[Headline: BBC]

The British scientific publication Royal Society Journal Biology Letters has published new research showing that female red squirrels have sex with up to 14 males a day because the male squirrels are “usually willing and available.”

One of the scientists noted the obvious drawbacks to “having multiple partners means more energy expended on mating, increased exposure to predators as well as increased potential for the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.  Promiscuity also encourages harassment from male squirrels trying to coerce them into having sex.”

Happy Holidays!

[MSNBC: Promiscuous Squirrels Mate With Up to 14 Males a Day]

Santa’s Privacy Policy [McSweeney’s, via TechCrunch]

“It’s on. Jimmy McMillan of the Rent Is Too Damn High fame says he’s running for president in 2012, reports Ben Smith at Politico (who says he normally avoids fringe candidates but couldn’t resist this one). “Tell Obama I’m coming after his black ass,” the former New York gubernatorial candidate told Revolution Radio. McMillan also pointed out a key difference between him and the president: “He plays basketball, I teach karate,” notes Mediaite, which provides audio from the interview.” [Newser]

“Two softball coaches at a Texas high school are being sued after allegedly confining a teenaged girl in a locked room, forcing her to confirm her sexual orientation, then outing her to her parents before ejecting her from the softball team. The lawsuit states that the school district defended the actions by saying the teachers were “legally obligated” to inform the parents of the child’s sexuality.” [Raw Story]

Oklahoma City Police Department Crime Report: “ON 12/17/10, AT 945 HOURS, RP WOODSIDE ADVISED ME THAT SHE HAD A STUDENT IN HER CLASSROOM, IN POSSESSION OF A PERMANENT MARKER. AR [age 13, name redacted] WAS WRITING ON A PRICE OF PAPER, WHICH CAUSED IT TO BLEED OVER ONTO THE DESK… I ALLOWED RP TO SIGN A CITATION AGAINST AR AND AR WAS TRANSPORTED TO C.I.C. [juvie] BY SGT. SPENCE. SGT. SPENCE BOOKED THE MARKER INTO THE PROPERTY ROOM.” [The Smoking Gun]

“Still more good news for filibuster reform: Harry Reid is in active discussions with his caucus about moving forward with reform in the new year, and is currently devising a plan to do just that.” All returning Demrat Senators have signed a vague pledge for reform. [WaPo]