Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Dep't of Homeland Insecurity:

In a move that's raised a few eyebrows, Homeland Security Secretary JANET NAPOLITANO issued a statement yesterday announcing a freeze in a plan to build a $3-billion-dollar, high-tech "virtual fence" along the U-S border with Mexico. Citing the cost of the project, Napolitano said, "The system of sensors and cameras along the Southwest border known as SBInet has been plagued with cost overruns and missed deadlines."
   She's withholding funding for the program's first deployment until a review she ordered in January is finished. She's also taking away $50-million-dollars in stimulus funds from the Boeing-managed program, and targeting that money for other available security technology along the Southwest border. (Pacelli)

St Paddy's Day:

There are many more Irish people in the U-S than in Ireland --if you believe 'em all. There's just 4.1 million people in Ireland but In the US today, there are 34.5 million Americans who claim Irish ancestry. That's almost nine times the population of Ireland itself. Irish is the nation's second most frequently reported ancestry, trailing only those of German ancestry. (source: U-S Census Bureau)

A little history:

According to tradition, St. PATRICK died on this day in 461. The date of his death is uncertain --March 8th or 9th-- so church officials compromised by adding the disputed dates, making it Mar 17.
   FYI: Patrick was born on the coast of England in the year 383... As a boy, he was captured by pirates and taken to Europe, carried off to Ireland to be a slave, where he grew up and became a priest. 
   The Pope sent Patrick, (by then a Bishop) to Ireland as a missionary, where he became Bishop of Armagh, and is said to have built more than 300 churches and baptized over 120-thousand people.. He basically is credited with introducing Christianity to Ireland. As the saying goes, "St. Patrick found Ireland all heathen and left it all Christian..." (Maiman)

Three famous Irishmen:

   --ARTHUR GUINESS, who opened his brewery in Dublin in 1759.
   --JOHN JAMESON, who opened his distillery in Dublin in 1780.
   --Whoever invented Bailey's Irish Cream. Gilbeys of Ireland reportedly introduced the mixture in 1974 to prop up their international sales. Although legend has it the drink was created by ANDREW BAILEY of the R-A Bailey Company, PETER O'CONNOR of Bailey's says "There's no Mr or Mrs Bailey. We wanted a name that was Irish, but not 'show' Irish. The R-A Bailey was a way of putting a name behind the factory, a way of getting across that the product comes from Ireland."

Filling a need:

Pepsico says it will remove all full-calorie sugary drinks from schools around the world in the next two years. The vending machine move aimed at fighting childhood obesity.
   Coke says it'll do the same if school districts ask. (Maiman)

Broadcast, cable and video news:

"South Park" debuts its 14th season tonight and TIGER WOODS will be on the show. On the show, Tiger runs into Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman in Colorado, where they all live. And of course, since it's on cable TV, the limitations on what they can say about Tiger's sexual frolics is not as limited as on regular broadcast TV.

Casting call:

BETTY WHITE has now gotten a TV series. Last Friday, ABC announced that Betty will play "a stern school librarian" on the upcoming season finale of ABC's "The Middle." And Betty has already signed to host a pre-Mother's Day edition of "Saturday Night Live."
   But now, the Hollywood Reporter says Betty has signed on to co-star on TV Land's original sitcom, "Hot in Cleveland." The is not a sudden decision --she was on the pilot for the show, which stars VALERIE BERTINELLI, WENDIE MALICK (from "Just Shoot Me") and "Frasier's" JANE LEEVES as three women from LA who relocate to Cleveland.