Today's O'Tids Issue 2,792
Opening Stuff:
 
US liberal critics are saying the new Pope is too Catholic! What the hell is that supposed to mean? He's then effing Pope for crissake! It just proves that no matter how pure one side's argument is, the other side will be equally opposite. And that, is, the world we live in. 

President Obama now weakened a bit as his numbers fall is playing nice, nice with the Repubs. He is even alluding to Dem pals that they should give a little here and there in order to achieve a balanced solution. But, this is the Iceberg administration. For every apparent "give" on the outside, the 0-Man is issuing orders to agencies on the inside that would give him his way outside of congressional approval. Which, just so happens to be not the way it's supposed to be in the US system. Yesterday for instance, he was preparing to tell his agencies "For the first time", that "They have to consider the impact on global warming before approving all major projects, from pipelines to highways to factory expansion." It isn't what he's doing for the public's eye, it's what's going on below the surface. And, there's plenty

But, then, of course, tomorrow, is the Saint Patrick's Day Parade where we can lift a pint or two, do a little dance, and smile at good friends Irish and not; A day to enjoy the present, forget past sins and hope there's a tomorrow that will be better than yesterday. It's like confession.

The Question:
What are considered great Irish songs for America's Saint Paddy's Day?

The Headlines:
--US Moving Missiles To Alaska, Northwest; Apparently NK Threats Are Being taken Seriously.
--US Inflation Highest In Three Years; Consumer Sentiment Index Hits 2 Year Low, Surprises For March Forecast.
--ObamaCare Expected To Reduce Overall Employment.
--World Reviews On New Pope All Positive.
--China Li Keqiang Becomes New Premiere.
--IRS Computer Glitch Has 660,000 Taxpayers Waiting 6 Weeks Longer For Refunds.
--GOP Senator Portman Switches Support To Favoring Gay Marriage.
--48 Dem Lawmakers Urge Obama Not To Back Down In Japan Free Trade Talks; Elimination Of Tariff Could Strike Blow Against US Automakers And Workers.

The voters are at it again. Picking mediocrity over talent. Now I'm not saying that Curtis Finch Jr. is the best ever American Idol candidate, but he certainly would have brought much more to the show than the flat liners Lazaro Arbos, Devin Velez and to a degree Paul Jolly. And based on his blah Wednesday night performance Burnell Taylor also fits into the ho-hum category. The good news is that they got it right with all the girls/women staying. They deserved it.

The way things are being automated, combined with the continuing growth of intrusions by Government watchdogs, it would not surprise me that the next time people have their cars inspected, they will also find a giant bar code printed on the front, back and sides of their cars. Gotcha!

The Republicans are holding CPAC, and they didn't invite former heavyweight champion Chris Christie. The Repubs are behaving like children, denouncing by inference a guy who did his job by asking the federal government to help his people ravaged by Sandy. Ok, ok, I agree, he could have done it with a little less affection for the 0-Man, but kissing in public is part of the science called politics. And also, Christie would have been funny as a speaker. Republicans need funny.

Does it seem that more and more you see people working for "Non-Profits"? Your heart tends to reach out to these selfless warriors for the public good, until you realize that non-profit has no relationship to non-salary. In fact, high salaries may be exactly the reason there are no profits. For instance, Joe Kennedy, Hugo Chavez idolizer and chief supporter in the US, and his wife make a combined $1.3 Million working for the Non-Profit Citizens Energy Heat Assistance Program. He does some good things, but don't feel sorry for this scion of millionaires.

Actually, the Tids is a non-profit operation. 

Tom Brady is probably sitting in a grand hotel room somewhere in the world of mega star glamor, wondering, "Why was it again I accepted reducing my salary from $20 mil to 8 Mil?"

People worried about TSA relaxing rules for knives and sports equipment should know that there is a 2 minute penalty for high sticking.

So, if the St. Pat's Parade is on Saturday and St. Patrick's Day  is Sunday, does that mean you can get sloshed two days in a row and nobody will care? Unless, of course, you punch out a policeman.

Reading Between the Lines Movie Reviews:
--The Incredible Burt Wonderstone looks insufferable, and I hear that it probably is. It's about Steve Carell an arrogant fading magician who tries to reinvent himself, fighting up from the gutter, to compete with a new breed magician Jim Carey. There are some good laughs along the way and the cast is good, But from what I have seen, there is way too much of everything. I won't be goiing.
--I have to say that General Douglas A. MacArthur is one of my boyhood heroes. And the plot about the biggest decisions made by Mac is a good one. The big problem post war was how to handel the Emperor, a God like figure for the Japanese. Was he the power behind the gruesome war, the surprise attack on America, or was he just a puppet. McArthur walks the tightrope in tis psychological drama. The only real problem I have is that Tommy Lee Jones sounds like Timmy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive". See Burt Wonderstone about self reinvention.
--The Call is a tense little sucker that will keep you riveted. A veteran 911 operator, Haile Berry, takes a call for a teen age girl just abducted, Abigail Breslin. It becomes a life-altering chase for the operator as she recognizes she must confront a killer form her path to save the girl. I had been lukewarm on this one as a big cliche, but I'm changing my mind.

The Answer:
There's tons of great Irish music all over the place, as you will see also below below. But here's some tunes most, Irish and Non-Irish, know and sing wildly into the night: My Wild Irish Rose, Danny Boy, Galway Bay, A Great Day for the Irish,, A little Bit of Heaven, I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover, Peg-O-My Heart (My Mom's favorite.), An Irish Lullaby (Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra), Molly Malone and When Irish Eyes are Smilin'.

Those are the songs sung in bars and on the streets around St. Patrick's Day Parades. But there are many, many  more...like An Irish Rover, A Nation Once Again, The Boys of the Old Brigade, Arthur McBride, Come Out Ye Black and Tans... and here's one of sentimental value you can enjoy while you ponder today's O'Tids.

See you all again on Monday!