End of a long day. While I catch up on the news, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Today's picks: Memphis +6 over Virginia, Arizona -6½ over Gonzaga, Kansas -6 over Stanford, North Carolina +1½ over Iowa State, Baylor +3½ over Creighton, Kentucky +4½ over Wichita State, Tennessee -7 over Mercer, Stephen Austin +9 over UCLA.

Open Thread.

My picks:

Wisconsin -5 over Oregon, Michigan State -7½ over Harvard, Villanova -3½ over Connecticut, Syracuse -7 over Dayton, Louisville -9 over St Louis, Pittsburgh +6½ over Florida, Texas +5 over Michigan San Diego State -3 over North Dakota State.

Go Gators!

Open Thread.

A bit late with this, but Scout's honor, these are my investments today:

Eastern Kentucky +14 over Kansas, Kentucky -6½ over Kansas State, Oklahoma State -3 over Gonzaga, Iowa State -8 over NC Central, Memphis -4 over George Washington, UL Lafayette +14 over Creighton, Wichita State -16 over Cal Poly S.L.O., North Carolina -4 over Providence, Tulsa +8½ over UCLA, Virginia -20½ over Coastal Carolina, Stephen Austin +6½ over Va Commonwealth, Baylor -4 over Nebraska, Mercer +14½ over Duke, Tennessee -5½ over Massachusetts, New Mexico -3 over Stanford, Weber State +20 over Arizona.

Open Thread.

Main draw begins play today.

My picks today: Michigan -16 over Wofford, Cincinnati -3 over Harvard, Connecticut -4½ over St. Joseph's, Michigan State -14 over Delaware, Pittsburgh -6½ over Colorado, BYU +5½* over Oregon, Ohio State -6 over Dayton, Wisconsin -13½ over American, Syracuse -13 over Western Michigan, Albany NY +21 over Florida, Arizona State +2* over Texas, Wisc-Milwaukee +16½ over Villanova, Oklahoma -3 over North Dakota State, Louisville -16½ over Manhattan, San Diego State -7 over New Mexico State, and NCState +3* over St Louis. (Asterisk indicates lower seed outright winners.)

Go Gators!

Open thread.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

There hasn't been much news on "El Chapo" Guzman the past week. But on Friday afternoon, his lawyer filed a new request for a writ of amparo to prevent his extradition to the U.S.

This article today says the cases in Mexico are all for organized crime, not drugs. I wonder if that means he won't have a double jeopardy argument against extradition. Apparently, there was one drug case but it was reversed as to a co-defendant because the courts found the witnesses non-credible, so it's unlikely he'll be convicted in that case.

These articles are in Spanish, and Google Translate wasn't a huge help, but that's what I took from it. At least I was able to track down the docket in Mexico for both the new filing and the earlier ones(start here).

Speaking of Spanish, I found a new and free way to learn Spanish online (or one of 60 other languages)-- Mangos Languages --all you need is a library card as hundreds of libraries have partnered with them. [More...].

Our last open thread is full, here's a new one. All topics welcome.

Time for an open thread. All topics welcome.

Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead one hour.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Alfredo Vasquez Hernandez is scheduled to plead guilty in Chicago late today in the Jesus Vicente Zambada-Niebla case. His lawyer says he is not cooperating and the plea has nothing to do with Guzman's arrest. (El Chapo is also named as a defendant in the case.)

The Oscar Pistorius trial has ended for the week with several questions unanswered. The Last witness on the stand was the security guard who testified that at 3:24 am he spoke with Oscar on the phone who said "Everything is fine." The defense says there was a first call by Oscar to the guard at 3:21 a.m. The security guard will return Monday. Also, Oscar's ex-girlfriend testified about one of the gun charges. She said Oscar cheated on her with Reeva, but Oscar's lawyer says he will provide e-mails showing they had already broken up. The earlier witness testimony about sounds of cricket bats vs gunshots remains conflicting.

[More...]

SXSW begins March 7. If I were going, I'd like to see The Legend of Shorty, a new documentary by the producers of Where is Sugarman, about Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman." Here is the description from Channel 4 News which will air it after the SWSX showing, as to how it was filmed and what it is about. I don't know of anyone else who is airing it now in the U.S. From Protagonist:

Filmmakers Angus Macqueen and Guillermo Galdos set themselves on a perilous and quixotic quest into the Mexican sierra and the heart of "Shorty's" forbidden lands to try to find him. What they discover will forever change the way we see the war on drugs.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.