[Huffington Post] - "[Dumb and Dumber] has run a bunch of times on TV in the states, and kids will come up and they'll be able to quote lines from that - lines that I've long forgotten," Bobby Farrelly said (via Moviehole). "If we could get those two guys back together, Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels that might be a worthwhile sequel - and that ball is in motion. We're starting to think about what those two dimwits would be doing twenty-years later in life, and hopefully we'll be able to come up with something worthy of a sequel."

I know what your thinking, Jim Carrey isn't really funny anymore and Jeff Daniels is dead. Ok, maybe he's not dead but he's hasn't exactly been pumping out gems recently (see, RV and Space Chimps as exhibits A and B). Truth be told, I'm not sure how I feel about this. The potential suck-o-meter is certainly flashing with this one, but don't the Farrelly brothers deserve a little benefit of the doubt? Yes, they made The Ringer but we can all make mistakes, right? At the very least we'll get some good nostalgia out of this, and maybe - just maybe - a good movie. God knows we need something to get the stank out of mouths from Dumb and Dumberer.

[FanGraphs] - Yes, the aches and pains are starting to add up, but a broken thumb is not the kind of injury you expect to be a lingering problem, and his 2007 problem was caused by getting hit by a pitch. The nagging hip and knee pains are problematic, certainly, but given that he was still an elite player with both problems last year, I don’t think we can claim that either has demonstrated enough severity to cause his skills to diminish all that quickly. Will Utley average 150 games per year going forward? I’d call that unlikely at best, but the Phillies shouldn’t be too overly worried that he’s going to stop producing when he is on the field. It’s quite possible that they won’t get any more +7 WAR seasons from their second baseman, but there is enough precedent to suggest that he can still be quite useful for many years to come.

Chase Utley is one of the best players in baseball. That, regardless of this latest injury, is an indisputable fact. When he is on the field and healthy, Utley produces at a rate that few other players in MLB can match. He walks, hits for power, steals bases and fields 2nd base better than any other guy in the league. But, as an article by Dave Cameron at FanGraphs today mentions, he probably can't be counted to play 150+ games anymore. Age is slowly catching up to him, and things like "knee tendonitis" and his prior hip injury are just the first signs of what may become an issue over the rest of his career.

However, what is important to realize is that the rest of the Phillies roster has been upgraded with this in mind. Rubes was smart, he realized that he had a declining offense that may never return to it's 2007-2008 levels. His response? Build a pitching staff that can help make up for that difference. Think about it, the Phillies pitching staff as a whole last year recorded 18.4 WAR (according to FanGraphs). It's reasonable to assume our four main starters, barring a major drop off in career performance, should be able to better than number BY THEMSELVES (combined last year those four totaled 22.2 WAR, so even with a drop off, or missed starts due to injury, they should surpass 2010's total). Add in a good year from Blanton and decent relief pitching and you're looking at a pitching staff that should be improved enough to handle any further drop off our offense has.

So, while we are all worried about Utley, the Phillies are still a very good team built to handle the 162 game schedule in a variety of ways. If the offense goes cold, the pitching can help them avoid long losing streaks. When the offense is hot, they'll dominate. Let's all hope Utley get healthy, but lets not worry too much just yet. This team is going to win a lot of games this year. Trust me.

Now back to your regularly scheduled funny videos and crazy news stories.

By TWW friend 'Anonymous'

Hell yes, we should! How's Lou Williams' nuts taste??  Party at the Moon Tower! Alright, alright, alrighhhht. The Sixers are the best team in the NBA. Forget that 3-13 start, that was weeks ago muthafucka, I'm partyin'! Over the last 43 games, the Sixers are 27-16. That's a winning percentage of .628, which is top 5 in the NBA. They've had three straight winning months for the first time since 2001. ESPN has us ranked 8th in the power rankings, while the New York Knicks aren't even in the top 15! So, suck on that!

The Sixers are a really good team all of a sudden. I can't stress the word "team" enough (even with italics and accent marks) they are playing inspired, unselfish basketball. Sucker-free, if you will. Iggy has finally stopped going Jackie Moon, and bought into a NBA scheme. During the 9-3 February campaign, Iguodala has never been the leading scorer, not once. Elton Brand is playing extremely well, Thad Young and Lou Williams are great bench players, and Evan Turner is starting to get used to his Avatar body.

They are holding it down at home, with a 19-9 record- which is comparable with big time West contender, OKC's 20-9 home record. Playing great at home is very important during the playoffs, which leads me to believe that we can catch the Hawks and beat Orlando in a first round series. In order to do that, the Sixers are going to have to continue playing defensive basketball. They are 2-17 when the opposition scores 100+ points, and that's no good, cause playoff teams score mad points.

500 might not be something to celebrate in Juggernaut Town, but here in Philly, we've seen where this team was, and how they've grown into a competitive team without any superstars, and we appreciate hard work and diligence around here. I'm damn proud of the Sixers and how far they've come this year.

GO SIXERS!

[pic Via AP]

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Many people believe Charlie Sheen is unraveling, while others would be quick to add he's a coked out loon spiraling towards a trainwreck-like finale. But you know what? I love the guy for it. Who takes the time to quote Allen Iverson during an interview while he's in the middle of waging war on CBS? Friggin Topper Harley does. He has a bigger than life ego and a confidence many people wish they could possess without taking on a drug habit. The guy doesn't give a shit about what anyone says or thinks - and that, friends, is to be commended.

...in Madison last Friday and asks the hostess, "Do you serve assholes?" And the hostess says, "No, now get the fuck out."

This isn't a joke but an allegedly true story. Naomi at Mind Stain insists it's true while right wing turd blogs such as Politisite and Badger Blogger insist the restaurant lied about the incident to drum up pro-union business.

Yep. You've probably heard by now that Koch Industries Governor Scott Walker got tossed from a restaurant last Friday night in Madison for "being a nuisance." The eatery is called The Merchant (I know Crooks and Liars took down the name of the restaurant because of all the right wing threats they started getting from goons but, c'mon people, it's the internet. Shit gets cached and nothing disappears forever once you hit that "publish" button.") and they were well within their legal right to not serve a patron. And it wasn't just management but the other patrons who were booing and hissing at him.

Both Laffy at the Political Carnival and Digby, following her lead, are suspicious this ever happened. I have every reason to believe it had.

The phone call that the Badger Blogger made to the Merchant is held up as proof that they manufactured the whole thing when in fact they were being noncommittal either way and when the call was accidentally put on speaker, the exchange is virtually unintelligible. But my right wing colleague heard them going on the internet and assumed they wanted to take down their blog post. But they were probably just reading someone else's blog post for the first time.

Plus, the idea that Patrick Sweeney, the restaurant's owner, would willingly lie about kicking out the Governor and opening himself and his establishment up to criticism, bad PR and (typically, in the case of Walker's right wing lunatic supporters) threats just to drum up pro-union business smacks of irresponsibility that I wouldn't readily ascribe to a small business owner in a highly polarized state.

Did Scott Walker get kicked out of a Madison restaurant last Friday night? Between the lies, innuendos and echoed misinformation on both sides, we may never know. Do I believe it happened?

Hell yes, partly because Naomi at Mind Stain brings up some interesting points that leads me to believe that, with all due respect to John Amato, Laffy, Digby and Co., this may have actually happened. Scott Walker is, for many, many reasons, the most despised Governor since Sarah Palin and if any of our nation's 50 governors would get kicked out of an eatery this month, it would be Scott Walker.

You know, the union-busting piece of shit who, like Mubarak, lost the support of the constabulary. That would be the constabulary that isn't actually affected by the anti-collective bargaining bill. That would be a constabulary led by a man who's now openly questioning Walker about his "troubling" statements in that phone call when he all but proved his true allegiance: the Koch Brothers. The same constabulary that, instead of kicking out the protesters at 4:00 like the right wing legislature ordered them to, has actually joined them and slept beside them in the state house.

Like the Rude Pundit simply said, it's never a good idea to fuck with unions. I'd amend that to say that the first union you shouldn't fuck with is the fraternal order of the police. Politics is one thing and I'm sure not every single protesting public union member isn't some dirty, hippie, Commie libr'al and that there are likely quite a few right wingers in that crowd (I wish someone would do a survey), perhaps some who even voted for Walker, who gave no hint during his campaign that he would go after unions' half century-old collective bargaining rights.

But when you fiddle fuck around with a person's ability to empower themself, when you say, "Fuck you to your proposed concessions and willingness to collectively and reasonably bargain with my administration", then you're going to make a lot of political enemies out of your own people, let alone the Democrats. In a way, it's like the radicalizing of the Iraqi military after we'd smashed and disbanded them and turned their country into a rubble-strewn wasteland.

Because that's what the Republican Party on both the federal and the state levels want to do to the middle class of any and every political stripe. And, while the MSM stubbornly ignore the public union uprising for the 3rd Sunday in a row (save for Scott Walker's appearance today on Press the Meat), this is not going to go away.

And like the shaggy dog story epilogue goes, if that asymmetrical, cross-eyed, corporate tool of a cunt Scott Walker never got kicked out of a restaurant, he ought to be and likely will.

Try to see if you can spot the exact moment this slimy union-busting bill was passed in the Wisconsin legislature at 1:05 AM. If you blink, you'll literally miss it because the Republican blitzkrieg came and went faster than a 12 year-old boy's first orgasm.

This is the only way these douchebags can get shit done and actually move their fat, pasty asses: Through trickery, chicanery, threats, parliamentary shell games and tyranny of the majority, especially in the interests of shafting the working people.

Remember the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress when Pelosi led the way to the House passing a massive raft of progressive legislation by locking out the Republicans? Remember how they squealed like a couple of hundred butt-fucked Ned Beattys about how they were locked out of the legislative process? That was Pelosi's object lesson in how effective one party rule can be when the other party brings nothing but stall tactics and "No!" to the table. If only the Democrats had continued doing that throughout the entire 110th and 111th Congresses.

Now the only thing standing between the Republicans and assfucking most Wisconsin public unions with a microplane nutmeg grater sans lube are the Wisconsin Senate Democrats who did the same exact thing their counterparts in the lower assembly had: They're holing up in Chicago and calling for lawyers, guns and money.

If you're from Wisconsin and reading this, don't forget: the cross-eyed cunt spearheading this party-line union busting bullshit is a Marquette University dropout who was asked to get the fuck out for cheating and was found guilty of dirty tricks when running for college class president (he lost). (Bonus trivia fact: Scott Walker had a 2.3 GPA, even with cheating.) Your public unions are being dismantled by a man who looks as if he ought to wear a football helmet 16 hours a day and wear boxing gloves to keep from fist fucking during that time.



He also takes phone calls in his office from guys he thinks are David Koch, looks forward to spending time at a California retreat with that billionaire scumbag and his brother and seriously thought about planting rabble rousers among the protesters (in other words, professional union busters straight out of the 20's and 30's.) What's next? African mercenaries?

We already went through this on a national level for 8 years with his spiritual Godfather, fellow college fuck-up George W. Bush. And you see well that turned out.

He's also a fucking hypocrite when it comes to state pensions.

This boxscore was amusing when I went to bed last night, and it's still laughable this morning. I don't wanna here "They haven't even been playing together for a week yet, give them a break." That's loser talk. The Cavs are pathetic. A team with a roster makeup of the Knicks should win this game on sheer talent alone. That would be like he Sixers losing to a team who hates their coach and only had six available players. Only difference is that Coach of the Year Doug Collins wouldn't allow that shit to go down. In the words of coked out Charlie Sheen: WINNING.

By TWW friend 'Anonymous'

Mock drafts are stupid. The board never plays out the way anyone thinks it will. It's like Groundhog's Day, but instead of a Porcupine you have Mel Kiper Jr. So instead of prognosticating all day on the internet (you can go blind) I'm just gonna throw some names out there. But first, let's see what the porcupines have to say.

Walterfootball.com recently updated their mock draft board, and this is how they see the Eagles first three picks playing out. 1) Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin 2) Curtis Brown, CB, Texas 3) Greg Jones, LB, Michigan State. On the surface it looks like the birds would fill in their blanks at OT, CB, and LB with these picks. Carimi is a 6'8 beast, Brown is cornerback named Brown, and Greg Jones is one of those hybrid DE/LB types which usually translates into a career special teamer, which the Eagles love. If the Birds draft a tackle, corner, and linebacker with their first three picks I'm gonna be pretty happy. Hell, if they don't trade any of their first three picks I'll be happy.

Last year Howie Rose selected 7 out of 13 players who participated in the senior bowl last year, so you gotta look at who helped themselves the most during that jawn. My picks are a mixture of what I think will happen, and what I want to happen. 1) Ben Ijalana OT/G, Villanova. Don't think Carimi will be there when the Eagles pick, so they go local with Ben. I'm good either way. I'd personally want to draft Mike Pouncey, because his brother is good at football. 2) Brooks Reed, DE/OLB, Arizona. He fits the Chris Gocong/Matt McCoy style that the Eagles love, and he was one of the most impressive players at the Senior Bowl. 3) Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon.  You know why I want Axe Murder Jr. He looked really good at the National Championship. And, yeah, I want Clay Matthews’s stunt double if I can't have Clay Matthews.

But what about the Corner? We ain't draftin' a corner, cause we're gettin' Asomugha. I really want Corey Casey Matthews, guys. Sure he's under sized and not nearly as athletic as his brother, but they said the same things about Clay coming out of college. He's projected as a Zach Thomas, as if it's a bad thing. I'd take Zach Thomas right now over Ernie Sims - ALL DAY. We need to draft some defensive swag this year, Eagles, no more BYU kids with their high character and morals. I want beasts. CAN I GET A HOT TUB!

GO BIRDS!

By TWW friend 'Anonymous'

Eric Staal has a lot of brothers, so trying to kill his younger brother, Mark, might not be that big of a deal to his mother. It's not like a Saving Private Ryan situation or anything. You already punked him at the All-Star draft, that was kinda funny, but giving your little brother a concussion is cold blooded as fuck, Eric. You'd never see Daniel hit Henrik like that, they love each other.

It's an interesting moral dilemma. On one hand, you catch an opposing player trying to get the puck out of the zone with his head down. Your competitive instincts are raging. On the other hand, you used to take baths with that guy at some point in your life. What do you do... what do you do? Maybe our own Dave or Eric can provide some perspective as to what the proper protocol is in this situation.

The Phillies tweeted out this lineup card for today's exhibition game against Florida State. Utley and Rollins will be the only two regulars not in the lineup this afternoon. Don't get too excited Mister Antsy Pants, the game will not be on TV or on the radio. I know, it blows. I was all set to ignore working this afternoon too.

As a quick tidbit, the highly respected Baseball America released their Top 100 Prospects list for 2011. In no surprise, here are the Phils who made the cut and their respective ranking:

4. Domonic Brown
39. Jonathan Singleton
56. Brody Colvin
70. Jarred Cosart

No real surprises here. I've seen Cosart and Colvin flip-flopped in other experts' rankings. I personally think Cosart will be the better of the two.  (I base this soley on his nasty fastball... I really have no business predicting prospects.  I don't know shizz.) But really, those four guys will be vital for the Phillies future and it proves once again, that the farm system is well stocked - even after assembling the greatest pitching rotation in the history of life.

Somehow, against all odds and despite Republican assclownery at its most full-blown, the mainstream media have been able to keep a straight face even when the NY Times publishes a story telling us how WI Gov. Scott Walker was tricked by a Buffalo Beast blogger into thinking he was talking to his boss David Koch over the phone. Among the admissions this inexplicably incumbent dunce made to an ad-libbing Ian Murphy: Tricking renegade Democrats into coming back to Madison so the Republicans can claim to have a quorum and Walker likening himself to Ronald Reagan and PATCO in 1981. So, forget about his "mandate" and mantra of fiscal responsibility: It's all about his legacy or repeating history by latching onto Reagan's tattered coattails.

Yeah, you heard that right. The Murphy/Walker interview that's made an even bigger stir than Sarah Palin getting punked in 2008 by someone claiming to be French President Nicholas Sarkozy helped exposed the meanness, venality, underheanded treachery and Reagan worship that, perhaps more than anything else, has kept this country from truly moving forward in over three decades.

The prank call also revealed that Republicans from coast to coast and everywhere in between can't get shit done except through illegitimate means such as stealth legislation, trickery and chicanery, fake mandates and, in the case of now-former Indiana Deputy Attorney General Jeff Cox, violence and threats of death a la Libya, Tunisia and Egypt (Sidebar: Don't forget, this is coming from the same JCCentCom who, while ridiculing anyone drawing parallels between Cairo and Madison, espoused treating the peaceful strikers like the Mubarak and Qaddafi regimes treated their protesters.). Right wing violence to opposition is something that of late used to be the specialty of the Tea Baggers. Now Republican terrorism is virtually mainstream.

Am I taking this man's words out of context, seeing something into a mere Twitter tweet that really isn't there? Uh, no. He meant every word. He really wants to kill public union members.


Wisconsin is getting the lion's share of the pro-labor/anti-labor coverage not because the demonstrations surrounding the State House are the biggest or that's it's become the epicenter of the American labor struggle but because its Governor, Scott Walker, has been fully exposed as an intractable tool of far right oligarchs like the Koch Brothers who have turned union busting into a lucrative industry.

Walker not only received $43,000 in campaign donations from the Koch Brothers but has also signaled he will not negotiate with public unions that have already shown a willingness to accept compromises, which was Big Labor's first mistake when dealing with Republican politicians and corporate tycoons. But they were willing to compromise and that isn't good enough.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, at first as stubborn an asshole as Walker and Chris Christie combined, had since backpedaled and decided not to support an anti-collective bargaining provision in the state budget when he saw what he was up against. Ohio decided to give back collective bargaining rights to their public workers (but only after throwing in a poison pill amendment that stripped from them the right to strike, which is the ultimate power of a union).

If the stakes weren't so high in this ongoing labor struggle, the spectacle would be comical. Democratic state lawmakers from two states have fled to Chicago like Prohibition-era bootleggers or bank robbers and frustrated Republican governors accusing them of drawing pay while shutting down the government and all the while screaming for the repeal of union rights and budget woes while just as stubbornly refusing to rescind tax cuts for the rich. But there's nothing funny in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana or anywhere else where there's labor unrest.

Republicans are always eager to bring back the good old lawless days when tycoons, magnates and other oligarchs determined how many hours a week their workers should work, what they should earn and how safe their workplaces were.

Leaving such decisions to those self-dealing entities naturally resulted in unions. Now, with maniacs like Jeff Cox advocating death, he's pushed the United States that much closer to the 20's and 30's, when people fought, and died, in the streets of America during the labor riots. Yes, Jeff Cox is now out of a job and good riddance. But just by posting those messages on Twitter as an appointed official, the damage has been done.

He got it out there and, however much we may ignore it, it is now on the table.

By TWW friend 'Anonymous'

Scottie meant to hit him hard, no doubt, but I doubt he intended to send Bartulis flying into the boards and separating his shoulder like that. Bartulis is not an NHL level d-man to begin with, coming into his first game in 2 months against a hot Coyotes team trying to make the playoffs. Things are gonna get rough. Gotta keep your head up, kid. This is Hockey, not fuckin' Patty Cake.

Sucks Laviolette hated Zherdev so much. This is probably how his waiver decision was made: The Part of Holmgren will be played by Brian from Family Guy while Peter Laviolette will be played by Christopher Walken-

Holmgren: I tried trading him, Peter, but everyone is gonna wait till we waive him.
Lavs (takes the gum out of his mouth): I can't stand the fuckin' guy! I hate him so much!
Holmgren: But he's got so much raw talent. I can't just waive him like that.
Lavs: I fuckin' can't stand him! He's like a fuckin' retarded Ovechkin out there! FUCK!
Holmgren: But Peter...
Lavs: Off the fuckin' team!
Holmgren: P--
Lavs: FUCKIN' NOW!
[/scene]

Hated his guts. Zherdev is a pure sniper, he shouldn't have had to play defense - isn't that why we brought in all those defenseman? He was here to score goals. Why do we not have a Zherdev - Richards - Versteeg line right now? He must have been a real jerkoff. He's got so much raw talent, and nobody wants to play with him. But why? He's your standard, crazy, ego-maniacal Russian; surely every team needs one of those. Right? Stop with this Nodl shit.

I guess I'm just getting nervous cause it's almost beard time, they're making all these moves, Lavs is going crazy with line combos, and dudes are getting blown up left and right. Our depth has been our strength all year, then bye bye Matt Walker, bye bye Zherdev - and now what do we have? I don't like it. But Laviolette is a great coach, and maybe this helps out Leino's contract talks or something. I'm conceding that these men are much more knowledgeable than I am when it comes to both, hockey situations, and where to buy nice suits. All I'm sayin' is that your moves is suspect, yo.

Flyers beat the Rangers on Sunday and got points against the Coyotes on Tuesday. They are blowing the East away, and I'm upset because Zherdev got waived, and Versteeg is wearing number 10... That's John LeClair's number... All-in-all, I'd say I'm up at this point. But O'Donnell is likely out, Betts is out, Bartulis is out, Shelley might be out, and Boucher might be hiding an injury. Might be nice to have some skilled hockey players hanging around in case someone gets hurt.

LET’S GO FLYERS

Paul Gascoigne photographed yesterday leaving Colonel Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli.

It has been confirmed that former England footballer Paul Gascoigne is in Libya, trying to persuade embattled leader Colonel Gaddafi to step down.

Gascoigne or "Gazza" achieved fame playing for the England national squad in the 1990s, but has been plauged by alcohol and drugs problems in recent years. Last July, the former footballer famously tried to persuade crazed gunman and former nightclub security guard Raoul Moat to surrender himself to police in Northumbria, England. Moat had shot his ex-girlfriend as well as her new partner and after days in hiding, was cornered by police - but the Gascoigne effect had no impact: after a long standoff with police, Moat shot himself.

Raoul Moat.

This time, Gascoigne hopes to have more success. The footballer told reporters yesterday that he flew out to Libya after watching events unfold on television. "Fortunately, the Colonel was a football fan and knew who I was" said Gascoigne, "So I was allowed in to talk to him." Mr Gascoigne is now trying to persuade the Libyan leader to relinquish power and avoid further bloodshed in his country. "He's a good man," said the former footballer, "Just give him some time and he'll do the right thing."

Caltech hadn't won a conference game since January 23, 1985. 1. 9. 8. 5. Holy fuck shit. Think about that for a second. The last time this team, of brilliant minds but absolutely terrible basketball players, won a conference game LeBron James wasn't even one-month old. WrestleMania didn't exist yet. Nintendo hadn't launched the NES in the US, Microsoft hadn't launched Windows. Ebony Magazine thought Michael Jackson would eventually look like this. Poor Ferris Bueller hadn't had his day off yet. Seriously.

So, congrats Caltech. Blowjobs for everyone.

Team they lost to? They have to give the blowjobs.

[h/t turd ferguson blog]

Working on my back deck with a friend in 2010

Last summer, while replacing some of the planks on my backdeck, I distractedly turned on my cordless circular saw and upon feeling the end of my work glove starting to twist, looked down to see I was just about to saw off a couple of fingers. I had a lot to say at the time, none of which I'll repeat here. But from the safe distance of time, I will now calmly describe the episode as they do in aviation as a "near miss."

I was reminded of my folly this week in Geneva, while reading one news story lauding a decrease in air accidents and another suggesting an increase in cockpit automation errors may be cause for alarm.

I'm thinking that this is a healthy sign. Certainly avoiding airplane crashes is desirable, but to maintain and improve on aviation's enviable level of safety, it's not only accidents that need attention but the glove twisting, "oh s--t" inducing, stomach churning, mostly unreported and often unknowable near-misses.

I've written about  the theory behind my philosophy in my last blog post about the miracle landing of Qantas Flight 32 in Singapore last November. It would take a very active imagination to come up a longer list of things to go wrong than what did go wrong on that flight.

To recap, a Rolls Royce engine failed on the Qantas Airbus A380 shortly after takeoff from Changi airport, sending parts into the wing and fuselage of the world's largest passenger plane. And yet, after two hours sorting through the error messages, the pilots did in fact bring the plane back to a safe landing. Having gotten it on the ground without loss of life certainly doesn't mean this happy ending is the end of the story. Far from it.

In a story on NPR last week, my friend and colleague in the Comprehensive Medical Aviation Safety Database, Capt. Patrick Veillette described an automated approach he was making to the Salt Lake City airport last fall. Patrick, a commercial pilot and and highly accomplished safety specialist told NPR, "What I anticipated the aircraft to do was to continue this descent," he told the reporter. "Well instead, the aircraft immediately pitched up, very abruptly and much to my surprise. And both of us reached for the yoke, going, 'What's it doing?' and there's that shock of, 'Why did it do that, what's it going to do next?'"

Pilot accounts provided to the NASA aviation safety reporting system detail many frightening encounters with automated flight controls as I reported last year in The New York Times and several posts here on my blog. At the same time automation has made many aspects of flying safer.

Tonight, I had a fascinating conversation with an engineer from a European aerospace laboratory who is here in Geneva to learn more about the digital transition in cockpit communication and air traffic control. The digitization of all things flight-related has left the station. That all this high-technology may sometimes err is as certain as the fallibility of low-tech humans.

That is why it has never been more important to thoroughly explore the factors that lead us to almost make a mess of it, whether that's understanding how pilots maintain the presence of mind to pull out after a computer goes astray, or figuring how why we cannot stay focused when the power (and the power tool) is totally under our own control.

Yep, that settles it. I would totally go and see a Broadway musical of The Predator. The whole thing was tremendous. I don't think the guys who put this together could've crafted a better masterpiece. If you're a guy, it is engrained in your DNA to agree with me on this. You know the second the singing Arnold voice hit your earpiece, you smiled like a dopey fool.

As an added bonus, hit the jump to see an outtake from Predator 2. The sequel kind of sucked, but I secretly watch it everytime it's on TBS. In many ways, I wish this was the actual ending of the film. Make sure you stick around to the end... even Danny Glover joins in on the fun.






[h/t Jon and Al Kaplan via Where's Weems]

If you're wondering what prompted this question - it was this video that made the Internet rounds a couple days ago. But the real story is how badass Idahoans think they are. The entire union is fearful of wild gorillas lurking around every corner, but not Idaho. Nope, those hillbillies aren't scared of shit. I don't know much about the state of Idaho beyond their plentiful potatoes and love of blue Astroturf, but at least now I know they'll totally beatdown Amy from Congo's ass if she gets out of line.

[h/t Buzzfeed]

Ok, so that wasted 2 minutes of your life, watching a 19-year old minor league pitcher get all hot and sweaty. For those of you that are now satisfied...there's nothing wrong with that. It's 2011, more power to you.

And for the rest of you...a girl with large breasts solving a Rubik's cube:

First off, let me begin this by saying I’m a fan of what the Knicks did. If you have a chance to acquire a top 10 (or 15) player, and pair him with another top 10 (or 15) player, you have to do it. When Melo is dropping 35 on Miami on Sunday, nobody in NYC is gonna miss Wilson Chandler or Danilo.

HOWEVER, the Knicks still aren’t that great. Yes, this gives them a base that could potentially be great over the next few years, but as of right now they really aren’t much of a threat (outside of taking one of the East’s contenders to 6 games in the first round) to win anything this year.

“But Dave,” you drunk-as-shit-happy-as-fuck Knicks fan might say, “We got Chaunce too. And Melo will own the Garden. You don’t know shit, we owned the Bulls twice AND we beat the Heat. Eastern Conference Finals, here we come! Bitch.”

Bitch, I'd respond with the quick fact that the Knicks only have three good players now. And remember defense? Yea, the Knicks don’t play any. Melo isn’t exactly a defensive force, and Amare basically blocks a few shots and that’s it. I mean, I'm a Billups fan and everything, but that guy isn’t guarding Rondo, Rose or Nelson in the playoffs, trust me. Over a seven game series the Knicks aren’t stopping Wade/LeBron/Bosh, Garnett/Rondo/Pierce/Allen or Rose/Boozer/Noah/Deng. It’s just not happening. Sure, they can catch fire from the three for a game or two…but remember they just traded Gallinari, Chandler AND Felton, who accounted for 5-threes per game at about 34% shooting. Sure Melo and Billups probably can make most of that up, but there isn’t the depth of 3-point shooting anymore. While the Knicks will still score a TON, how they score will need to change (Billups isn't a pass-first PG, which this offense is predicated on). It's definitely going to take some time. Again, I’m not saying this trade shouldn’t have happened, but it doesn’t exactly leave the Knicks as a true contender. Certainly more interesting, just really not that scary...yet.

If you don’t believe me check this link out. This guy knows a whole lot more than I do, and says it in a whole lot better way than I can. Long story short? Melo and Amare ain’t a perfect marriage…not like Cliff Lee and Phillies.

But don’t worry New York, we got your back. Our 76ers will be out in the first round too. Shared pain, baby. Shared pain.

I was wondering why Jill Hussein at Brilliant at Breakfast began chattering about New Jersey pizzerias when there are so many other Much More Serious Things to blog about. Then I got an email from my friend D at the New Jersey State Treasurer's office and she mentioned in passing that the people of Cairo were sending pizzas to the protesters in Madison, Wisconsin.

The link Jill provided takes you to an article by the SF Chronicle that provides a link (as does Jill) to Ian's Pizza on State, which is right around the corner from the epicenter of the public union protests that have drawn up to 68,000 people, making Madison a city within a city.

To make a long story short, someone called up Ian's a little while back and asked if they could donate their leftover, after-hours pizzas and they said Sure. Then they began getting phone calls from people who'd heard about their kindness and before they knew it, they'd shut down their regular business to provide pizzas to the Madison protesters.

By their own admission, they've gotten calls from as far away as Canada and even Denmark. Now, it seems, the brave and passionate people in Cairo, Egypt (as I'd said over a week ago) recognize that our people are protesting their local and state governments for essentially the same reason they were. In worker solidarity, they've also bought pizzas for the protesters in Wisconsin. At last count, they'd served about 430 to the State Capital but I'm sure that's gone way up. But even 430 pizzas divided eight ways won't come close to feeding the tens of thousands who've massed to protest the bill that would strip most public unions of collective bargaining power.

Times are very tough for Mrs. JP and me but I called up Ian's a few minutes ago and bought $20 worth of pizzas (the minimum they'll deliver for) for the hungry folks massed outside the Wisconsin State House. You don't have to be employed to feel solidarity for workers the world over. So if someone in northern Africa or Scandinavia can call halfway around the world to send a pizza or two, so can we in the US.

So if you have a few bucks to spare, call Ian's by clicking on their Facebook link or order online and send a pizza to a protester. I'm sure they'll appreciate it.

By TWW friend 'Anonymous'

Before I give you this prediction, I should let you know that I'm like, half a psychic ova' here. I see things in dreams, I swear to god. And I can also detect left handed people. Basically, I can say what you're thinking, if you said something next to me. Sometimes, I'll be singing a song, and then I turn on the radio, and that song is on, swear to god. So I'm using my powers here, to come up with a prediction of sort. So here it goes: The Phillies are winning 111 games this year.

How did you come up with this arbitrary number? Simple, the universe talks to me. Here's a thing; take the year you were born and add that number to the age you are/will be in 2011. Example, me: 84' + 27= 111. It works for everyone. J-Roll said we were chasing history. 111-51, it's happenin' like Sammy Kapanen.

Baseball is a game of numbers. Any true fan will tell you that. It's the math of the game that makes the most sense, and when you combine the math with wild speculation, and a community college level understanding of logic, it makes perfect sense. If Robert Downey Jr said it, you'd be all like, how clever.

Go Phillies!


[pic via Philly.com / Yong Kim]

This appeared on the great Todd Zolecki's blog this morning. Apparently this photo shoot is actually for a NY magazine. Less surprisingly, they didn't bother to ask Joe Blanton about it.

I know, I know. I thought R2C2 had made a stand against all group photos and interviews that don't include Heavy B too. But in the grand scheme of things, Joe Blanton's homered in a World Series, will have a great year as the 5th starter, and is a millionaire. Don't feel too bad for the guy. He's just happy to be here.

[h/t The Zo Zone]

Roman Candle Duel Headshot - Watch more Funny Videos

That's what you get, you shaggy-haired retard! A frickin Roman Candle right in your face. All up in yo' face. I have no idea if this kid was OK after this, and I don't care. I'm more upset the toolbox who appears at the :25 mark wearing biking shorts and Shock G sunglasses didn't catch one too.

By TWW friend 'Anonymous'

I know what I am about to say will be met with a lot of mouth farts and head shakes. Many of you will say, "Hey, Anonymous, stick with your obligatory hockey posts and smart ass comments in the comment section." But I keeps it real.

So here it goes: Carlos Ruiz should bat fifth. I, 2, 3, 4, FIF.

Backwards ? Estoy Loco? Maybe... but Chooch is the most underrated player in baseball, both offensively, and in his ability to call a game. Honestly, how many great Phillies moments have you enjoyed at the courtesy of, Ruiz? A lot is the answer. Chooch is clutch. My man, batted .302 last year. Sure, he only had 8 homers and 53 RBIs, but he was just filling his role. He strikes me as a Juan Castillo type, maybe because I perceive them both as Mexicans, or maybe it's because I believe that given the opportunity, Mexicans, no matter what country they are from, will do whatever job is asked of them. Just look at Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Juan, from the pizza place... What do all these men have in common? All Mexican, all superstars. I think a hora es aqui para el Chooch.

Of course, I'm only suggesting this line-up against lefties. He's a righty, and we know we need one of those. We've seen his power, and we know he has the capability of getting hot. I'm all about batting him fifth. Still worried about Chooch's numbers? Let's compare them to World Series Champion, Buster Posey's numbers: .305BA, 18HR, 67RBIs. Posey bats in the top half of the Giants lineup, and Ruiz is better than Buster fuckin' ass Posey. You're tellin' me Chooch can't put up those numbers? I can't believe no one is even suggesting it. Let's look at it.

Versus Left: S- Rollins; R- Polanco; L- Utley; L- Howard; R- Ruiz; S- Victorino; L- Ibanez; R- Francisco
Versus Right: S- Rollins; S- Victorino; L- Utley; L- Howard; L- Brown; R- Polanco; L- Ibanez; R- Ruiz

All I know is, that when MLB The Show 11 comes out, this is gonna be my franchise mode lineup. Chooch is a steal in fantasy baseball too. He's ranked like 350 something and everyone knows it's hard to get a good catcher past the 6th round. Fuck Carlos Santana, I'm grabbin' Chooch, late... no homo. It's a stretch, but I'm just thinking outside the caja.

GO PHILLIES

By TWW friend 'Anonymous'

They call it, "The Brind' Amour Face." It's when you flare your nostrils and lips and don a blank stare, thus appearing ugly and stupid, yet intimidating all at the same time... in the face. It's known world wide, from Philly to Carolina, and everyone does it in intense situations such as feeling for ripe melons and/or winning face offs. Actually, I'm the only one that does this face. But I do it for fun, out of love. Roderic Jean Brind'Amour was born doing it.

It's not just Rod Brind' Amour's puck blasted face that got his no. 17 jersey retired last night in Carolina, It was his work ethic and determination, his talent and skill, his championship caliber leadership, and his thick thighs. His dedication to the gym is obviously the reason he holds the Flyers franchise record for consecutive games played. He looks pretty passionate about tanning and laundry as well. He kept himself in great shape for his 20 plus year career. I mean, shit, he played in Philly for 9 years, when we traded him to Carolina he was old, and then he goes and plays 10 more years, and wins The Cup in 2006! Crazy healthy.

He is best known as a face off winning machine. The combination of his strength and face makes out drawing him nearly impossible. He is also regarded as a great defensive forward, which he won a Selke Trophy for, in 2006. What I will always remember, is how many open nets this man missed while wearing the Orange and Black. Don't get me wrong, he was a prolific scorer, about 25-30 goals a year, all I'm saying is that he could've easily scored 85 goals a season.

It's easy to understand why the Carolina Hurricanes honored Brind' Amour by retiring his jersey. He is a hockey Icon in both cities. Clearly a fan favorite for both the Hurricanes and the Flyers; he practically built the Hurricanes and won the Stanley Cup, and I still see at least 15 Brind' Amour jerseys every time I go to a Flyers game. That's why it was cool to see the Flyers organization honor the night, not by sitting in the dressing room during the festivities, but actively engaging in the ceremony by having all the Flyers wear no.17 Brind' Amour jerseys during the pre-skate and banner raising. Brind' Amour is our guy too, and he recognized that in his speech. It was real classy by both franchises. Props to the Carolina fans who cheered the Flyers for their participation, that was nice. We're all a bunch of nice guys ova' here.

And then we lost 3-2.

LET'S GO FLYERS

What's worse? @StapleCenterLA's butchering of "NBA Legend" Detlef Schrempf's name, or their incredibly loose idea of what constitutes a Legend? I guess "Two Hall of Famers Standing Near 'Big Smooth' and 'Det the Threat'" didn't have the same ring to it.

[h/t SportsbyBrooks]

It didn't happen in Southeast Asia but it sure as hell took effect in Northern Africa and certainly across the Middle East. So why shouldn't the same Domino Effect apply to Wisconsin and the rest of the United States?

Protests are popping up at State Houses and City Halls all over the country. What follows is a list of all the protests being planned from today until Thursday, courtesy of Chris Bowers at Daily Kos (Note: Not all these events are SEIU protests).

This is what happens when you keep trying to take away from people who have nothing left to lose.

Events on Monday February 21, 2011 (All times local)

Indiana
Rally
Time: 9 A.M.
Location: Indiana State Capitol
Address: 302 W Washington St - Indianapolis, IN

Montana
Rally
Time: 2 P.M.
Location: Montana State Capitol
Address: 1301 East 6th Avenue - Helena, Montana

Nevada
Rally
Time: 12 P.M.
Location: Nevada State Capitol
Address: 101 North Carson Street - Carson City, NV 89701

North Carolina
Rally
Time: 12 P.M. Location:
Address: 1 East Edenton Street - Raleigh, NC 27601

Oregon
Rally
Time: 12 P.M.
Location: State Capitol
Address: 900 Court St. NE - Salem, OR 97301

Texas
Candlelight March and Vigil
Time: 6:45 P.M.
Location: Meet at TX AFL-CIO
Address: 1106 Lavaca St. - Austin, TX. 78701

Washington
Rally
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: State Capitol Rotunda
Address: 416 Sid Snyder Avenue SW - Olympia, WA 98504

Wisconsin
Rally
Time: All Day
Location: State Capitol
Address: 2 East Main Street - Madison, WI. 53702

Events on Tuesday February 22, 2011 (All times local)

California
Vigil
Time: 5:30 P.M.
Location: State Capitol West Steps
Address: 1315 10th Street - Sacramento, CA 95814

California
Vigil
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Poncitlan Square
Address: 38315 9th Street East - Palmdale, CA. 93550

Colorado
Rally
Time: 12:00 P.M.
Location: Colorado State Capitol
Address: 200 East Colfax Avenue (West Steps) - Denver, CO. 80203

Iowa
Rally
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Iowa State Capitol
Address: 1007 East Grand Avenue - Des Moines, IA

Maryland
Rally
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Lawyers' Mall, Maryland State House
Address: 100 State Circle - Annapolis, MD. 21401

Massachusetts
Rally
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: State House
Address: 1 Ashburton Pl - Boston, MA 02108

Massachusetts
Rally
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: City Hall Steps
Address: 36 Court Street - Springfield, MA 01103

Minnesota
Rally
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Minnesota State Capitol
Address: 75 Constitution Ave - St. Paul, MN 55101

Ohio
Rally
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Capitol Building
Address: 1395 Dublin Rd - Columbus, OH 43215

New Mexico
Rally
Time: 12:15 PM
Location: East Side of the State House
Address: 490 Old Santa Fe Trl # 219 - Santa Fe, NM 87501

Rhode Island
Rally
Time: 4:30 PM
Location: Rhode Island State House
Address: 90 Smith St - Providence, RI 02903

Vermont
Rally
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Vermont State Capitol Building
Address: 115 State Street - Montpelier, VT. 05602

Wisconsin
Rally
Time: All Day
Location: State Capitol
Address: 2 East Main Street - Madison, WI. 53702

Events on Wednesday February 23, 2011 (All times local)

Arkansas
Rally
Time: 11:30 AM
Location: State Capitol Building
Address: 425 W Capitol Ave, Little Rock, AR 72201

Connecticut
Rally
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: State Capitol Building, West Steps
Address: 210 Capitol Avenue - Hartford, CT. 06106

Georgia
Rally
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: State Capitol Building
Address: 206 Washington St - Atlanta, GA, 30334

Pennsylvania
Rally
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Lackawana Court House
Address: 200 Adams Avenue - Scranton, PA 18503

Events on Thursday February 24, 2011 (All times local)

Ohio
Protest against Governor Kasich
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Canton Civic Center
Address: 1101 Market Ave N. - Canton, Oh 44702

Events on Friday, February 25, 2011 (All times local)

New Jersey

Time: 12:00 noon
Location: The State House
Address: 125 West State Street, Trenton, NJ