I can completely relate, costello. I'm a news junkie (time magazine, msnbc, cnn, internet, etc.) and well, lately I've been saying to myself "I just can't", meaning I just can't deal with the majority of the news I'm reading or watching on tv. So lately, I've been finding myself watching the news with the mute button on and reading a lot of books that don't involve politics, war or natural disasters. It helps keep my stress levels low.