Matrix News...


In the wee hours of the morning today, I found myself awake and watching television. This isn't my usual routine, but I needed something to jolt me into the land of functional consciousness. I'd fallen asleep watching Law and Order: CI, so when USA's morning schedule of infomercials popped-up, I immediately sought more substantive programming options.

In typical fashion, the network news programs were full of fluff with a little bit of substance thrown in for good measure (San Francisco father hailed as a hero, tidbits on the latest buskwacking, etc). What I needed to hear (being the public health nut that I am) included information about the O157:H7 outbreak, the explanation for women becoming the staple of military frontlines, and what the presidential hopefuls think about the situation in the Middle East (considering the fact that both Blair and Bush are on the way out). Anywho...

When the American networks did not deliver substantive accounts, I made a promise to myself to seek some international news at some point in my day. When I flipped the channel and found BBC, I could've stopped there feeling quite accomplished for the day, but I promised, remember...

I got to work and fate placed news.independent.co.uk in my lap. I originally googled "Taco Bell illnesses" expecting cnn.com or msnbc.com to get first dibbs, but alas, it was this UK site. From there, I read a lengthy and well written interview about Nas' forthcoming "Hip Hop is Dead" cd, non-sugarcoated accounts about Fidel Castro, and other very interesting tid bits. Maybe it's because it's "The Independent" or maybe it's because it's from the UK... Whatever it is, it sure beat the hell out of reading washingtonpost.com.