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.

After an impossibly intense period of work, I finally get a chance to dedicate some time to the relaunch of SportsLeft, which will start with a preview of the World Cup, which starts on June 11.

SI's Grant Wahl had a nice piece (can;t find it online) on what the "beautful game" means around the world. There are sports I enjoy more than association football (soccer), but the World Cup is indeed something special.

Open Thread.

Hearing over.

Some blogging by me to resume tomorrow.

Open Thread.

I've got a lot of work to get done today, and BTD is busy in hearings.

I don't think the Romanoff news is any big deal but Politico says it means Obama's political team is faltering.

I can't see the argument that the contacts were unethical or illegal. It's more of a perception problem, that Obama promised to end "politics as usual" practices and provide greater transparency, and this was just a typical back-door effort to exercise some muscle.

If Rahm Emanuael's testimony at the Rod Blagojevich trial, which I assume will include him answering questions about taped conversations replayed in court, is embarrassing, I wonder if he'll then announce his departure and return to Chicago. I think it's time. But given the Blago trial is expected to last four months, and he'd be a defense witness, his testimony is still a few months away.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

I'm still in hearing mode.

Open Thread.

It's a dead TV night, so I'm going to test out new Apps for my iPad. I take it everywhere now. It's so much faster and easier to read and use than my iPhone, both on wi-fi and 3G. And the screen display is so awesome. Netflix movies and TV shows look incredible and reading is more enjoyable than on the Kindle. The Kindle syncs with the iPad, so I can pick up either one and access all my books. The battery lasts hours and hours.

For those of you online, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Hearing tomorrow. No time.

Hope your weekend was good.

Open Thread.

Atrocities continue in Afghanistan, here's an awful report of child brides forced to marry older men. Two run away, are caught, returned to the home village where they are publicly flogged with 40 lashes. It was videotaped, and the videos were released today by human rights groups.

A video going viral on You Tube tells the story of a two year old in Indonesia who smokes 40 cigarettes a day. His parents say he's addicted and won't stop. Story here.

Here's an interesting report on why the Vietnamese resist drug treatment.

The Gulf oil spill is likely to continue until August.

The damage to the shorelines of Gulf states such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida is literally only the surface of the problem: The damage to the sea floor could be extensive, and oil could also devastate marine life between the Gulf floor and its surface, as well as in coastal areas far from the leaking wellhead.

There's a new "Breaking Bad" tonight on AMC.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.