The Stanley Cup Playoffs are HERE!  It's the reason for the season, and for those who are going to put some money on it in Vegas, you might want to look at this...

Are any teams a lock for the Finals? Want to know how each series will finish? Wondering what will happen to your favorite team? WhatIfSports.com presents NHL Playoff Preview, a quick and simple breakdown of each series. WhatIfSports simulated the entire NHL Playoffs 10,000 times by plugging every stat it could get its hands on into the site's award-winning simulation engine. Click on a conference to find out how each team will fare.

Ultimately, though, the WhatIfSports.com NHL bracket concludes with the better-seeded teams on top. Mathematical simulation often comes down to exploiting obvious weaknesses. Detroit, with its balanced team and two great goaltenders, has no obvious weaknesses. The Red Wings have the highest chance of winning the tournament at 51.1 percent. This means that Detroit is slightly more likely to win than the proverbial "field."

After the Red Wings, only two teams, Montreal (13.5 percent) and Dallas are in the double digit percentages. After the top three, everything is essentially up for grabs. The very young yet extremely talented Pittsburgh Penguins are next at 4.9 percent. They are followed by San Jose (4.3 percent), New Jersey (4.1 percent) and Ottawa (2.9 percent). Every team wins the Cup at least 0.1 percent of the time — or at least 10 out of 10,000 tries.

We live in dangerous times. Well, not really. Actually, life in the 21st century is safer than ever before. This, however, doesn't stop people from selling and buying overpriced and often useless self-defense products.

While most of the stuff on the market will simply gather dust on your shelf/purse/man-bag that's not actually a purse, some of these real products seem a hell of a lot more dangerous to the owner than the mugger.

How do these gadgets sound?

Cell Phone Stun Gun
Vending Machine Disguise
The Electrified "No-Contact" Jacket
Tampon Taser
Shotgun Flashlight

13-most-irresponsible-self-defense-gadgets-money-can-buy

We should discuss some of our own ideas in the forum!

"To his loving friends, colleagues and fans, we appreciate your heartfelt prayers and support. Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played. Indeed, he committed himself to every role with passion, and pursued every cause with unmatched enthusiasm and integrity.

We knew him as an adoring husband, a kind and devoted father, and a gentle grandfather, with an infectious sense of humor. He served these far greater roles with tremendous faith, courage and dignity. He loved deeply, and he was deeply loved.

No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession, and to his country. In his own words, "I have lived such a wonderful life! I've lived enough for two people."

Heston was the President and spokesman of the NRA from 1998 until his resignation in 2003. At the 2000 NRA convention, he raised a hand-made Brooks flintlock rifle over his head and declared that presidential candidate Al Gore would take away his Second Amendment rights "from my cold, dead hands." In announcing his resignation in 2003, he again raised a rifle over his head, repeating the five famous words of his 2000 speech. He was an honorary life member.

Actor George Clooney joked about Heston having Alzheimer's Disease. When questioned, Clooney said Heston deserved whatever was said about him for his involvement with the NRA. Heston responded by saying Clooney lacked "class," and said he felt sorry for Clooney, as Clooney had as much of a chance of developing Alzheimer's as anyone else.

DAMNED DIRTY APES!