So there are a lot of important stories going on right now. But none more important than my March Madness bracket.

No blogging today until I have it figured out. I may do some paying work as well.

Open Thread.

This weekend went by so fast. Maybe due to the great spring-like weather here.

I'm sure there's news besides what's happening in Japan, I just haven't checked yet. If you'd like to discuss something, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead before going to bed. You may lose an hour of sleep, but you'll gain an hour of sunlight starting tomorrow.

Update: Too funny. Verizon i-Phones apparently are falling back an hour instead of springing forward. The fix (and again it's only Verizon iPhones): "Restart your device to fix the issue and get the clock back to normal."

Here's another open thread, all topics welcome.

March Madness! just around the corner.

Let's Go Gators!

Open Thread.

There are a lot of important political stories going on right now.

I'm on the sports opiate of the masses though. I'll be in SportsLeft mode for the time being, with the occasional repetitive "The Deal was a terrible mistake" post.

In that spirit, Go Gators!

Open Thread.

Open Thread.

Lindsay Lohan has court tomorrow. According to TMZ, Lindsay's lawyer and the DA met with the judge today and no deal was reached. If you haven't been following along, Lindsay has been charged with stealing a necklace from a Beverly Hills store, and violating her seemingly never-ending probation.

At tomorrow's hearing the judge will set a preliminary hearing on the necklace charge. If bound over for trial, TMZ and others report Lindsay's probation may be revoked immediately, causing her to remain in jail pending trial.

On TV tonight: American Idol, Survivor, America's Next Top Model and Justified. The one not to miss: Justified. It's even better this year than last, ratings are up and even the critics are loving it. There's also a new character:

Added to the mix was Mags Bennett (veteran character actress Margo Martindale, getting a fine showcase here), a backwoods big-time pot grower now looking to take over Bo’s market for meth dealing. Mags is as ruthless as her son Dickie (Jeremy Davies – Lost’s Daniel Faraday) is gimpy. Mags has two more sons who are dumber but no less mean than their mama.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Is it too early for a "Let's Go Gators!" chant?

In other news, Barcelona faces Arsenal in a do or die Champions League soccer game at the Camp Nou this afternoon. Arsenal won the first leg in London. Go Barca!

Open Thread.

March Madness is nearly upon us. Gators SEC Champs! Could be fun.

Open Thread.

There's so much on TV tonight, I don't know what to watch first. Probably Shameless on Showtime. Then Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, and the season premiere of Celebrity Apprentice. There's also a new Chopped and a new Iron Chef.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

I'm so glad it's the weekend.

In the news: NPR has a new report on "Guantanamo North: Inside Secretive U.S. Prisons" focusing on CMU's (Communications Management Units.) The surveillance and restrictions are over the top.

Guards and cameras watch the CMU inmates' every move. Every word they speak is picked up by a counterterrorism team that eavesdrops from West Virginia. Prison officials budgeted more than $14 million for the snooping operation last year, according to appropriations documents and congressional testimony.

The Center for Constitutional Rights has been representing the inmates in a civil lawsuit. They say:

"6 percent of the national prison population is Muslim, and somewhere in the neighborhood of between 66 and 72 percent of prisoners at the CMUs are Muslim."

Of the 100 inmates NPR was able to identify who have been housed at the units in Terre Haute and Marion, IL, it says 2/3 are American citizens. (John Walker Lindh is at the unit in Terre Haute.) BOP says there are 81 inmates in CMU's.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Busy day at work. I'm posting this from my iPad. Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.