Percy Harvin was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Mediation continues over the Pacquiao-Mayweather megafight.

The Iowa Hawkeyes capped off a tremendous season by beating Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl 24-14. Kirk Ferentz may be the best coach in America (along with Coach Pete of Boise). The Big Ten had its best bowl season in memory.

Gilbert Arenas is facing suspension after bringing guns into the Washington Wizards locker room and pulling one on a teammate.

This is an Open Thread.

I'm blogged out. And the season premiere of The Biggest Loser is on. One of the contestants is 526 pounds.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Another season of The Bachelor starts tonight. I'm not expecting much, but it's like a train wreck, I just keep watching. I think Jake will make a terrible bachelor, he's bland, cheesy and moralistic. I'm hoping the women provide some fireworks.

For those of you not watching, and I suspect that's all of you, this is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Susie Madrak finds the Pete Peterson hacks at it again.

From the pols are pols file -- NYTimes Editorial:

Anyone who doubts the degree of executive branch pliability [. . .] needs to consider this: The party that urged the Supreme Court not to grant the victims’ appeal because the illegality of torture was not “clearly established” was the Obama Justice Department.

The shot of the college hoops season so far:

This is an Open Thread.

Iron Chef at the White House with Michelle Obama. The task is for the four chefs to cook using ingredients from the White House garden. The garden was beautiful.

Also tonight: New episodes of Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters.

What are you watching tonight? If nothing, feel free to discuss something else.

Crime news has been slow this week but should pick up tomorrow when the courts reopen, and I'll be getting back to those issues.

For those of you with things besides Yemen and AQAP on your mind, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

The war on terror is predominating the news. I suspect it will for the next several weeks.

For those not watching football or following Yemen, Somalia and the latest related developments, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

The Big Ten had a banner day yesterday (for the Big Ten -- these things are relative - the Big Ten went 2-1. The SEC had a disappointing day - they also went 2-1.) Can Sparty keep it going today? They have the turmoil at Texas Tech in their favor. Tech fired coach Mike Leach this week amid charges of player abuse - charges Leach hotly denies. In any event, they play a game today. And Tech is an 8 point favorite over Michigan State. I like Sparty (-8).

Ole Miss, Arkansas and South Carolina carry the SEC banner today. I like Ark (-8) over East Carolina, Ole Miss (-3) over Oklahoma State and South Carolina (-3.5) over Connecticut. In the other game today, I'll take Northern Illinois (+7) over South Florida.

This is an Open Thread.

Happy New Year! New Year's Day means college football. 5 games on tap today. Here are my selections:

The Outback Bowl features Auburn from the SEC versus Northwestern from the Big Ten. I am tempted to take Northwestern with the 8.5 points, given that this is clearly a down year for the SEC. But I think Auburn has the better players and should be able to cover. I like Auburn (-8.5).

Bobby Bowden's last game is the highlight of the Gator Bowl. FSU faces West Virginia, which is a 3 point favorite. Sentiment rules the day. I like the Noles (+3). More . . .

We wish everyone a happy and safe New Year's Eve.

As we usher in a new decade, if you had a magic wand, what would you fix first?

If you're going out, have a glass of champagne for us. If you're staying in and will be online, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Voting ends today in the Third Annual ABA Jornal Blawg 100. If you can spare a few moments to vote for us, we'd really appreciate it. They've removed the vote counter so there's no way to know if we are still in the lead.

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Quick Take: When Merritt just has to stray off topic, she spares her politics-hungry readers and posts at PopLeft.

Please register (it only takes a few seconds) and vote for us here -- as well as for your other favorite law blogs. And many thanks to those of you who take the time, we really appreciate it.

The college bowl season has shattered my dream of reaching the .600 mark with my college picks. after sticking my head above water to 6-5 with my bowl picks - Miami, Bowling Green and Arizona all failed to cover. Now I am 6-8, with 19 games left. I'll need a 17-2 finish to bring my season mark to .600. Not going to happen. But there are still games to pick, including 4 today. Tomorrow, I'll be picking the New Year's Day bowls.

Houston meets Air Force. Ironically, Houston is the team with the air attack and Air Force will keep it on the ground. Houston is a 5 point favorite. The Mountain West has proven its mettle in the bowls. C-USA, not so much. I'll take the Air Force (+5). More . . .