Open Thread ‘Round The World
By SusanUnPC on January 12, 2008 at 12:47 AM in Uncategorized
Guantanamo Protests: Raw Story reports that 81 people were arrested today in front of the U.S. Supreme Court for their demonstrations calling for the closure of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
U.S. Journalist Deported From Pakistan: At his blog Washington Note, Steve Clemons writes:
An American journalist, Nicholas Schmidle, who authored the article “Next Gen Taliban” that appeared in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine has been deported from Pakistan. He was forced to leave today — Friday, 11 January.
Schmidle will be returning to Washington, DC on Saturday and will be joining a panel I am moderating Monday afternoon titled “Pakistan in Peril” featuring veteran journalists and Pakistan-watchers Steve Coll and Peter Bergen as well as former Bush administration National Security Council senior official Flynt Leverett.
Clemons links to several of Schmidle’s stories, and notes that his panel is open to the public. If you live in the D.C. area, check out the time and location.
I’m hoping to watch at least a bit of the Seahawks playoff game tomorrow against the Green Bay Packers. Don’t ask me why, but I’ve got a bad feeling about the game, even though the Hawks smashed Larry Johnson’s Redskins last Saturday. (Larry, gentleman that he is, congratulated my team.)
True confession: I have a major crush on defensive lineman Patrick Kerney. He has the heart of a lion, makes brilliant plays, and inspires not only his teammates but all the fans at home games. The Hawks picked up Kerney last summer from the Falcons. (How lucky Kerney was to get away from the Falcons and the ugly Michael Vick scandal.)
The Seattle Times did a feature on Kerney Thursday — it’s a great read. Here’s a bit of the story:
The glazed donuts arrive every Friday, provided by a rookie required to provide Krispy Kremes for the rest of the Seahawks’ defensive linemen.
It has been a full season now, and no one has ever seen Patrick Kerney eat so much as a single donut.
“He’s tempted, though,” defensive tackle Craig Terrill said.
Kerney must be. He’s a defensive lineman, after all, and men who start every play with their hand in the dirt don’t usually count calories in the morning.
“You see that gleam in his eye,” defensive end Darryl Tapp said.
But it has been six months now, and Kerney’s donut total is just that. A donut. Zero.
“He’s very disciplined,” Terrill said, “very strong, focused on what he’s doing. A good example for his teammates.”
Kerney is a study in extremes. He’s a millionaire who drives a Honda Accord Hybrid, a free spirit who attended a concert wearing a Speedo while in college at Virginia. He’s 31 and goes to bed before 10 most nights during the week and then gets so amped up on game day he has trouble sleeping that night.
“There’s always those three or four plays you want to have back,” Kerney said. …
Kerney’s going to the Pro Bowl, of course. And best luck to my Hawks tomorrow!
















