The Financial Times is reporting that the decision on gay marriage in Massachusetts could be just hours away:

Massachusetts could become the first US state to grant full marriage privileges to homosexual couples, raising the stakes in an issue that has caused bitter division across the country and increasing the likelihood of a national ruling on same-sex marriage.

The state's Supreme Court is expected to hand down a decision as soon as Monday on gay and lesbian marriage.

The Massachusetts lawsuit involves seven couples, who sued the state because their applications for marriage licences were denied. They claim this violates sections of the state's constitution that outlaw discrimination.

Several similar cases have been presented across the country, but have not made it to the state Supreme Court level.

The legalisation of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts would accelerate the issue's movement to the US Supreme Court, say advocates and opponents of gay marriage, because same-sex couples from around the country would be able to marry in Massachusetts, and then request a marriage licence from their home state.

Buckle your seatbelts . . .

Now here's an interesting poll. Robert has hit on a great idea, at least to Salonistas like me: a poll of who Salon bloggers are backing for president. He apparently went to considerable effort to track down the hundred highest-ranked Salon blogs, plus every other he saw popping up, for a total of 145, and about half responded.

Results are in today. Highlights:

Dean trounced the rest of the eight Democratic candidates with 29 votes, or 40.3 percent.

In second place was Kerry, whose 14 votes gave him 19.4 percent. Dennis Kucinich came in at third place, with eight votes, or 11.1 percent.

“President” Bush got two votes, for 2.8 percent. Edwards got only one vote, for 1.4 percent.

The rest of the Democratic contenders -- Braun, Gephardt, Graham, Lieberman and Sharpton -- received no votes at all.

He's got lots more data, and more analysis, which is pretty interesting.

He's a big Kerry man at the moment, and I think his prediction that most of the undecideds will move to Kerry's camp is wildly wishful thinking. But see what he has to say and decide for yourself. And I bet he'll poll again and we'll find out. If I'm wrong, I'll admit it here. (Though if Dean shoots himself in the foot and a shift to Kerry mirrors a shift in the wider electorate, I'll note that too. That's the only way I see that scenario playing out.)

(And by the way, I was planning to link to his results regardless of whether my fave Dean won or lost. I was just happy he did so well.)

Reichen sure got a lot hotter since he left the  Air Force Academy.

Thanks to the boys at eDodo for posting the pic--along with some highly unflattering commentary. (Wise choice to get the ears pinned back, no disagreeing on that. But some people just need to grow up into their looks. My college photos are like kryponite to me. I'd wager Reichen looks a hell of a lot better than most '96 grads. Go easy on the guy.)

EDodo is the underground website dedicated exclusively to the Air Force Academy, by former Academy cadets, for former and current Academy cadets, banned by the Academy. (It has actually created a firewall preventing cadets from accessing the site through any Academy line. Of course they recruit incredibly smart little bastards, and rumor has it many have maneuvered their way around it.)

The eDodos were even more brutal than I expected about Reichen. You'll find the (slightly larger) picture and a more complete commentary under the "Strivers and Losers" category of its Folklore section. Nice, guys.

There are only a handful of posts on Reichen--not a word on what's gone on on The Amazing Race--but this anonymous posting is typical of what you'll find at eDodo (though it's rarely anonymous):

I knew(not in the Biblical sense) this dude at the zoo. He was known as a possible closet queen. Rumors of goings on with another dude in Raging Bull 6, Capehart. Running around the halls naked as a firstie, etc. Of all the cadets I knew definitely the "most likely to be gay."

I must admit though, someone there named Clamboy Vinyl has a pretty trenchant analysis of the yearbook comments. I bet at least one of these is dead on:

It was all foretold in his little yearbook blurb:
"Jay, thanks for taking risks with me" - indeed.

"The Kook, thanks for your energy...in [all] those different ways" - OK, who remembers someone known as 'the Kook'? Energy in 'all those different ways' so I'm thinking, doggy style, reverse cowboy, 69, lucky Pierre, and who knows what else.

"Jerry, we'll meet again someday" - probably in the Castro or the Village, I'll be wearing the cowboy hat and the cowhide thong.

"Rachel, never forget the good times" - if that isn't a 'it's not you, it's me, see, I'm gay so I'm leaving you' line, I don't know what is.


Not that there's anything wrong with it.

Enter eDodo at your own risk: they'll eat you alive.  Seriously.