a boy by the name of David and quickly left for England with him, assuming than an expedited process for the legal adoption would be undertaken. Madonna, having given birth to two children, Rocco and Lourdes, was ready to add a third child to her brood. When Madonna sings the line, "Come on boy I've been waiting for somebody to pick up my stroll" and Justin Timberlake responds, "Well don't waste time, give me a sign, tell me how you wanna roll" it is emblematic of the conversations that Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie must have had about the potential of adopting, with Mrs. Ritchie's mention of "stroll" clearly referring to a child's stroller, and Mr. Ritchie's request asking for direction of "how you wanna roll" meaning precisely what sort of perambulator she desires. In the subsequent line, Madonna mentions her desire for "somebody to speed it up for me then take it down slow," which clearly refers to her desire for the legal process of adoption to be accelerated while not wanting her newly adopted son to grow up too quickly.

The chorus of the song indicates that "if you want it/Ya already got it" which is to say that those debating whether to adopt a child should recognize that there are millions of children in countries across the world who are in need of loving parents and a stable home. The love that an adoptive parent feels for their child is palpable, and as with almost all new parents, there is a strong desire to satisfy the child's every need, desire, and want ("If you feel it/It must be real just/Say the word and/I'ma give you what you want "). Madonna is advocating for people to not delay (because they've "only got" the metaphorical "four minutes") to follow through on their desire to adopt a child ("grab a boy/grab a girl") from an international location (the "world" reference in the hook "save the world").

While some interpret a later line in the song as reading "Don't be a pri(hey)ma donna," I would argue that the line could more accurately be interpreted as "Don't be a pre- (hey) Madonna." In other words, Justin is noting that before Madonna achieved fame, before becoming a mother, and before discovering the ancient mystical teaching of the Kaballah, she was not as spiritually enlightened or effective an advocate for an important sociopolitical topic such as international adoption. Today, having demonstrated her credentials as an author, spiritual guru, and environmentalist, she is well-positioned to serve as an advocate for rescuing children from the poverty conditions of the third world. Furthermore, if one interprets the "U" in the line line of "Sometimes I think what I need is a you (U) intervention" as referring to the United Nations, it is clear that Madonna is speaking on behalf of the poor orphans of the world.

With a toe-tapping beat, a visually engrossing video, and unforgetable falsetto notes hit by her background vocalist - and most importantly, through her lyrics, Madonna ensures that the plight of young victims of poverty from across the globe is highlighted. She furthermore makes an effective case pleading with policymakers to affect a simplified and less arduous process for international adoption to benefit these children and the families that welcome them.

John: Exit Stage Left

2006-05-31T18:59:00.000Z

Taking a cue from our inspiration, this Beaverhausen has decided to retire from the blogging game. I've been giving the whole project a lot of thought lately, and it seems to me that four years and upteen thousands of posts is a pretty good run. Lord knows, the blogosphere has grown from our early days among to the innovators to the point now where it's getting harder and harder to contribute anything different from a thousand other voices. At the same time, as Ben has noted, newer forms of online intercourse have proliferated.

I'm not ruling out a return to the web in some form in the future. (In truth, I'll likely never leave, as I continue to utilize tools like Flickr and the various social nets.) I feel pretty good about what was achieved here. Our site tracker counts around 4,500 uniquie visitors a month. So it feels good to just go ahead and end my pseudocareer as a blogger on a relatively high note.

One thing I am going to miss is the honor of being among the bloggerati. Sure, the blogging network was demented and sad, but it was social. I was always surprised by strangers who would randomly approach me to say "Oh, you're Beaverhausen." "Well, half of it, I'd always say."

And that brings me to the saddest part of shutting down my beautiful blog machine: B'haus has been a big part of a very cool daily relationship with my best friend and confidante, who just happens to live 3,000 miles away. Authoring, editing and running a website with someone so close to me has been frustrating at times, but mostly it's been a fascinating and fun way to interact and get to know, even better, what makes each of us tick. So Ben, to you I say thank you so much for sharing this special endeavor with me. Don't be too sad that this chapter is closing. It only brings us that much closer to figuring out what that next big thing is, and when we find it, I trust we'll still be encouraging, baiting, and engaging each other just as much as we ever did here at Beaverhausen.

WeWho?

2006-05-28T14:43:00.000Z

The LATimes ponders a straight future for West Hollywood. Unthinkable, I know, but hey, it happened to Dupont.

Big Love

2006-05-26T15:13:00.000Z

A divided Utah Supreme Court has upheld a bigamy conviction of a fundamentalist Mormon, rejecting the defendant's claims that the 2003 case of Lawrence v. Texas, which abolished sodomy laws, protected his right to multiple wives. The Chief Justice dissented, writing that under Lawrence, the due process clause of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment provides protection to private relationships between consensual adults, whether bigamous or not. Read the opinions here.

(Wonder where that leaves Don Wildmon's latest wigout: polyamory in the gay community?)

Ba-Baaah and the Windigo

2006-05-22T19:20:00.000Z

Bonus points to anyone who could have guessed what the characters shown at right had to do with the founding of America.

Answer: They're part of a children's show telling the story of Jamestown from the perspective of a young Indian girl (apparently a relative of Shrek the Ogre) and indigenous animals. It's all just part of the pageantry of "America's 400th Anniversary," a Virginia tourist promotion that kicked off near Colonial Williamsburg yesterday.

Fun for the whole family!

Blogging conference draws 400 in D.C.

2006-05-19T22:13:00.000Z

Damn, we missed it. Was Sully there?

Marriage on Both Sides of the Potomac

2006-05-18T19:45:00.000Z

Gentlemen, start your pandering. GOP leaders in the Senate are cozying up to the bigot brigade again by promising a vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment in the first week of June. This led to some of the more exciting political news of last week, when Russ Feingold stomped out of Arlen Spector's Judiciary Committee meeting where the FMA was reported to the floor. Despite the theatrics, the brigadeers are not particularly happy. The WashTimes quoted one rightwing ~~nutcase~~ source who criticized the President's engagement on the issue:

It's not that we are demanding this, but when the First Lady is disparaging the issue, and when the Vice President lets stand unrebutted Mary Cheney's claims, we think some demonstration of presidential leadership is warranted -- and overdue.

The latter comment alludes, of course, to the Veep's long "missing" lesbian daughter, who made the rounds a week ago shilling for her new book, which has her agreeing with Al Gore on the FMA. Former HRC head Elizabeth Birch crowed, but most handicappers don't give the federal legislation much of a shot anyway. Boy, that's sure to piss off Donald Wildmon and his million mothers more than a big opening weekend for the Da Vinci Code.

Meanwhile, back in Virginy, legions gird for battle over this Fall's referendum on a state constitutional amendment. Despite heartwarming profiles of local homos in the regional press, observers in the Old Dominion think the powerfully worded SuperDOMA will pass by a large margin. I'm not counting on any intervention by activist judges, as happened last week in another "New South" state, either. In any event, the forecast for November calls for plenty of fear and loathing.

Goodbye, Anastasia

2006-05-18T19:41:00.000Z

Will & Grace ends its eight-year run tonight, so it's time to bid farewell to Anastasia Beaverhausen. But will she and Jack, that lawyer and the decorator really be missed all that much? Critics disagree about the impact, whether the show leaves a big mark and changed attitudes because of its depiction of gays, or that it will be a quickly-forgotten relic of dated pop-culture jokes that won't hold up.

The disagreements seem to be a referendum on whether it is more important for a sitcom to be funny or to be a form of media where sensitive topics can be addressed and made fun of:

"We're proud of what's transpired" in terms of presenting gay characters as real people, Kohan says. "But if our goal here had been to put out ideas or role models, the show would have failed. All you really care about is: Do you like these characters? Do you care about their relationships? Do they make you laugh?"

And as with most sitcoms, the way to make you laugh is to play up the cliches and the catchphrases and same tired storylines. You end up with characters who are "so selfish and hateful to one another, you could never understand why they were friends to begin with. No amount of back story or riffs on low self-esteem could explain that."

The roles of Will Truman and Grace Adler became derivative characatures of other successful sitcoms, taking on some of the selfish tendencies of the Seinfeld quartet and the neuroses and compulsions of the Friends. And that's why I agree with the assessment that "it's hard to sustain characters over the long haul when nothing's at stake, and in its later years the show has bounced between silly and tiresome."

That's why I have to take exception with the arguments that the show was "a pioneer for using humor to address one of America's most incendiary issues...mainstream[ing] a way to laugh about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and straight sexual politics from a place of pure affection, not fear and hatred." I don't think the show hurt the case for gay rights, but I'm also not sure that it created "pure affection" for the gay rights or made a case for gay marriage. Backing me up is Beaverhausen fave Hank Steuver who writes:

The gayest among us now profess to have shirked duty and stopped watching a couple of seasons ago.

...For years, some viewers held on to the idea that the show was an example of pure progress in the way American culture views homosexuals. This turned out to be "Will & Grace's" burden to bear, and it discarded it happily.

...Watching the show...shoulder-to-shoulder with young men who had Ricky Martin haircuts and wore Abercrombie T-shirts, it was possible to make the mistake of reading "Will & Grace" as a solid triumph.

I would say that time would have to pass in order to tell if Will & Grace affects future generations in a way to I Love Lucy or All in the Family did. But I think that with constant reruns on Lifetime, we're likely to be able to tell far, far sooner whether Will & Grace can match the impact of that other long-running NBC sitcom about four individuals with a not-so-stealthy gay sensibility.

Pet Peeve

2006-05-12T17:22:00.000Z

Is it just me, or is anyone else annoyed by the new Friday Fresh Air episodes that take a timely subject and cobble together old interviews on the topic, as introduced by Not Terry Gross? Today's show feature ancient interviews with cast members of The West Wing introduced by David Bianculli made me long for a fresh Fresh Air.

In More Positive Lacrosse News . . .

2006-05-08T16:13:00.000Z

The NCAA men's lacrosse championship bracket has been set, as the popular sport continues to look beyond the Duke scandal. One fun programming note: my Tigers stand an excellent chance of taking on no. 2-seeded Maryland in the second round at Towson University on Sunday, May 21st. (Local favs Virginia, Georgetown and Navy will also be vying to reach the other half of that day's quarterfinal doubleheader.) I realize it's not the Herndon Climb, but maybe I can get some D.C. folks interested in a roadtrip to see these games.

Flickr is the new Blogging

2006-05-04T20:43:00.001Z

Conservative activist are up in arms over a proposal to prevent bias against homosexuality in California school curricula.

MyDeathSpace - A Trend That Died Too Young?

2006-04-27T13:37:00.000Z

The gray lady must've heard the criticisms... I've never seen the NYTimes document a trend as quickly as this article on the use of social-networking profiles in mourning the death of young people. Why, it was only a month or so ago that Chris first showed me MyDeathSpace and now the Times is already reporting how communities of "personal Web pages have suddenly changed from lighthearted daily dairies about bands or last night's parties into online shrines where grief is shared in real time." And now that the Times knows, we must regrettably conclude that this young trend has jumped the shark.

For the moment, though, it's still a common occurrence to read news of an untimely death and immediately learn more about the deceased online than any traditional obituary every would say. (At least the scrapbook photos tend to portray them far better than the typical DMV file-photo used in newspaper reports.)

What I find sad about the whole phenomenon is how needless most of the deaths reported on MDS are: reckless immaturity or involvment with crime and other stupidity is behind so many of the fatalities. The one-off stories in the press don't convey that message nearly as powerfully as a website that collects hundreds of unfortunate demises in one place. The Internet has been credited with changing the way people think about a lot of social issues -- can it be that young people's perspectives on death and dying will be next?

Yahoo vs. TiVo

2006-04-26T22:11:00.000Z

How can I choose when two of my favorite geek gadgets go head-to-head? Of course, Yahoo's entry into the home media market has been expected, but I still hope they can be partners not competitors with TiVo.

Never Forget, Eh?

2006-04-25T13:46:00.000Z

The Post profiles the "one member of Congress" who has blocked an appropriation for the Park Service to buy 1200 acres of land for a Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, PA. Besides being an opponent to government land ownership in general, Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC) notes that private donations have fallen far short of their $30 million commitment, so the government could be left holding the bag for an elaborate site. Taylor has suggested a scholarship fund instead.

The Renegades have been doing their part by traveling to Pennsylvania to tend the grounds of the flight's temporary memorial. Now maybe Universal Pictures can help. Ten percent of the opening weekend's gross from United 93 (premiering tonight at the Tribeca Film Festival) will be donated to the memorial foundation. In the end, the Post thinks congressional leaders won't want to look like cheapskates when it comes to honoring the flight that fought back -- and probably saved the Capitol building -- so I expect Taylor's intrasigence to be only a temporary obstacle.

Here We Go Again

2006-04-24T14:31:00.000Z

The bigot brigade are gearing up, hoping to market the anti-gay marriage vote to Republicans for the 2006 mid-term elections. My old Princeton politics professor Robbie George is once again playing a prominent role, helping put together a slew of Catholic bishops to sign an ecumenical letter from clergy. There's also a companion postcard campaign in support of the Federal Marriage Amendment. In the silver lining department, the NYTimes optimistically suggests that this issue isn't the hot button it used to be -- if for no other reason than because key swing states have already passed various superDOMA amendments and laws.

Journal of B.S.

2006-04-23T21:06:00.000Z

The intellectually-inclined are horrified to learn that crusading anti-gay "researcher" Paul Cameron has finally weaseled his way into a peer-reviewed scientific journal, in this case, Cambridge's Journal of Biosocial Research. His crap article, "Children of Homosexuals and Transexuals More Apt to Be Homosexual," was based on his typical shoddy, "sophomoric" work. According to one professional listserv, the extent of his pseudo-scientific studies involved developing a bibliography of topical books from Amazon.com, buying and reading three of them, and tallying up the sexual orientation of the adult offspring described in the texts (discarding half whose sexual orientation was not characterized). The result: "homosexuality is contagious." What else do you expect from a guy who produced "statistics" of gay longevity based on AIDS obituaries? At least the NARTH-types who actually believe this bullshit are more and more the minority these days (except, I guess, at the White House).

Warning: Explicit Lyrics

2006-04-20T21:36:00.000Z

Taking a page from Indonesian jihadists, our esteemed attorney-general is on the warpath against smut. First he wants to require ISPs to keep tracking data on their customers, and now Gonzales intends to jail web site operators who do not submit to mandatory labeling of sexual content.

Commercial sites would have to slap an FTC-approved notice on each page containing anything sexually explicit, including not just sexual intercourse but even "close-ups of fully clothed genital regions." (Sports Illustrated better watch out!) Adding to the technical complications of compliance, the law would criminalize posting explicit material on any home page if it can be seen "absent any further actions by the viewer."

(Hmm, just what is the "home page" of a blog? And how does this work with user-supplied content generally? I'm familiar with some Flickr groups that would surely be covered, but management doesn't review what's posted there.)

Forget about that clearinghouse of filth BentBlog, sounds like Chrisafer may need to add warning labels to some of his poetry! What confuses me is what does this anti-pR0n crusade have to do with missing children?

Not Judge Wapner's Courtroom

2006-04-20T18:57:00.000Z

The gay lushes and the black biblethumpers face off in DC's gentrifying Shaw neighborhood. (Round one went to the 'mos, but Reverend Long promises to be back at next month's rematch.)

Legislative Alert

2006-04-18T14:05:00.000Z

After bouncing around the states for months, the effort to ban Fred "God Hates Fags" Phelps' anti-gay demonstrations at military funerals has reached the federal level. Despite questions about First Amendment rights, the NYTimes cites con law experts who think there may be a precedent for upholding such statutes.

And in other bigot brigade news, the right-wing Alliance for Marriage is gearing up for a possible June vote in the Senate on the Federal Marriage Amendment by courting black and Hispanic pastors in several key states, the WashTimes reports. While gay-baiting on the spurious DOMA issue saved Dubya's butt in the 2004 elections, one wonders if the GOP's current troubles can really be fixed by wedge politics this year.

It's Time to Move On

2006-04-14T17:56:00.000Z

As has been noted previously on Beaverhausen, by the time the NYTimes notices a trend, it is pretty much over. So does that mean you can stick a fork in Washington's hip U Street corridor? Upshur Street, here we come.

TiVo Wins

2006-04-14T13:22:00.000Z

It looks like DirecTV was reading the tea leaves correctly, as TiVo scores a major patent law victory over the makers of the DishTV DVR. If upheld on appeal, the WSJ writes, the case could have "profound implications," as the damage award "bolsters TiVo's financial footing" and puts it "in a better position to negotiate business deals with cable companies and equipment suppliers that make competing DVRs."

Flight 93 Transcript Released

2006-04-13T11:52:00.000Z

The judge in the Moussaoui trial declined to release the audio tape of the Flight 93's cockpit recorder, opting instead to provide news sources with the transcript, now available on TSG. (Also introduced into evidence was a gigantic photomontage of nearly every victim of the 9/11 terrorist attack. Click the image at left to see a scaled-down version.)

The Universal Pictures feature film recounting the dramatic passenger revolt opens in two weeks. Some are questioning whether America is ready for a 9/11 movie. Perhaps to ease those concerns, the studio is donating 10% of the opening weekend gross to the flight's memorial fund. While I think we can handle it, I expect United 93 to be an emotional experience, no less so for arriving about the same time as the expected death sentence for Zacharias Moussaoui. Add one more "martyr" to Al Qaeda's honor rolls.

Reprieve

2006-04-12T20:56:00.000Z

Belying the conventional wisdom that it would break off the relationship to pursue its own DVR technology, DirecTV today announced a three-year extension of the frequently-stressed alliance with TiVo. Interestingly, the companies agreed not to assert patent rights against the other. TiVo is currently suing DishTV for infringment, so I'm thinking Murdoch's minions were more motivated by fear than friendship. Unfortunately for us DirecTiVo users, the agreement seems to freeze the status quo, and so is unlikely to extend "modern" TiVo services like music- and photo-sharing to our boxes. Boo!

Hinckley, Clinton, Hilton

2006-04-12T17:59:00.000Z

Last night, Jamie and I went to hear William Jefferson give a keynote at a dinner gala as guests of a major appliance manufacturer. Held at the Hinckley Hilton, the evening honored the work of a local black think-tank called the Joint Center. Man, that ex-President can talk! We will never hear a retired Dubya expound for thirty minutes on the social origins of childhood obesity.

Researching my evening's logistics led me to discover a cool new website: Virtual Globetrotting. A community-driven geocoding cite, VG "shows and categorizes cool locations around the world with satellite pictures from Google Maps and Windows Live Local" plus street-level views from contributors. Look up your home or workplace today!

The Jocks Win

2006-04-11T03:51:00.000Z

In inimitable style, Hank Stuever bids adieu to the O Street gay clubs.

(Obviously, I've been a bit tardy in highlighting this piece. 34+ bloggers have weighed in, including Drew.)

P.S. Straight strip clubs are being forced out by the baseball stadium too.

Photo by WaPo's Marvin Joseph.

Browing Out

2006-04-10T18:59:00.000Z

The ratings show that Chris (who is responsible for this illuminating image) and I are the only ones still watching The West Wing. Well, us and Ellen Gray of the Philadelphia Daily News, who writes,

For months now, I've been dying to talk to someone - anyone - about what's up with Janeane Garofalo's eyebrows on NBC's "The West Wing," where it appears she's using a black marker to channel Groucho Marx.

Barbecuing accident?

Obscure political statement?

Just trying to figure out if anyone out here is still watching?

I'm going for Door No. 3, since the already declining ratings for "The West Wing" pretty much dropped off a cliff after NBC moved it to 8 p.m. Sundays.

But the show is still worth watching, if only to occasionally see Kristin Chenoweth's Annabeth break into song. However, not worth watching: Josh and Donna hook up and have off-camera sex twice, but never touch each other again, even in private. Let's let them have some passion or lust, not just pent-up need. David Bianculli of the NY Daily News seems to disagree with me, giving credit to Bradley Whitford and Janel Moloney for having "done a lot of the heavy lifting, and...consummate a flirtatious relationship that began when the show premiered in 1999."

Not much of a spoiler, since no one is watching, but last night Jimmy Smits' character, Matt Santos, won the show's presidental election. The NY Times reveals that this turn of events hadn't always been the plan.

At the time of Mr. Spencer's death, the plot for last night's episode had been set: the election was to be won by Alan Alda's Arnold Vinick, a maverick Republican (modeled a bit on Senator John McCain), whom many Democrats (including the Democrats who write the show) could learn to love.

At least we've got Homecoming to look forward to, with Rob Lowe and Emily Proctor returning. And just maybe we'll now get to see Sam Seaborn and Ainsley Hayes as a Carville-and-Matalin-eque duo!

Tolerance is Oppression

2006-04-10T11:23:00.000Z

At least, as the bigot brigade sees it. What goes around, comes around, when it comes to suing for "respect" for one's "workplace diversity."

Lacrosse Guys Are a Different Breed

2006-04-09T20:18:00.000Z

On the heels of the rape scandal enveloping Duke's men's lacrosse team, Dave Jamieson writes in Slate about "the culture of an elitist and relatively obscure sport." Lacrosse, more than any other, "represents the marriage of athletic aggression and upper-class entitlement." Jamieson has a theory about how college lacrosse players end up even more misogynous than players in other contact sports:

Perhaps it's because, unlike their football brethren, an unusually large proportion of college lacrosse players spend their high school years in sheltered, all-boys academies before heading off to liberal co-ed colleges. Most guys from single-sex schools are able to adjust. Others join the lacrosse team. The worst of this lot become creatures that are, in the words of a friend of mine, "half William Kennedy Smith, half Lawrence Phillips." In the warm enclave of the locker room, safe from the budding feminists and comp-lit majors, their identity becomes more cemented.

Looking back at the lax players I knew in high school and at Princeton, I suppose I agree. Overall, they were pretty much a bunch of cocky bastards. (I'll leave it to others to psychoanalyze why that makes guys so attractive.) Although there were always one or two nice guys who proved to be exceptions, in general college lacrosse guys are just SAE, making the bad behavior of Duke's team all that more predictable.

"Martians talking about Earthlings"

2006-04-08T16:01:00.000Z

Dunkin' Donuts is trying to go upscale, but not too upscale, the WSJ reports. After a couple of decades lagging other morning-meal outlets, the largely East Coast chain has recently put its focus on coffee and is taking a page from Starbucks to roll out a classier store concept. Only don't let Dunkin's working-class customers know. After studying the differences between their customers and those of the omnipresent Seattle shop, honchos at the no-frills Dunkin' declared a ban on couches in the new stores:

"Early research showed consumers wanted nicer stores, but revealed a potential problem: the loyal Dunkin' tribe was bewildered and turned off by the atmosphere at Starbucks. They groused that crowds of laptop users made it difficult to find a seat, Dunkin' says. They didn't like Starbucks' 'tall,' 'grande' and 'venti' lingo for small, medium and large coffees. And, Dunkin' says, they couldn't understand why anyone would pay as much as $4 for a cup of coffee.

The article gives a great preview of the company's tricky strategy -- to find to happy medium between its old "smoke-filled and dingy" stores and yuppie-infested Starbucks knock-offs. With any luck, I'll get to sample the prototype soon, as permits posted on 8th Street SE a portend a coming Dunkin' shop on Barracks Row here in my very own 'hood.

Star Jones Reynolds to Get New Co-Host

2006-04-06T18:47:00.000Z

We've got to keep things in perspective, right? The real story in the career ladders of celebrity journalist is wondering who will now sit next to Star when Meredith Viera, co-host of ABC's The View, leaves to fill Katie Couric's Manolos on the NBC's Today show.

The thing I still can't wrap my head around is that Couric turned down an offer that was reportedly worth about $20 million a year to stay at NBC, an offer which included the "Johnny Carson deal," allowing her to get not only the entire summer off, but also every Friday.

Three hours a day on the air a day, four days a week, nine months a year? I'd take comfort in knowing that I was making history with my handsome salary, rather than making history as the first woman to anchor the evening news solo.

"No gay cruising on this gay cruise"

2006-04-06T14:34:00.000Z

Tom Shales is bored by Rosie O'Donnell's HBO documentary about a cruise ship vacation by hundreds of homo partners and their kids, premiering tonight. He blames O'Donnell for presenting a politically correct, mainstream-friendly picture of wholesome familes who happen to have two mommies or two daddies. It's

a scrubbed-up, politely tidy image of gay men and women -- a portrait meticulously devoid of the drag queens, pierced nipples and campy vamping one often sees when a local TV station rushes off to cover a gay-themed event.

Well, that's progress for ya. Sounds like we all can skip this one.

True Believer

2006-04-05T14:07:00.000Z

Has the WSJ become a Mac booster? You might think so after reading this article touting the belief by Apple and analysts that the company may have its best shot in years at expanding its tiny share of the business computing market. They cite the credibility of the OS X operating system among techies and the switch to Intel processors which will permit dual booting with Microsoft's pervasive Windows XP. (Apple has even just announced quasi-support for this neato trick.)

In other geek news, online maps are gettin' crazy. Check out a preview of a Microsoft service that shows you street-level views as if you were actually driving your route. My assessment: this is technology not yet ready for rush hour.

LUV to Washington

2006-04-04T17:44:00.000Z

In a surprise announcement, Southwest Airlines revealed its newest destination: Washington Dulles. With the collapse of Independence Air, (and JetBlue ending nonstop SMF to IAD service!), perhaps SWA saw the opportunity to pounce. But Dulles isn't the easiest airport to access from the central core of DC, so I wonder exactly what segment of traveller Southwest hopes to entice. Perhaps we'll see that the strategy is similar to the one adopted by SWA in Denver, where the big tops of DIA are also quite distant from downtown. I'm not sure I would have any incentive to opt to fly into IAD instead of BWI on a cross-country flight, but we'll see if SWA's strategy works when flights begin this fall.

Working 9 to 6:30

2006-04-03T14:00:00.000Z

Working 9 to 5 would be great...too bad most offices now have the expectation of at least a 9-hour workday*, once you factor in lunch.

For that reason, and so many more, we should all have warm feelings of nostalgia surrounding the 25th anniversary DVD of the classic 9 to 5.

In interviews with USA Today the stars speculate what their characters would be up to today, how the world of work has changed and the prospects for the 2007 Broadway musical version of the film.

* Only 30% of Americans have a standard daytime M-F 40-hour workweek, according to the Current Population Survey.

Where are you going? Where have you been?

2006-04-03T11:46:00.000Z

The angst of area code splitting is so last millennium. The Pilot this morning carries an AP story about the social transformation of the area code in the era of number portability. Explains a young theater major who uses a 502 mobile number while studying at UCSB: "People are so mobile that the area code has now become a statement about where you're from, rather than where you're going or where you are." Just like how I'm proud to keep the 757 on my phone, though I've had every chance to pick up the 202. Ben, what vanity digits do you keep on your phone?

I Think I Think, Therefore I Think I Am

2006-04-02T16:09:00.000Z

Asperger's frequently comes up in conversation between Chrisafer and me. I think we're fascinated because both of us are touchy-feely thenthitive types -- sort of the polar opposite of your typical aspie. Anyways, perhaps that's why I found this neuroscience piece in today's LATimes to be of interest. Exploring the question "why are humans able to think about thinking," a U-Dub psych professor postulates a "Burnsian evolutionary gift":

[M]aybe it evolved in the service of our highly developed social intelligence, insofar as it helped free us from many a blunder and foolish notion by enabling our consciously endowed ancestors to realize (in proportion to their consciousness) that, for example, seeming too selfish, too cowardly, too uninformed, too ambitious, too sexually voracious and so forth would ill serve their ends.

Hah, I just knew the emo people were more highly evolved.

This is a natural product so size does vary

2006-03-31T14:56:00.000Z

Jamie just revealed to me that the rawhide chews he recently bought for our puppy -- touted as "a wholesome new concept in pet treats" -- are, in fact, bull penises. I'm speechless.

Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share Alike

2006-03-30T20:30:00.000Z

That's a common form of Creative Commons license applied by bloggers, Flickr'ers and their publicly posting brethren. It was also the license applied by Adam Curry to photos on his Flickr share, and now he's successfully used the terms of the license to win a court case against a Dutch gossip magazine.

The case interests me, because I use a similar license -- though it permits commercial use -- and my own Flickrs have found their way to unexpected places on the Web from time to time as well. (DCist later ran a discussion of their photo use policy.) Nice to know I may actually have some rights in the wilds of the Internet, should I ever need to enforce them.

P.S. to Ben: I see our license here on the Bhaus is limited version 1.0. Maybe it's time to upgrade.

The Las Vegas of Gay Marriage?

2006-03-30T16:48:00.000Z

Not Massachusetts, as the state's top court has upheld an "unused" 1913 law that forbids nonresidents from marrying in the state if their marriage would not be recognized in their home state. The slip opinion is available here.

Update: Can the WashTimes please come off it? The use of scare quotes around same-sex "marriage" may fly in most jurisdictions, but when it comes to Massachusetts, homos really can MARRY. Legally. Sorry that upsets you so, but try to grow up.

Convention Capitol: Sacramende!

2006-03-29T01:27:00.000Z

Don't be surprised if your next conference brings you to Sacramento, John. The USA Today is reporting that smaller cities like Sacramento are the beneficiary of rising prices in more typical convention towns like San Diego and San Francisco...and Sacramento is eager for the business so they're willing to go to great lengths to win the business.

So Long, Loose Seal

2006-03-28T18:38:00.000Z

Arrested Development is officially gone. Variety reports that even though there was a deal proposed for Showtime to air new episodes, creator Mitch Hurwitz couldn't agree to the terms. Hurwitz joked, "Of course, if there was enough money in it, I would have happily abandoned the fans' need for quality. But as it turns out, there wasn't." Rest in peace, Lucille.

And look for Lucille Two, this Saturday, on Showtime's restored Liza with a Z!

Momentum

2006-03-15T14:54:00.000Z

A week after the Nats sign a lease, Mayor Bowtie unveils a distinctive stadium design to much fanfare, some snarking and lots of front-page coverage (see left), and, to top it off, the Nationals get to keep their name.

Only 27 days and 2 hours until baseball season reopens in the District.

P.S. Looks like I need to get reacquainted with the team. Pitcher Jon Rauch is sporting a hot beard these days.

Maybe As an Ice Cream Truck Driver?

2006-03-14T15:47:00.000Z

Hey Ben, you haven't seen Osama Bin Laden hanging around the greater Sacramento metro area lately, have you?

Satanic Panic in the Attic

2006-03-14T12:41:00.000Z

Since moving away from Hampton Roads I just don't get my fill of wacky Pat Robertson news, but occasionally I'll hear about a kerfuffle. Like yesterday, when the religious broadcast called Muslims "satanic" during his 700 Club show and said Islam is bent on "world domination."

With his threat to arrest young gay "freedom riders" visiting his Regent University campus as part of the Soulforce Equality Ride -- as Jerry Falwell did at Liberty last week -- Pat's headline grabbing makes this a special week in looney-Christian news.

P.S. In related news, the on-again, off-again Christian-looney boycott of Ford Motors is back on, man. The AFA's spokesbigot is quoted as a saying "It's a ~~jihad~~ culture war." Bring it.

Update: Six Soulforce members were arrested at Regent, but interestingly eight students made a point of crossing the barriers to join the protestors in "Christian fellowship," despite Robertson's wishes.

Sports Minute

2006-03-13T13:56:00.000Z

The ACC may have been dissed by the NCAA tournament selection committee, but the expanded NIT has room for many a team that didn't make it to the big dance. And guess what, Ben? The UVa Cavaliers (who won the tourney in 1991) play your Stanford Trees (1992 champs) tomorrow night in the first round. Princeton, alas, gets no love. Among other local DC teams in post-season action, the Terps will get a first-round NIT bye then face off Saturday against the winner of the Manhattan - Fairleigh Dickinson game. There's a clash of titans for you.

Hmm, isn't it lacrosse season yet?

World of Gaycraft

2006-03-11T12:21:00.000Z

The WaPo looks at the "little known subculture" of gay online gamers. The story comes on the heels of a mini-scandal over discrimination at Blizzard, the company behind the hugely popular "MMO" game World of Warcraft, and the growing popularity of support sites like gaymer.org. The story contains this vignette:

Kevin VanOrd, who works at a tech company in Chantilly and lives in Columbia, was incredulous. He plays "WoW," too -- and his live-in boyfriend of two years is practically cemented to the game. Upon entering their two-bedroom apartment, the first thing you see is a PC to your left and another PC to your right. On a recent Saturday afternoon, both were logged on to "WoW."

The boys report their astonishment that the politics of gay identity followed them into their escapist realm. Said VanOrd: "The gaming community is so accepting of elves and fairies, trolls and ogres. But you can't get them to be accepting of gay people right here in the gaming world." Alas.

Four Minutes over Washington

2006-03-10T16:43:00.000Z

CNET explores the curious deletion of public testimony about Washington, DC's continuing vulnerability to terror attack from the skies. First reported by Aviation ~~Leak~~ Week, commenters can't decide whether statements by a Navy F-18 pilot at the recent hearing near Dulles were removed because they revealed "operational security concerns" or because he criticized the gov'mint. Because we all know if you publicize the Bush administration's illegal and incompetent efforts to fight terrorism, you're only giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

Ringing Down the Curtain

2006-03-09T19:03:00.000Z

With the Nats baseball stadium in Southeast finally a "done deal," the O Street gay businesses are beginning to close. Yet there looks to be at least one last chance to take in the sights: According to MW, one co-owner of the Ziegfeld's/Secrets "insisted Tuesday that the show would go on for at least one more weekend":

"We'll be open this weekend," he said. "We'll be hearing something pretty shortly, but it's not going to happen that fast. None of us has gotten an eviction notice yet. We're good to go."

I'd say this calls for a last hurrah. See you there? (Sorry Ben, since you can't be there I'll tip a go-go boy for ya.)

Update: The Blade has coverage of judicial evictions issued March 10th, noting a temporary reprieve to the O Street clubs.

Inside the P.C. Vortex

2006-03-08T21:56:00.000Z

What do you get when you appoint a woman to a state anti-discrimination panel who turns out to be a senior Nation of Islam member who publicly embraces Louis Farrakhan's hatred of "Hollywood Jews" and homosexuals? Nothing good.

Assimilation

2006-03-07T16:15:00.000Z

I know, I know. I've bought an iPod and I've stopped caring about TiVo. Standing on principle can be hard. But for those who still think it matters, Verizon Wireless will soon let you program your TiVo from your mobile phone.

Net Nannies

2006-03-07T16:05:00.000Z

B'haus readers with kids may be few and far between, and those may have yet to face the question raised by this WaPo op-ed: Where should a good parent draw the line on monitoring their children on the Internets?

One mother told me she discreetly checks the p0rn sites in her teenage son's history folder to make certain they're not too extreme. I cringed, too, but her approach may be realistic; teenage boys will be teenage boys, and they're not just looking at centerfolds these days.

(Would gay.com count as "extreme," I wonder?) The author seemed particularly keen on tracking her kids' instant messages. Okay, the rest of you can now go back to worrying about what their spouses/significant others are surfing. Or in Ben's case, worrying about his bosses blocking access at the office.

Slamdunk

2006-03-06T16:23:00.000Z

Law schools lose their case for barring military recruiters in protest of Don't Ask-Don't Tell. Roberts wrote the opinion, but it was unanimous. Initial legal analysis here.

Hollywood Letdown

2006-03-06T16:01:00.000Z

I agree with a lot of critics -- linked by Andy Towle -- who think that Crash won because it was the less discomfiting choice for straight liberals. It also felt like a very insider-LA movie that would appeal to industry people. CT commented how ridiculous it was that Brokeback Mountain won for everything except acting. Mostly I'm just disapponted because the Best Picture Oscar® would have encouraged more holdouts to see the film. (Because if it's not that great, they'd just as soon not.) Honestly, after all the puerile gay-cowboy jokes from the less-than-impressive Jon Stewart, I think the Academy owed it to us.

P.S. On a related note, I'm annoyed that Netflix's award listings show only past winners, not nominees.

Taxi Politics

2006-03-06T15:14:00.000Z

As despicable as I think most DC cab drivers are, the local law prohibiting non-residents from registering cabs in can't possibly be constitutional. I'll chalk it up to some nefarious collusion between Washington taxi drivers and their would-be regulators.

Can You Hear Me Now?

2006-03-06T00:11:00.000Z

Just what DC needs: another NPR outlet. This time, a Baltimore version may soon be drowning out the last local college station on the air, Maryland's WMUC 88.1. Maybe some of the indie station's vaunted alums, like Connie Chung and The Boondocks creator will rally to their cause and save the day?

"When I got saved, God became my art agent"

2006-03-05T12:40:00.000Z

The LATimes, which can generally be counted on to be a bit more culturally relevant than the New York version, takes a look at the dark side of the Painter of Light™. Some claim Christianist portraiteur Thomas Kinkade -- a one-man art empire born in Sacramento -- is actually a ruthless businessman who drives franchisees to financial ruin while "fattening his business associates' bank accounts and feathering his nest with tens of millions of dollars."

The scrutiny comes as fallout after his company recently lost an arbitration to two Virginia dealers, who claimed Kinkade manipulated their religious beliefs to convince them to invest. Stores the couple opened in Charlottesville and Fredericksburg turned out to be financial disasters. Said one dealer: call it "Enron with a Christian twist." Franchisees claim they were undercut by sales to deep discounters like Tuesday Morning, and some even allege that Kinkade -- the nation's self-proclaimed most-collected living artist -- no longer paints the works himself.

The attraction of Kinkade's art always escaped me. Joan Didion said it best, describing scenes that depict "such insistent coziness as to seem actually sinister, suggestive of a trap designed to attract Hanzel and Gretel." Sounds like his business practices may follow suit.

Sign of the Times

2006-03-03T20:03:00.000Z

I'm amused when the New York Times weighs in with a story explaining a pop culture phenomenon so that the elite readers who don't watch basic cable or visit YouTube can understand the trend. Such is the case with this week's NYT coverage of Project Runway and Brokeback Mountain parody trailers, employing the let's-treat-this-subject-like-an-object-from-outer-space style of reporting. Brokeback to the Future was quite enjoyable, but you're scraping the bottom of the barrel if you have to turn to the Swayze-Keanu pairing. And if the Times starts writing about it? Yeah, the trend is dunzo.

The late-in-the-game critique of Project Runway seemed off the mark. It didn't seem to recognize any of the fun or joy the show has...relying on a weak comparison to Survivor doesn't do PR justice. And just exactly what does the author mean when he says "The nationwide searches on American Idol have yet to yield the new Aretha Franklin." Why would we search for an aging, obese, embarrassment-at-the-Superbowl? I'm thinking that their allusions need some updating.

And speaking of finding fault with the NYT, I found today's travel feature on 36 hours in SOMA to be bit predictable. The recommendations are mainly for tried-and-true spots or new places with a high profile. Maybe I'm just smarting because the feature gives away the secret of two of my favorite places for weekend brunch in San Francisco: Town's End Restaurant and Yank Sing (although, for some reason, the NYT calls it "Rincon Center," which is its location, not the name of the restaurant known for dim sum).

Maebe? Surely!

2006-03-03T05:05:00.000Z

The tired old rumor that Showtime is bringing back Arrested Development has been making the rounds again. And, in fact, TV Tattle reports that someone says the resurrection is official:

"Speaking yesterday on the radio, San Francisco Chronicle TV critic Tim Goodman seemed to confirm the rumors, saying Showtime will make official a 26-episode, two-year deal any day now (click here to listen). Goodman was the first to float a possible Showtime/'Arrested' deal back in November. He said on the KFOG morning show: 'Everybody in the business already knows that this has been a done deal ... Showtime did pick up 'Arrested Development' for 26 episodes, two seasons at 13 each. And so it's great to see that.' He also said he anticipates the deal including all the Fox episodes."

No word on whether he got his information from Defamer or not. 'm not a fan of Goodman's columns, particularly the top five lists with which he ends his pieces. And still haven't forgiven him for rebuking his weekly appearance on the Alice@97.3 morning show. In any case, I'm not putting much confidence in the statement he has made.

But even more than that, I don't want it to be true. After going through the five stages of grief, I'm at peace with Arrested going out with a finale that wrapped up storylines that spanned seasons and brought back familiar faces (although no Steve Holt or Lucille Two? A travesty!) I'm content to walk away now with my fond memories and a DVD set for the third season. Can anyone convince me that I'm wrong not want more?

Forgotten Rock Liberals

2006-02-28T06:55:00.000Z

This column about "South Park Conservatives" in Australia, linked by Drew, includes the following vignette to explain "Labor's critical failing" to recruit younger voters over the last decade:

During the 2004 election, some within Labor expressed the deluded hope that recruiting rock star Peter Garrett to stand as a Labor MP would appeal to young people, but Labor's Nicola Roxon disagreed. "We have to remember he was a hero when we were younger, so we think he has youth appeal, and it's true, to some extent, he does, but if you asked a 19-year-old, they might not even know who Midnight Oil was. He recently came to speak at a function for me, and he was fabulous, but the people who wanted to come were 40 and 50-year-old men. He gave a very passionate and interesting speech, and people were really engaged, so that really is our key. We've got a perfectly good message, if people listen to it."

Oh, man, Midnight Oil! What a blast from the past. In college the eco-punk rockers from Down Under were one of my favorite bands. In the banner year of 1990, a hit MTV video for "Blue Sky Mine" got me researching asbestosis in West Aussie immigrant miners, their agitprop concert outside of the Exxon building impressed, and I even wrangled my way out of a final exam to see their Philly show. BSM was an excellent album, the middle release of three great discs, but their more recent material didn't win me over. The band broke up in 2002, and it sounds like Australian youth has moved on as well.

ICUType

2006-02-27T14:52:00.000Z

The NYTimes reports that keylogging is the new phishing. Trojans that rely on infection rather than deception, this growing form of "crimeware" silently copies the keystrokes of computer users and sends that information over the Internet -- often overseas -- to their masters. The programs -- installed from downloads or sometimes merely by websurfing -- filter your data for bank passwords and other financial information. Security specialists are calling them "the wave of the future."

Meanwhile, Microsoft has announced that the next version of Windows will track Web sites visited by users. Windows Live Family Safety Settings, which also includes net filtering features, is intended to let parents monitor their kids' surfing, but then who knows what other uses could be found for the software.

Not that criminals and Microsoft are alone, of course. News of the government's attempts to get at Google search data has lots of people thinking about whether innocuous searches could get them in hot water. According to a NYTimes story, one woman felt it necessary to confess to her boyfriend that she searched for the term "rent boy" after seeing the unfamiliar term in a news story. Another observer noted:

When you're researching something ... and you look up the word "circumcision," you're going to end up with all kinds of pictures of naked children," he said. "And that can be misconstrued.

God knows what the government would think if you are foolish enough to blog about such things!

Life Takes Hotties

2006-02-26T23:30:00.000Z

Visa's new ad campaign -- launched during the SuperBowl and currently promoted on bus shelters all over DC -- features many vignettes of "little universal truth moments" and one very adorkable boy with gymnastic skills.

Tai Shan Who?

2006-02-26T22:43:00.000Z

Congrats to Catherine and Tom for defeating the anti-Butterstick name snobs at the National Zoo. The Post confirmed today that official zoo publications are conceding DC's panda cub's semi-official nickname. There was even oblique mention in the WaPo of "blogger friends" who helped campaign for the name. I couldn't be prouder of our little monster.

Photo courtesy of Brian @ Flickr.com.

Overexposed

2006-02-23T14:19:00.000Z

Sure it was fun getting quoted in Express a couple of times last year, but I never expected this kind of trouble from a Creative Commons license. Ugh.

P.S. For the record, it was someone else's wedding.

Mashup Winners

2006-02-22T17:41:00.000Z

In the theme of WAP-enabled bus schedules, Chrisafer passed along this site which shows you how to get the arrival time of the next Metro train via SMS. Turns out the concept was a runner-up at MashupCamp, where the winning idea was PodBop, an RSS-friendly website that tells you what concerts are upcoming in your area, and includes links to free mp3s from the bands. Should make a nifty new addition to my Kinja.

If Nobody Is Watching, Does the Pronunciation Matter?

2006-02-21T17:50:00.000Z

Some say Turin. Others say Torino. But if the viewing public is watching American Idol, instead of the winter games, does it really matter?

The vote is in, America, and you've chosen Randy, Paula and Simon over Bode and Jeremy and Johnny (no matter what NBC may claim). After sitting out the last two seasons, I'm back on the Idol bandwagon. Perhaps it's because I am harboring singing fantasies of my own. But clearly, I'm not the only one back on the bandwagon.

For the record, based on asthetics alone, I'm voting for Chris Daughtry.

Confidential to W. Hung: Being the house band for Mock Trial with J. Reinhold was the best career move you could ever have made. Bravo!

It Won't Make Any Difference

2006-02-21T12:32:00.000Z

Virginia voters will now likely see the entire text of the state's anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment, rather than just a vague and misleading synopsis. If they care to read it, they will see that it outlaws civil unions and domestic partnerships, not "just" same-sex marriage. Gay groups call this a victory, but ban supporters actually agreed with the change. In the end, it won't matter: I predict the measure will still pass by a landslide. See you in November.

Like a pint of Haagen-Dazs

2006-02-20T19:05:00.000Z

The WaPo observes the cultural phenomenon/"low-entry luxury good" that is the Moleskine notebook. For the record, I've been using mine as a work journal since last June. (Click photo for Flickr.)

Transportation Thursday

2006-02-16T15:58:00.000Z

With the horrendous suburban traffic in the news, the Beav would like do its part to promote mass transit. Check out this nifty little website which explains how you can quickly look-up Metrobus schedules from any WAP-enabled cell phone. It even calculates the next 4 arrivals based on your route and the current time. Now anyone can take public transport.

Embarrassments

2006-02-16T15:33:00.000Z

Marion Barry is to DC as _____ is to Maryland? My nominee: State Comptroller, former Baltimore mayor/Governor and dirty old man, William Donald Schaefer.

There may be the genesis of a reality show here: Elders Gone Wild.

They Killed Your TiVo

2006-02-15T16:54:00.000Z

Following the theme of the last post, here's more proof that powers-that-be (even in America) strongly favor limits on technological freedoms: Gizmodo reports that HBO wants the FCC to bless its "CopyNever" practice, which would prevent DVRs from ever recording its shows. Rumors have also surfaced that Fox has deployed a system to prevent certain DVR users from fast-forwarding through commercials during 24 and American Idol. Don't the networks realize that this kind of idiocy only pushes us all over to BitTorrent?

Censor You, Censor Me

2006-02-15T15:07:00.000Z

Alarmed by companies' willingness to bow to Chinese government wishes, a Republican congressman from New Jersey wants to make it illegal for Yahoo and Google to censor the results of Internet searches. But the law would only apply to searching for certain political or religious terms, presumably those favored by Rep. Chris Smith. By not extending the law to cover any searches -- e.g., for sex or gambling or other topics controversial in the U.S. -- Mr. Smith is merely proving the Chinese government's point: that Western countries also outlaw "harmful" and "illegal" information on the Internet and that Beijing's practices are "completely consistent with international practices."

Oh God, Another Set-Top Box!

2006-02-14T15:18:00.000Z

Move over Netflix, having to walk to your mailbox for movies is so 2005. A Disney subsidiary called MovieBeam can send you up to 10 movies weekly by piggybacking on over-the-air TV signals from your local PBS broadcaster.* It stores up to 100 titles for later playback. The only cost is $200 for the box, plus the "rental" fee for watching a downloaded movie. (Yay, no subscription fees!) The kicker is that some titles are available in high-def, beating those confusing HD-DVD players to the U.S. market by months. Considering this is really just a variation on the whole TiVo theme, I'd like to know when this same technology will be coming to the boxes already in our living rooms. (After all, I'm running out of HD inputs to my TV set.)

* Available now in DC. Sacramento maybe later?

Forecast for Hell: Chilly

2006-02-13T18:30:00.000Z

Not freezing yet, but considering a bill to ban indoor smoking in public accomodations just passed the Virginia Senate, a cold wave must be approaching.

Va. Senate Hearing on Discrimination Gets Testy

2006-02-09T18:32:00.000Z

Legislators traded barbs with each other and witnesses yesterday as a Senate panel killed jobs protection for gays in Virginia state and local government, including (!) public schools.

A Baptist leader who testified against the bill got chewed out by Norfolk's Yvonne Miller, who alluded to his church's support for slavery. In response, the bigot brigadier snapped "I don't think you, Senator Miller, were ever personally a slave." The bill's Portsmouth-based patron also questioned the motive behind those voting against the bill, calling it "just a bias against homosexuals."

The Richmond paper noted that an association of municipal governments actually supported the bill, and in the end it was a close vote. Beav favorite maverick Republican and golden retriever fan Russell Potts co-sponsored the legislation, and one of the votes in favor actually came from a Northern Virginia Republican. I guess that's progress of a sort in GOP-happy Virginia.

Can You Keep a Secrets?

2006-02-08T18:44:00.000Z

With news that Major League Baseball will probably accept last night's frantic machinations to approve the resurrected stadium lease, groundbreaking could be imminent. (Commenters are discounting a last-ditch effort at an anti-stadium referendum.) We may even see team ownership chosen and a ballpark design unveiled.

Meanwhile, land ownership in the footprint has already transferred to the District. O Street gay businesses are merely awaiting a judge's order on the city's eviction request. In a blow to Secrets, Ziegfield's, Heat and the rest, Jim Graham has had to withdraw his defective bill to aid their relocation. Apparently the Congressionally-drafted city charter gives such power solely to the D.C. Zoning Commission, not the Council. Curiously enough, one of the five members appears to be our neighbor across the street. Looks like I'm gonna have to have a chat with our friend Kevin.

Update: The DCist has further info, putting clearing operations on the ground around March 1st.

In the Nation's Service

2006-02-08T14:11:00.000Z

My college roomie Rob, a Colorado real estate magnate, tipped me off to local news about our erstwhile classmate James Hogue, one of mama Princeton's more noteworthy offspring. (Back then, we knew the "serial imposter" as Alexi Indris Santana. Hogue applied for college at age 29, presenting himself as a self-taught ranch hand, and became a track star, stellar student and member of the prestigious Ivy Club before being exposed. Later the New Yorker profiled him and Cinemax did a documentary.) Looks like he's back in the news and naturally it's not for his humanitarian pursuits.

Take Action Now

2006-02-08T11:37:00.000Z

The ever helpful bigots at the American Family Association inform us that the newly redubbed "Marriage Protection Amendment" will be presented for a Senate vote early next month. So after taking a year off, we can look forward to a possible re-run of the nasty election-year fight from July 2004. What would Mike Rogers do?

Buzzed Kill

2006-02-07T16:13:00.000Z

Take heart, Ben. While your favorite namesake, hirsute Pittsburgh QB and Superbowl winner Ben Roethlisberger has been shorn, he can always grow the beard back.

How's Beardster coming along?

Wild & Wonderful West Virginia?

2006-02-07T16:05:00.000Z

Avenue, that is. The Blade is reporting that Bob Siegel, the purveyor of gay bawdiness down in the footprint of the might-could-be baseball stadium, may relocate to a warehouse in the Northeast neighborhood of Ivy City. The run-down industrial area north of Gallaudet is near a NoFlo site once suggested by this very blog.

As could have been expected, potential neighbors reacted in anger and outrage against Siegel's adult businesses. At a rowdy community meeting, a "youth counselor" denouced the plans, saying "I do not want my youngsters to be exposed to nakedness and bestiality!" (Damn, how'd I miss out on the bestiality, last time I was at Secrets?)

It may not make a lot of difference what the locals think, if the Council passes a law proposed by Jim Graham which would allow at least some displaced businesses to move to any other industrial-zoned location in the city. By the way, anyone else notice that the February 3rd deadline for stadium evictions passed quietly last Friday without event?

Shameless

2006-02-06T12:52:00.000Z

Sure it's pandering, but commenters wanted more Saffy photos. Here they are. (Plus another from a fan.)

Blame Loki

2006-02-02T14:39:00.000Z

Someone equally mischievous has been "vandalizing" Wikipedia entries about United States congressmen, adding bogus information to the open source encylcopedia. According to a WSJ article,

Someone altered the Wikipedia entry on Sen. Tom Coburn to say that the Oklahoma Republican was voted "most annoying senator" by his peers and used a vulgar term to explain why. An attack on Sen. Robert Byrd added text stating that the West Virginia Democrat, the oldest senator, is "180 years old."

Given the nature of wikis, political supporters were quickly able to fix the errors, and no prolonged "editwar" ensued. The kicker: IP address logs reveal that the pranksters accessed the Wikipedia from within the Senate's own computer network. Said founder Jimmy Wales, "we would hope the House and the Senate would conduct themselves with a little more decorum." Haven't people learned that everything they do on the Internet is being watched?

Update: The Post delves deeper and also reports that the Wiki gurus have blacklisted would-be Capitol Hill editors.

Geek Synergy

2006-01-30T21:37:00.000Z

CNet wonders if Cisco Systems, which recently acquired two big home electronics companies, might be poised to buy TiVo.

The "news analysis" -- which suggests SlingMedia and Nintendo as other possible targets -- seems based on rank speculation. (The indirect quotes come from an unnamed source "familiar" with both companies who says nothing more interesting than that he sees "potential.") TiVolutionaries have long sought a white knight to save the company from its own mismanagement, but I just don't see it coming from Cisco.

Looking at Cisco's past acquisitions, their own strategy seems rather confused. While home networking leader Linksys does make direct-to-geek products (much like TiVo), corporate-minded cable box maker Scientific-Atlanta has never sold a box directly to the consumer. Of all the choices, I see the SlingBox maker as the most natural fit, although their underground content-sharing cred would not be welcomed by big providers, be they cable companies or network producers.

Update: In another head-scratcher, the NYPost says Google may buy Napster.

Update 2: As noted in the comments, hotshot Sling Media selected the folks behind Dish TV to fund their next big expansion. Go figger.

Life Changing

2006-01-29T21:48:00.000Z

I sit here at the office on a dreary Sunday, transfixed by puppy cam pics of the newest addition to our family.

Eight-week-old Saffy the golden retriever -- eighth-born of a litter of ten -- is a gorgeous light blonde ball of fluff and fun. She's the sweetest thing, wanting nothing more than to curl up next to her dads. Already I can see: Things will never be the same around the old rowhouse.

Eye Poppping

2006-01-27T23:57:00.000Z

He may be constantly mugging for the camera, but I have to say that I liked Andrae Gonzalo's design best of all on this week's Project Runway. I'm really pleased that the new season of the show is generating so much heat online, and should give most of the credit for that to the exhaustive posting being done at Blogging Project Runway site. But the Bravo website has been doing a good job of giving us more Tim Gunn, which is always a good thing. For the record, I announce my prediction that the final three will be Nick, Daniel V and Chloe.

Meanwhile, next month Bravo will bring us up to date on the winner of last year's PR with a special called Project Jay. Not only will we follow Jay McCarroll on his post-win journey, but we'll also see Jay interview the always-delightful Wendy Pepper about her divorce. I'm getting shivers, people!

Savage Love

2006-01-27T19:31:00.000Z

Was it unclear to anyone else that Fred Savage's character on his new sitcom, Crumbs is gay? Well, rest assured that the Wonder Years (and Stanford) alum is well-prepared to play the character's homosexuality. You see, USA Today reports that Savage and his wife live in West Hollywood, and have been to the cafe-cum-bar-cum-club (heh...cum club) The Abbey "several times with gay friends."

Several times! Somebody call GLAAD and get this man an award, stat!

Citizen Kaine

2006-01-27T14:52:00.000Z

We seem to have our first evidence that newly inaugurated Gov. Tim Kaine has more balls that his predecessor to stand up to Virginia's homophobes. In a radio program yesterday, he said he believes the proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage "goes too far."

Of course, the governor can't stop the referendum. Importantly, however, he will have an opportunity to revise the explanation of the measure that will appear on the ballot this fall. The current implementing bill is downright disingenuous: It fails to explain that the amendment prohibits the state from recognizing any "legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that approximate" any aspect of marriage.

The typical groups are already mobilizing to lobby over these "technicalities," but I'm beginning to think Kaine's own conscience will guide him to the right decision. Unfortunately, come November, Virginia's voters will likely prove too ignorant to care.

Wait, Is that Brian or Greg?

2006-01-27T03:37:00.000Z

Who cares? The only thing better than reality TV crushes is when they break into acting and show up still looking fine in a series of random Bud Light commercials. Also, check out Brian Smith's lavishly self-promoting website here. (I guess headshots don't cut it any more.)

The hot brothers, the WeHo queens, Rob & Amber, the beauty queen engaged to the POW -- and the black couple wins! Man, TAR 7 was the last good season of The Amazing Race. Screw that Family Edition mess.

On a related note, anyone else spot Richard "Reichen" Lehmkuhl modeling rugby gear (and mud) in the Bruce Weber spread in the February GQ?

Alma Mater Technologiae

2006-01-23T21:54:00.000Z

Hey Ben: According to this WSJ article, Stanford has finally overtaken Princeton in terms of overall endowment, spurred by easy returns in Silicon Valley venture funds. [Limited free link here.] The Journal tuts about the social ramifications:

Stanford's achievement illustrates a great divide in higher education that may only grow wider. Elite schools, already among the nation's richest charitable institutions, are now increasingly able to pair stellar investment returns and wealthy alumni to build war chests that enable them to hire away top professors and give the most generous financial-aid packages to coveted students. The big risk: The college education available to most in the U.S. could end up weaker, especially in relative terms.

Of course, the study only measured total funds, not per student, where Princeton presumably still reigns supreme. Guess the Cardinal didn't need your money after all.

Certifiable

2006-01-23T21:09:00.000Z

Hizzah to Sen. Russell Potts -- chairman of a Virginia General Assembly committee -- for killing a right-wing-backed bill that would have prohibited officials from listing two unmarried persons as adoptive parents on birth certificates issued by the state. (Potts is the moderate Republican who ran as an independent in the Virginia's 2005 gubernatorial race won by Democrat Tim Kaine.) In similar news, gay-baiting über-Catholic Del. Bob Marshall lost his bid to prohibit assistive reproduction for unmarried persons in the Commonwealth.

Maybe our legislators do feel a little bad about their unabashed rush to enshrine the nation's harshest SuperDOMA in the state constitution.

Most Popular Searches

2006-01-19T14:48:00.000Z

The San Jose Mercury-News reports that the Bush Administration has supoenaed Google to turn over "1 million random Web addresses and records of all Google searches from any one-week period."

The reason: the Feds say they need the data to defend the constitutionality of the Child Online Protection Act, which was struck down in 2004 because it was too broad and would prevent adults from reaching legitimate p0rn sites. The government wants to prove that Web users often encounter online p0rn and that many innocent searches turn up material they say is "harmful to minors.''

While Google is fighting the subpoena, citing the privacy of its users, one wonders how long they can hold out.

football and facial follicles

2006-01-19T00:22:00.000Z

Last spring, I blogged on a report from the New York Times Style section on their assertion that beards were becoming trendy. However, somebody forgot to send that memo to the Sports section, whose staff seems entirely hung up on the fact that NFL quarterbacks Jake Plummer and Ben Roethlisberger wear full beards.

I'm not quite sure what makes the Times so uncomfortable or consider it so unusual for an athlete to have facial hair. The Denver Post and Chicago Tribune wrote about Plummer's beard too, but without the same kind of creature-from-another-planet angle that the Times loves to adopt.

Billboards Gone Wild

2006-01-17T18:00:00.000Z

Four ASU fratboys are offering their bodies as billboards on eBay to finance their Spring Break in Mexico. (See auction no. 5655452568.)

Wouldn't it be fun to round up some investors and pay them to sell something discomforting -- say Brokeback Mountain or lube? Unfortunately, the foursome are college swimmers, so there's not much advertising space between the lot of 'em.

Mothers, Don't Let Your Children Be Bloggers

2006-01-17T15:57:00.000Z

Citing the posting of "inappropriate material," Sidwell Friends School (Chelsea Clinton's alma mater) here in the District has now prohibited its students from registering for Facebook.com, according to the Washington Post. Stories posted online aren't always improper but they can be "unwise." Said one high school administrator:

Besides the most obvious danger -- adult stalkers enticing teenagers into face-to-face meetings -- personal information posted online can also be read by college admissions officers and future employers.

Looks like the MySpace generation is learning the crucial difference between having the right to free speech and the judgment to say the right thing.

P.S. Speaking of revealing secrets, Jamie linked me to this U.K. story about a parrot ratting out its master's girlfriend for conducting illicit affairs in their apartment. See? Technology doesn't create new problems; it just repackages old ones.

I'd Vote For Him

2006-01-16T13:33:00.000Z

The joke about the French starting their own search engine called Quaero was funny, but my favorite part of SNL's Weekend Update this Saturday was adorkable nerd and "breakout star" Andy Samberg campaigning to be spokesperson for "shaggy hair dudes" everywhere. Jimmy Fallon who?

LA & DC: Sittin' in a Tree...

2006-01-15T16:43:00.000Z

The other day I commented to Jamie that the NYTimes had fallen to no higher than third best newspaper in the country. This is because the Washington Post and the LATimes provide consistently better overall content. (The only place the Gray Lady retains some edge is in obscure overseas coverage, although not necessarily the hot spots, where LA's paper is often excellent.)

Apparently, there's some mutual admiration going on between these two top contenders. Two weeks after the WaPo praised the rebuilding of downtown Los Angeles, the complement is returned in today's LAT. Catching up on the recent reversal of D.C.'s munincipal fortunes, they says going from "District of Calamities" to "urban juggernaut" in ten years ain't too bad.

Thanks for noticing, L.A. We like you too.

Exit 8 University

2006-01-13T17:40:00.000Z

Jake Tapper -- covering the brouhaha over Alito's membership in CAP -- shows some anti-Princeton bigotry of his own, using the nomenclature cited above in his ABC blog. I guess it should come as no wonder: he graduated from Dartmouth after all. (Class of '91 represent!)

Let's Just Cancel the Declaration of Independence

2006-01-12T14:26:00.000Z

I had missed, back in December when civil unions became legal in Britain, that one of the commentators editorializing in favor of the new law was Prime Minister Tony Blair. (As if there was nothing to cover besides Elton John's nuptuals.)

Meanwhile, yesterday, a committee of the Virginia legislature reported out the state's constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the very first day of the 2006 session. (The resolution, which enshrines an already-existing SuperDOMA in the state's charter, was approved last year but needs consecutive authorizations to go to the voters in November.)

It's a Mac World

2006-01-11T14:56:00.000Z

Not literally, of course, but the appearance of Intel chief Paul Otellini at Steve Job's lovefest yesterday -- wearing a bunny suit no less -- shows why people pay attention to the company. Apple also unveiled an advertising campaign highlighting that Intel's processors have now been "freed" from being "trapped inside PCs -- dull little boxes -- performing dull little tasks." The LATimes thinks the show was a subtle(?) signal to Intel's traditional PC partners that they need to innovate more.

MyFoxSpace

2006-01-10T20:47:00.000Z

To those of us in the Friendster generation, MySpace is the sandbox where Generation Y plays. (Just experiencing at all those godawful sound, video and color customizations makes my head hurt.) And that sandbox belongs to Aussie media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who now says he intends to turn it into a Yahoo/Google competitor for the 12- to 24-year-old set.

According to the WSJ, upgrades will soon permit users to post and share even more videos, will overhaul the all-important instant messaging, and add a Net phone service. Said Murdoch:

The portal model is in danger of becoming out of date. Young people know exactly what sites they want to go to, and they go there. They don't have to work their way through Yahoo or MSN's home page.

You know, there's something just a bit unsavory about the way that man goes trolling for kids on the Internet, but alas, he's good at it, and he's not alone.

Norfolk: We're TsunamiReady!

2006-01-10T14:01:00.000Z

Maybe they think it's a better tourist slogan than "Life. Lived Daily," but for whatever reason, the sheltered harbor city will be recognized January 24th by federal officials as the first sizable East Coast community to meet seismic sea wave standards. (A TsunamiReady community must have disaster training for workers and residents and install special warning and instruction signs in vulnerable areas.)

Apparently, the slight tsunami-generating risks in the Atlantic have more to do with landslides (and asteroid strikes) than earthquakes, but you can't be too cautious, can you? (Especially when federal money is concerned.)