Campy

Thanks for the laugh Rock and dave_b. And to everyone: Regardless of anyone else's faith (or lack thereof), I'm a believer in the power of positive thought. Thanks for the well-wishes and prayers.

Over the past week I've received several PMs regarding my health. I received some good news and wanted to share it with all of you. On Friday afternoon I had an appointment with my ophthalmologist. The visible growth I had around my eyes has not grown back. Dr. Joly (my opthalmologist) dictated a letter to Dr. Berger (my oncologist) and said that there is “a salmon-colored discoloration that presents no mass. The growth in Mr. Campbell’s conjunctival tissue appears to be in remission.” Needless to say, I’m pretty darn pleased. I’m trying to maintain a guarded optimism pending a CAT scan in a couple of weeks, but I’m still pretty darn happy about it. Hopefully the CAT scan will show a similiar result with the growth in my neck and jaw. I’ll know the results in a month or so. Good news so far and I wanted to share it with you. Thanks for all of your well-wishes, prayers, and good thoughts.

Well Norm, most of the Irish immigrants during the Famine came into New York and Boston. The vast majority of Irish immigrants that settled KY, TN, and GA actually arrived in PA, MD, and VA during the 1720s and 30s and their ancestors made there way south - after GA was no longer used as a penal colony. And while they came from Ireland, they were more Scot than Irish. They were Ulster-Scots (Scotch-Irish) who came from Ulster on the east coast of Ireland.

See there, you're drinking the wrong stuff! The swill called whiskey tastes like battery acid. But if you drink real whisky (no 'e' means it's the real deal from Scotland), then you'll find it tastes just as good from the first dram to the last! As for haggis, it's not unlike any processed meat (hot dogs, sausage, bologna, etc) in that you're better off just eating it and not thinking about what's actually in it. An acquired taste perhaps, but haggis with neeps and taters, that's some good eatin' right there!

It's OK, you can say you're with the IRS. We won't say anything - it's too close to April 15th to draw your ire! As for me, I don't have a job. After years of sales and sales management, I had enough. I've gone back to school to learn me somethin'.

That's the beauty of haggis - it tastes better the more whisky you've had! Happy St Patrick's Day to my fellow Celts. To the rest of you amateurs: stop celebrating our holiday. You're making it too hard to get good service at the pubs! Looks like I'll be out at the Greening of Ghent in Norfolk. If you're in Hampton Roads and heading over there look for me and say hi. I'll be the drunk guy in the kilt.

Confederate States of America? Seriously, what's the CSA?

Hey - Happy Birthday Steve!

The Ides played a fairly important role in Roman culture. Those of us who took a few years of Latin don't think about Billy Shakespeare when the Ides are upon us.

Which are things we all learned about via the media, making those "blame the media" rants all the more inane.

Okey dokey Paul. You're right, I'm wrong. Does that make you feel better about yourself?

My oncologist's office has National Review in the waiting area. I read it in there prior to Christmas, so I very well may be mistaken. I'll concede that it was pre-9/11, but it really doesn't change my mind.

So your problem is with the 14th Ammendment then?

I'm not a fan of sending your players to division opponents. In fact, out of the conference is my preference whether it's the Bills or the Sabres. Unless they made a ridiculously stooopid offer (like their first 3 picks in the next draft and their following 2 years' #1's), I wouldn't do it.

Funny, I'm using "talking points" when you disagree, yet to me it's just ol' fashioned common sense and you're the one using talking points. IMO you're making it too complicated Paul, but as I said, to each his own...

FWIW, FISA and the FISA Court can be used to monitor US citizens.

It's not too terribly complicated IMO: --The UAE monetarily supports Hammas. Hammas is recognized by the US as a "terror organization." --The Taliban supported al Qaeda. al Qaeda is recognized by the US as a "terror organization." --High-ranking UAE officials met with high ranking members of al Qaeda post-9/11, per the 9/11 Commission. I'm blown away by the people who don't have a problem with the US government doing business with governments that supports terrorists. We invade one country, yet want to do business with another? Nah, that's not too hypocritical, but to each his own...

Sure. Allowing a government that supports terror groups to manage US infrasctructure would appear more hypocritical.

Very well said.

Oh sure, drag me into it why dontcha'

If you have time, the haunted catacombs under the Royal Mile are a must-see. Hoist a pint of Tenants for me.

Don't let it make you angry. We've had an awful lot more to be embarassed of over the past few years than this whole thing. Allowing our infrastructure to be managed by a state-run company whose government has allied themselves with two organizations the United States has identified as terrorist groups (Hammas and al Qaeda) -- now that would be embarassing. Maybe not Abu Graib embarassing, but embarassing all the same. Especially after invading two countries for doing pretty much the same darn thing (aiding terrorists). Well, Afghanistan for sure, Iraq not so much, but the whole terrorist angle was how it was packaged and sold to the mouth breathers. And if this thread is any indication, my friends to the right of center are wringing their hands over the opinions moderate Muslims have of the US? So let me get this straight: The people that have tried, are still trying, and will continue to try to kill us, may no longer like us because we don't want terrorist group's allies managing our infrastructure? If they're moderate, then fine, they'll continue to be moderate - but I wouldn't think real moderate Muslims would ally themselves with both Hammas and al Qaeda. And the moderates who haven't allied themselves with terrorists could probably find several reasons for disliking the US -- none of which are related to DPW/UAE's control over a vital part of our infrastructure.

While we're being all literary and all, I'm still waiting for a certain Ghost's coworker to finish writing his book on the War of Northern Aggression. Is it done now and if so, do you know the title?

It was the ref's fault.

And that is why I expect them to make some noise in the playoffs. Barring injury I think they'll go deep this year, regardless of who they play and how they want to play us.