I wonder what it was like to live in an era when the news arrived days or months late brought in by some guy on horse back? Pretty sweet I would think. Imagine living in a world where you are not bombarded by bad news. Heaven!

I have given up watching the news. Its just so depressing. I don't really want to know about disasters, murders, rapes and injustice. I don't want to be fed a diet of fear mongering, depression and statistics. CNN is bad but my goodness the BBC is a far sight worse. They seem to pick the most morose newscasters that they can who read in posh english (sometimes posh scottish) accents. They also have some form of speech impediment as far as I can tell in which they raise the tone of their voice for no reason. It must be a BBC thing that tonal thing they all do. I guess you can't be a newscaster unless you first learn how to intonate a la BBC?

Of course, in the US, they are not newscasters at all.... oh no. They are Anchors. Yes - they are - news anchors is what they call them there. I have never quite figured out exactly why they are called anchors - anyone know? All I can think of is that the news is so heavy man that they are therefore referred to by the name of something very heavy.

Now these news Anchors make mega bucks you know. Yep - each day they sit looking serious knowing they are depressing the crap out of you but maintaining that smile as they count the dollars falling into their bank accounts.

But - as usual - I digress. Why can't we have more GOOD news. Is there a lack of it? Nope. I'll tell you why we have to listen to totally depressing news all of the time.... its because you secretly love it. Yes - you love to gloat at other's misfortune and you love to be scared to death by warnings of terrorism, inflation, strange diseases and all that succulent bad news. If I'm wrong then let me know but if you didn't like it, you would join me and not watch it and then finally then, they'd have to change their news programs....

Going back to US news. It always used to amaze me in a sickening sort of way how the Americans seem to only value themselves. They don't report any news unless it has an American angle to it. For example, lets say a plane crashes somewhere. Well, it won't get but the tiniest mention unless - horror of horrors - an American died. Yes folks, its common to hear on the US news channels things like...'and in some unimportant country half away around the world from here there has been a major train wreck - one American died.'

As I say often on this site.... aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh