3 WC games on tap tomorrow. More group and game previews will be provided before 7 AM tomorrow.

Open Thread.

Open Thread. I'm watching the World Cup.

The TL kid and I are headed up to Aspen for the annual NORML drug law conference. There's live coverage this year. We're staying with Anita at Owl Farm. The TL kid gets to sleep in Johnny Depp's room. (No, he won't be there, it's called that because it's the room he always slept in when he visited Hunter.) Here's the speaking agenda . I'll be speaking Saturday on new forms of electronic surveillance.

I'll have my iPad and my laptop and will be checking in, and maybe posting occasionally. (I will be following developments in Peru with Joran Van der Sloot but won't be able to devote as much time to them.)

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Guess what? People disagree. Let's do it civilly. How about a non-bickering Open Thread?

Open Thread.

More thread.

The runoff election for the Democratic nomination for Senate in Arkansas is today. Bill Halter appears to be the favorite over incumbent Blanche Lincoln.

The Celtics host the Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight. The series is tied 1-1.

The World Cup starts in just 3 days.

Open Thread.

There was a big explosion here just before dinner as a power sub-station blew about 1/2 mile away.

An Xcel power substation near National Jewish Hospital and Rose Medical Center exploded about 6:30 p.m. knocking out power to more than 37,000 customers, causing traffic jams and bringing curious spectators out across much of east Denver.

The explosion sent flames shooting 70 feet into the sky, said Denver Fire Lt. Phil Champagne. At 7:30 p.m. the flames were under control, Champagne said.

The TL kid was driving down the street from it and said there were two really loud booms and then flames and black smoke shot up really high in the sky. I was on the phone and didn't even hear it, but my power has been going on and off all night.

This is the second time in three weeks Xcel has had major problems. At least I have my iPad with its 10 hour battery and 3G for when the wi-fi goes out.

In any event, as I check on the news I've missed, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in. Reburied workwise.

Open Thread.

Update (TL): I'm off to the jail. I'll miss Charlie Sheen's plea coverage at 4pm MT. Last night's post with what's expected to happen is here.

The BP Gulf Oil Coast spill may last until fall.

Two men from New Jersey are facing terror charges after trying to board a plane at JFK to Egypt. The feds say they were on their way to Somalia to join Al Shabaab and wage jihad. The New York Times reports the men were going to fight a civil war, not jihad.

Apple announces the new iPhone tomorrow. Now that I have my iPad which I totally love, I've been thinking about swapping my iPhone for something else. Why have both, and I hate synching and the idea of putting more stuff in the omnipresent cloud. Maybe it's time for a Droid or a Blackberry or a Palm. But I'm still curious to see what Apple comes up with.

The MTV Movie Awards are tonight. Sandra Bullock will accept the Generation Award. Last night she made her first public appearance since her split with Jesse James, to accept the Spike TV Troops Choice award for entertainer of the year, voted on by members of the American military worldwide. [More...]

I'm still following the developments in Peru in the case of Joran Van der Sloot, so for those with other things on your mind, here's an open thread. All topics welcome.

President Obama will nominate retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper to be the new director of national intelligence.

The Democrats released memos by Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. You can read some of them here.

.... the majority of the memos, emails and reports made public Friday provide little insight to her own views.

Here's the latest on Day 46 of the Gulf Oil spill.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.