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.

Who is looking forward to the Oscars?
To Oscar Pistorius' Trial?
To the next story on Chapo Guzman and our failed war on drugs?

If those don't entice you, please pick a topic that interests you. This is an open thread.

More than 1,000 protesters held a "Free Shorty" march in Culiacan yesterday for Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Another report says there were 2,000 marchers.

Attorney General Eric Holder went to the hospital today after feeling faint and short of breath.

Schapelle Corby's first words after release revealed in interview that will air Sunday in Australia.

Alfredo Vasquez-Hernandez, one of the two defendants set for trial in May in the Jesus Vicente Zambada-Niebla case, will plead guilty without a plea agreement next week. His lawyer says it has nothing to do with capturing "El Chapo" Guzman. The second says he's likely to plead as well.

It's a court day for me, here's an open thread for you.

I'm really glad the Voice is back.

Also, Camelia la Tejana begins tonight on Telemundo. I hope it's better than Unimas' La Viuda Blanca, the story of Griselda Blanca, which started Sunday. So far I don't like it at all.

What I'm really looking forward to is El Capo 3 which begins in March on MundoFox. Since Xfinity doesn't offer MundoFox in Denver (it's only available over the air), I had to get an antenna. The first one brought in 40 channels but no MundoFox. The second one, an RCA that cost $30, brought in 50 channels, including MundoFox. [More...]

Ex-Congressman Mel Reynolds has been deported from Zimbabwe after pleading guilty to an immigration offense. The p*rn charges were dismissed.

I'm pretty much glued to the Chapo Guzman story, so here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

A little birdie told me some of our Talk Left cohorts are in the Big Apple. Unfortunately for me, I'm out of town on business.

Open Thread.

Larger version here

Planes sure are getting smaller these days. This one, which I flew on yesterday, seats 18. Yes it was loud and the wind blew it around sideways and up and down, but no one seemed nervous. I fly back on it tonight.

These little planes fly out of local airports, not Denver International. I think it's the first flight I've been on since 9/11 where there was no metal detector or bag searches, for either passengers, carry-on or checked luggage.[More...]

It's a travel day for me, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Does anyone think the proposed merger of Comcast and Time Warner is good for cable customers?

"Sometimes, to keep prices low, it's not just the actual competition that is important but also potential competition," said Sanjai Bhagat, a provost professor of finance at the University of Colorado at Boulder. "I don't know of any industry whereby having fewer players, the customers have been made better off."

The New York Times examines "cord cutters" and predicts cable companies will raise rates on internet usage, making eliminating cable less of a bargain for them.[More...]

From our heart to yours, Happy Valentine's Day.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.