Polipundit does some math. Five Dems have announced they would not support a filibuster, which means (assuming all Republicans vote against a filibuster) there are 60 votes to close debate.

Posted by: Ace at 09:03 AM | Comments (15)
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Whereas men view kissing as a "duty and obligation."

Wow. Another study that really sheds light on this crazy world of ours.

The survey also revealed that a long kiss can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

For crying out loud. ANY pleasurable activity reduces blood pressure.

Next up: Study says a "really good backrub" can relieve stress, especially in a region of the body researchers term "the back."

Thanks to Allah, whose sex stories are like catnip to me.

Posted by: Ace at 08:44 AM | Comments (85)
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It's about frickin' time.

In a scene from "Bear-Assed Debutantes,"
pool cleaner Chuang Chuang discovers
naughty housewife Lin Hui sunbathing in
the nude.

After Thailand's most popular animal couple failed to mate, zoo officials are gearing up for plan B -- a DVD they hope will get Chuang Chuang and Lin Hui in the mood for love.

The pandas' first mating season -- a three-day window -- came last week. Despite a widely-publicized encounter between Chuang Chuang, a 6-year-old male, and 5-year-old Lin Hui, the mating apparently was unsuccessful.

Zoo administrator Prasertsak Puttrakul, who leads a team taking care of the pandas, noted they tend to live in isolation in the wild, and do not witness other pandas mating.

...

Because of that, Prasertsak has prepared a DVD of pandas having sexual intercourse to show the couple, hoping the demonstration -- call it panda porn -- will inspire them to make a love connection.

Little hint? Make Lin Hui wear braces.

I don't know. Is a species that can't even rouse itself for a bit of the old Yogi & Boo-Boo really worth saving?

Thanks to Allah.

And... Thanks to Pupster for the Panda Sutra title.

Posted by: Ace at 08:26 AM | Comments (34)
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Asked how much it would cost to build a new one and wrote out a check on the spot.

I like Denzel. I really appreciated his Cheneyesque crimefighting techniques in Training Day. And also his kidnap & ransom skills in Man On Fire. Sticking a bomb up a guy's ass... nice.

Thanks to Brian.

Update: This story is kind of old, dating from a half year ago (go figure), and Lime Shurbet says Denzel didn't break out his checkbook on the spot, but did make a sizeable donation later.

He's got some nice pics of Denzel meeting the troops and their families.

Posted by: Ace at 08:10 AM | Comments (18)
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You know, being a librarian is a pretty boring job, unless you're sexually aroused by the Dewey Decimal System, which I have to imagine that 90% of these cats are, actually.

So it shouldn't be surprising that when they have their little moment in the sun -- their chance to play hero, to grab headlines -- they seize upon it.

It is very annoying, though.

A matter of principle -- and law -- made Newton Free Library's director, Kathy Glick-Weil, insist that FBI agents cool their heels in their pursuit of an alleged terrorist threat.

Glick-Weil said yesterday she had no choice but to prevent the FBI from seizing library computers last week, because they came without a search warrant.

The agents waited until a warrant arrived at 11:30 p.m. -- nearly nine hours after they arrived at the main branch on Homer Street -- before they seized three computers, Glick-Weil said. The agents said they had traced a threat of a terrorist attack against Brandeis University made earlier in the day on Jan. 18 to library publicly used computers.

Kathy Glick-Weil needs to engage in some sort of activity resulting in a rise in oxytocin levels, if you know what I'm sayin'.

Thanks to Bart.

Posted by: Ace at 08:05 AM | Comments (36)
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I think this could hurt plans for Al Jazeera's new Comedy Bazaar station.

An article in the Saudi Gazette of June 21, 2005, titled "Saudi Suicide Bomber was a Comedian," reported that one of its on-air employees was martyred in a terror attack in Iraq: "Al-Majd channel acknowledged this week that Saudi suicide bomber Muhammad Shazzaf Al-Shehri, who attacked the Al-Hamra Oasis Village compound in Riyadh on May 12, 2003, was a math teacher and a hired comedian for the television station."

Mohammed Williams, Jihad Carrey, Abu Seinfeld, eat your heart out!

Is that a suicide belt in your pants or are you just happy to martyr me?

Did you hear the one about the farmer's daughter and the infidel?

That's no lady, that's my 4th wife!

Posted by: Tanker at 07:41 AM | Comments (4)
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Google caves to China's demands to censor search results the Chinese government might find embarrassing. Or the Chinese people might find informative or inspiring.

On the other hand...

Google resists American government's request to turn over search information about child porn. With the names and such stripped out-- it's been likened to doctors sharing information about illnesses, where they also don't identify patients by name. The information is collected in aggregate for "big picture" analysis, not to nab individual pedophiles.

So: Google makes a cost-free show of "progressive resistance against the tyrannical Bush regime" by refusing to simply let the government know how many searches for child porn are performed per week and such, but won't stand by its progressive principles when billions of Chinese yuan are on the line.

Methinks the first decision is designed to provide cover for the latter.

Another example of "progressive" institutions finding it easier (and yet "braver") to defy, tweak, or condemn America while collaborating with or apologizing for actual tyranny.

Just curious: Which is more central to the marketplace of ideas? Basic information and dissenting opinion in a tyranny, or everyone's putative "right" to search for dirty pictures of naked children with the impunity of anonymity?

According to Google, it's the latter.

It's amazing how the First Amendment, both by its letter and in its spirit, is so steely adamant on the question of pornography but so flexible and porous regarding political information and argumentation.

"Freedom of speech, while overrated, is absolutely invioable when it comes to 'candid photos' of 13 year old girls in bobby-socks." -- Thomas Jefferson

A Piece of a Loaf Is Better Than No Loaf At All? Greatmoose, a bit of an optimist, sees this as a net positive--

I think you're looking at this backward. Google's presence in China may actually HELP the situation there. I'll explain. You're under the assumption that Google has a CHOICE whether to be censored or not in China. In fact, it's either be censored, or don't come in. What Google has done is say, "OK, we'll be censored, but we're going to tag everything that's censored so that the people will now KNOW they've been censored." Before this, "embarassing" information was simply non-exsistant. Now, people still can't read it, but when Xia Ling searches for "Real Democracy" or "Chinese Human Rights Violations" she'll get back "Sorry, your results have been censored" (or something similar) letting her know that there ARE results, but the Gov't is not allowing her to see them. That's a slight but important improvement to the current situation.

Greatmoose also suggests that the "Chinese Wall" can be breached. Codewords can be used, and in a war of a 10,000 censors versus millions of people determined to defy the censors, the censors will mostly lose.

I suppose. And I guess it's worth pointing out that, when dealing with China, not even the United States itself can afford to be too demanding on human rights. There are realities here. More than a billion of them, and lots of nuclear bombs, too.

Still, I find it amusing that Google grabs its ankles for China but then plays the hard-guy for the United States.

Posted by: Ace at 07:39 AM | Comments (25)
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Apparently Thailand is determined to keep its position as #1 Sex Tour Destination for World Pedophiles. This should help.

Health authorities are clamping down on a Thai teen fashion fad _ wearing fake orthodontic braces.

...

Girls flashing multicolored metallic grins are regularly featured in teen magazines as braces have become more common in Thailand, transforming the dental gear into a fashion statement.

Rather than getting fitted for the real and expensive option, teens have been buying do-it-yourself kits in stores and selecting colored rubber bands to match their outfits or moods.

Actually, Thailand isn't happy about the trend. So much so that it's made the selling of fake braces illegal, punishing vendors by six months in jail or a $1,300 fine.

Posted by: Ace at 07:32 AM | Comments (7)
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Turns out his principles were more flexible than originally advertised:

The judge said he felt he could impose the longer sentence now because the state had agreed to provide treatment to the man while he is behind bars.

Whatever you have to tell yourself, man.

Posted by: Ace at 07:29 AM | Comments (11)
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An aid to Senator Coburn, Sean Davis, tips:

Senators McCain and Coburn announced their commitment to challenge each and every earmark on the floor of the Senate. In addition to challenging each and every pork project, Senators Coburn and McCain will also oppose the inclusion in conference reports of any earmarks that did not pass either the House or Senate.

As stated in the letter, the practice of inserting earmarks into conference reports at the last minute “stifles debate and empowers well-heeled lobbyists at the expense of those who cannot afford access to power. Decisions about how taxpayer dollars are spent should not be made in the dark, behind closed doors.”

Full text of letter follows. more...

Posted by: Ace at 06:51 AM | Comments (16)
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