The one song that Seattle has that EC doesn't is SIBLY. The songs that EC has that Seattle doesn't are Tangerine, Communication Breakdown and the entire amazing acoustic set. Case closed...Earls Court for the win.

Sorry if you feel abandoned, CP. It's just that my repasts post-Thanksgiving have been rather ordinary...nothing special to share on the forum. Some soups, some pizza and pasta, some tacos and burritos, some salads and sandwiches. Nothing fancy or exotic.

"Why?", indeed. http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/17/world/asia/afghanistan-isaf-crash/?c=&page=0

How long did you have that beauty, redrum? Did you use it often? What camera are you using now?

Well, well, well...look who has slid into third place ahead of jabe! Well played Paul...and congratulations to you and pottedplant on being the only two to finish above .500 and winning the week.

Hell, Buffalo's first two Super Bowl losses was proof of that. The Giants beat Buffalo with Jeff Hostetler at QB. Does anybody seriously believe Hostetler was a better QB than Kelly? By the time Buffalo played Dallas, their psyche was toast...they were beat before they even took the field. I like Detroit tonight...unlike last week, Reggie Bush will be playing and Stafford is much more effective with Bush in the lineup.

Hahaha...yeah, the world is overrun with them now. But I assure you there wasn't one in Nürnberg in the early-80s.

Nürnberg has an Irish pub now? The Christkindlesmarkt is one of the delights of the season that I miss most from my years in Nürnberg. A pleasure just to walk among the rows of stalls in the snow.

I was bad enough on my morning picks but I lost all the late games except one...only my Raida's came thru for me by losing. And Rick's Bills finally paid off, even though your quarterback tried to give the game away.

Yeah, I shouldn't have trusted the Bungles on the road....or New Orleans for that matter. So much for Rick's pick of Cincinnati going to the Super Bowl. They are not beating Denver or New England in the playoffs. Dallas is a disaster...cannot wait to watch the highlights to see how they fucked that game up. Haha, USC fans know the pain and suffering of Monte Kiffin's porous defense. There needs to be a team-wide purge...starting with Jerry Jones.

Good grief...Peter, Joan...now Billy? They're dropping like flies. Soon, only Keef will be left standing.

Fookin' 'ell! What a bloodbath! I had to work and missed all the football action yesterday...anyone care to explain what in Sam Hill happened?

I really don't understand what the hell they are doing in Washington. What a mess. RGIII is a joke. Here's the deal. If you are a football franchise, you are prepared to allocate a significant amount of salary for your quarterback in return for you being set at the QB position for a decade or more. Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rogers, even Tony Romo...if you're a GM you don't mind signing these guys to long-term max conracts because you know you'll have peace of mind that your team is set at quarterback and you can go about fixing other areas of the team. But to think RGIII and guys of his ilk (Vick, Vince Young) are worthy of being called a 'franchise quarterback' and more importantly, being paid like a 'franchise quarterback' is insane. These running quarterbacks who don't throw accurately take hits like a running back. A running back's career averages around three-four years. Which means, while Brady and Manning play for a decade or more for their teams, running quarterbacks wash out of the league after only a few years. Where's Vince Young these days? Did you see how awful Vick looked before Foles replaced him? Washington is in the same boat with RGIII. They are expending loads of money on a player whose effectiveness will last a few seasons at best. They'll have to look for another quarterback thru either the draft or free agency very shortly...which means more drain on the payroll. All these running quarterbacks do well in college where they're playing against high schoolers and team speed is lacking. It's a different story in the NFL. If they cannot throw accurately and develop into a pocket passer, they are doomed, and any team relying on one to be their franchise quarterback is doomed as well.

Ok, I changed my Chicago pick to Cleveland and Jax to Buffalo. It is 9:41am as I post this.

Arte Moreno and the Angels are really trying my patience. I'm this close to renouncing my Angel fanship. This latest trade (Trumbo) might be the last straw.

They gave the Heisman to a rapist. It should have gone to A. J. McCarron.

Tempted to change some picks...just found out Jay Cutler is starting for Chicago not McCown. I can't stand Cutler...he's the type of player I loathe. A whiner, crybaby, choker, a cancer. But Cleveland is so awful. I'm also weighing changing pix in Buffalo@Jax and NE@Miami games. Hmmmmm...

I met some ladies from Sydney the other day and when I asked them about their team's progress in the Ashes, they blanched and shrieked in terror. They told me they LOATHED cricket and one of the many things they loved about America was getting away from cricket and hearing about it non-stop. Anyway, I have a question...weren't the Ashes back in August in England? Now they're already playing the Aussie Ashes? When did the schedule them back-to-back so soon? And a question for Whoopie: England beat Australia in the Ashes held on England soil. Now it looks like the Aussies will hold serve in Oz. How does that constitute the death of English cricket? Both teams merely defended their home turf...seems like a draw to me, with neither country's cricket better or worse than the other.

Week 15 picks: Denver Atlanta Cleveland Indianapolis New England Philadelphia Seattle San Francisco Buffalo Kansas City Carolina Dallas Tennessee New Orleans Cincinnati Detroit

I actually have Friday off for a change, so yeah, TGIF!!! After a morning nap, I'm going to see "American Hustle" again and then do some Christmas shopping and gift wrapping. Then I'm taking a friend to see Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" with McQueen in person for a discussion afterwards.

Groucho, Chico & Harpo. Moe, Larry, Shemp & Curly.

And you're the only one with a win after last night. I hope you put cold hard cash on that pick, Nostradamus!

^^^ This is all starting to sound like "King Lear". With all due respect, you're interpreting cryingbluerain's remark too narrowly. It wasn't just a military need that cryingbluerain was implying...there is also the disaster relief and food supplies that the U.S. provides on a steady basis. Who is, more often than not, the first on the scene when disaster strikes? The U.S. MARINES, that's who!!! Refer to the recent devastation in the Phillipines for an example of the American generosity and compare it to the puny aid offered by China. As TypeO and others can vouch, I'm no gung-ho 'America is always right' Cowboy, but to minimize the security and good-will the United States still provides to many countries is naive.

Sorry Paul, I've been swamped and barely staying afloat this week. I'll put my pick in for tonight's game and do the rest later. Ok? Denver