Today's O'Tids Issue
4,083
For Green, Green Grass of Home:
Isn’t
it interesting how humans can accept as tradition things
that don’t make sense.
Can
you imagine what it would be like to be a young lad
seeing his first boiled dinner set before him – corned beef, cabbage, potatoes
and a few carrots for color. His eyes agog at this unappetizing, somewhat bland
display, despite the pink and orange. A quick glance at mom, proud over her
Irish heritage, and the guilt sets in. And then to Dad, with that Eat it or die
grin. That was the first of many Corned beef and cabbage meals; the ritual never
changed, and the taste never got better. I just can’t imagine paying for it at
a restaurant on Saint Patrick’s Day.
Another
Irish favorite is Beef Stew, I was thinking of
using that as a password. But a reader tells me no, it’s not Stroganoff.
Tiger
Wood’s ex-Wife is obviously loving his comeback. She just
put on the market the home she got in the ugly divorce for $46.8 Million!
The
Question:
Name what are considered the ten creepiest Mascots in
the NCAA B-Ball Tournament.
The
Headlines:
--Markets Could End Week Higher; Feb US Housing Starts
Fell More Than Forecast.
--Trump Admin To Combat China Movie Piracy; Effort
Could Save US $600Billion.
--Well’s Fargo Caught With Hand In Till Once Again.
--Pedestrian Bridge Collapse’ At Least Six Dead.
--Hillary Collapses In India Resort Bathtub
Fracturing Wrist.
--Trump Prepares The Way For More Personal Shifts;
Says, “There will Always Be Change”.
--US Military Helicopter Crash In Iraq Kills 7
soldiers.
--Feds After NJ, RI and NM For Misappropriating 911
Tax On Phone Bills.
I
never thought that much about being Irish until I found I
could use it as an excuse for drinking.
CBS’s
favorite Ex-CIA Director, typically not a Trump lover Michael
Morell, gave resounding support to the choice of Gina Haspel. However, the
drums of hate are already building against her. She may not have a chance in a
Congressional election year.
Pay-Pal
co-funder Peter Thiel says that Silicon Valley is a one party
state where dissenting views are not allowed. It’s called totalitarianism. Like:
We’re Smart. We figured it out. Follow us. There is only one way to go. The Cal
Legislature and Judges seem to be following on that one-way path. Poor
Californians.
Silicon
Valley could be “Silicom” – for Silly Communications.
Gap
years are fast becoming the fancy of HS grads whose
parents have deep pockets. In my day, we had gap years, which for many really helped
with maturity – joining or being drafted into the Army or Navy.
You
have to wonder how many hard-working parents will have
to take on extra debt to assure their kids self-esteem is not fractured in the gap
year race.
If
you don’t have anything green to wear tomorrow, wear
a yellow shirt and blue pants. The colors merge under bleary eyes.
Speaking
of debt, Toys r’ Us was paying a huge percentage of its
shrinking revenue to debt interest. From its early days, the company was a
victim of the big leveraged buy-out fad of the 80’s where the financiers get
the cash and the company gets the debt. Cash starved companies
are formed, which in the long run creates a diminished ability to invest in its
future, as a majority of cash goes to paying interests. I.e.—after the KKK, Bain
buyout, debt was 82% of total capital and annual interest payments were $450
million, And it got worse as revenues were depressed by emerging competition,
and they were left without the wherewithal to respond.
How
did the Irish jig get started? Too many drinks and
not enough rest rooms.
The
mention of committed interest payments against debt reminds
me a of certain “Toy” company in Washington DC. It is expected that annual US
interest payments against the debt will grow from $220 Billon/year to $640
Billion. That means, if you pay $10,000 in taxes, $2,612 goes to interest
payments. That is of course, unless congress increase the debt to pay the
interest. But, just try to take away the governments playthings.
On
that Bridge collapse: It says in the paper that they were in
the midst of a stress test. It didn’t pass.
My
mother could make delicious gravy out of just about everything
except corned beef.
Today’s
news was about a Nike exec being dismissed because of
Sexual abuse charges. But, the bigger issue at Nike is a slowdown growth. In fact
some investors are telling Nike shareholders to switch out and into Adidas. Adidas,
which also owns Reebok, is surging ahead in global sales and even gaining ground
the USA. Couple that with the rise of Under Armor as an athletic clothing competitor,
and you won’t be surprised to learn of Nike’s much lower than forecast growth
rate of 3%. Great companies of the past used last for a century or so, But today,
with lower costs of entry and super-fast mass communications, it take about a
mere 20-25 years to show aging. Get used to it.
I
have always thought that linguine is much too slippery,
making eating a meal with it a challenge.
I
went out drinking on Saint Patrick’s Day, so I took a bus
home. That may not ne a big deal for you, but I had never driven a bus before.
The
Answer:
“Friar Dom” of Providence College wins the creepiest
award. It is followed by Iona’s “Killeam”, TCU ‘s “Horned Frog”, Wichita State’s
“WuShock”, “Perdue Pete”, Xavier’s “Blue Blob”, Penn’s “Quaker”, Radford’s “Highlander”,
Stephen F. Austin’s “Lumberjacks” and K-State’s “Willie the Wilder”.
Happy
Saint Patrick’s Day, E-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y – May you be mellow in
green valley’s neath rolling hills with a glistening amber pint (Stay with it
after the following for an Ed Sheeran acoustic version):
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