I read the news today, oh boy..................

I used to get flabbergasted when people didn't know the World News - which I probably got from one of my Grandmothers, who looking back, I see now, was a complete news hog.

Don't ever be one of those people that bury their heads in the sand Suzy, she would warn
And so I learned from this lady - this lover of history - to try to keep myself informed on some level anyway.
Enough to have a conversation with people about things other than fashion and weather.

I do not judge - my brain works in such a way that if I don't understand something I google it immediately - just to learn ( I used to run to my Encyclopedia's - not kidding - but that just ages me and at this point I'm trying desperately to stop that process with anything other than a complete face lift ) but I used to read encyclopedia's as often as I read Nancy Drew - and no, I am a  far far cry from an intellect ( my brother inherited those genes - I inherited decorating genes lol ) but I am - always was - and I suppose always will be, someone who LOVES to learn.

Give me a documentary over a love story any time.
Give me a show on history - any history - over a game show any time.
Give me a biography on someone who made a difference in the world over a reality show ( please )
When my girlfriend's son was diagnosed with a terrible disease, I ran to the library - and I mean I RAN to the library that night and took out every book I could find on the subject - because I HAD to understand exactly what it was we were dealing with - ( after 2 liver transplants as a baby -  he's a beautiful boy in his 20's today - beautiful AND healthy  )
AND in the process I learned what Tyrosinemia is.

Ok so now that I've explained myself a little here - you'll " get " why I watch the news................
Canadian of course - American of course - and the rest of the world of course.
It would be completely alien to me NOT to -

BUT - I am officially bowing out as gracefully as I can at this point -
It has become the most depressing ugly part of my life.
And it's covered by some of the most idiotic newscasters I've seen in all of my 50 + years.
News is no longer reported - in a non partisan way - it's now fed to us in a non stop I.V. bag -
dripping into our systems so that there is no escaping from it, period.
And then if that were not bad enough - or insulting enough - we have 3 or 4 pundits sitting on a panel discussing and dissecting the story with their educated guesses on what may happen - what the reason could have been - how the outcome would have been different if only...............
WTH?
For a mind that has a desire to learn - I now feel like the child who is being force fed - while vomiting up the last spoonful..............It's too much.
It's all too much.

Obviously when 9/11 happened, we were all glued to our television sets - for the 24 hour visuals of the planes crashing over and over and over and over again.  And every single tragedy since then has been
forced down our hearts and souls like battering rams - threatening to rip them open because there's no room left for any more fear and grief and panic.
The left blame the right - the right blame the left - and we - who sit in the middle - and are just trying to learn something, are left in bewilderment.
BAD things happen - always have - always will - I don't need so called " experts " laying blame everywhere
nor do I need so called experts explaining their versions
I don't need pulpits - or daises - or masses of people screaming in the background
If terrorists attack - I don't need reporters to " guess " what was inside backpacks - or planes - or their clothing -
I only need you to report that terrorists attacked.
And once you have all the information required - then I need to know the rest of it - because I can
" guess " as well as any of them.
I simply want the news - and I will absorb it in the way I see fit, thanks very much.

24 hour news?
Not a good thing - in fact I fear that having images repeated over and over again can desensitize the masses.
Sort of like the medical field - where students are known to faint over what they see in the beginning - and build up a resistance out of the repetition of performing or seeing operations on a daily basis.
My ( now grown ) children have never known a world where news came on at night - for a brief period -
in their time frame it's always been about sensationalism and ratings - and they ( and most of their friends ) do not watch the news - they grab headlines from Facebook - period.

This is the story that may have thrown me right off the edge - it hits home ( a little too close for comfort ) because I buy and sometimes sell furniture through Craigs list and Kijiji ( which is the American Ebay )
And I'm always terrified -
And John always minimizes my terror -
And says I over act on everything
And that I always think the worst
AND then I read this

TOM BOSMA

HAMILTON, Ont. —The young daughter of an Ontario man who was killed after posting his truck for sale online and taking a test drive with two men will grow up knowing how deeply he was loved, the man's wife vowed Wednesday.

Sharlene Bosma laid her anguish bare in a tearful public statement one day after police revealed that her husband Tim Bosma, 32, who had been missing since the test drive on May 6, is dead.

"Yesterday was the most horrifying day of my life and people tell me I have been so strong, and all I know is that I have a beautiful two-year-old girl at home who now needs her mommy more than ever and needs her mommy to hold it together, so I know that I cannot fall apart," she said.

"But I am broken because part of me is gone."

Police announced Tuesday that Bosma's remains were found in Waterloo Region, about 50 kilometres away from the Hamilton home he shared with his wife and young daughter.

His body was burned beyond recognition, police said. Still, Bosma said she was thankful.

"This was not our desired outcome," she said. "But I am still grateful to the police for finding him."

Bosma last saw her husband when he left on a test drive with two men who had contacted him about the pickup truck he had posted for sale online.

Hamilton police believe he was killed some time that night, though they don't know where and they don't know at what point his body was burned. But perhaps the biggest unanswered question at this point is why. Police have said they do not have a motive.

A Toronto man has been charged with first-degree murder. Police are still looking for a second man they say went along for the test drive of Bosma's 2007 Dodge Ram pickup, and at least one more suspect who they say followed behind the truck in another vehicle.

Dellen Millard, 27, looked tired and unshaven as he appeared in a Hamilton courtroom Wednesday. He was ordered detained until a bail hearing can be arranged, and will appear again by video remand on June 13.

His lawyer Deepak Paradkar said outside court that Millard will plead not guilty and is extremely concerned about the murder charge, adding his client is not used to jail and is in protective custody.

In court, Millard wore a rumpled white shirt and grey slacks and appeared to have dark circles under his eyes. He stood tall and straight while stating his name and was not wearing handcuffs.

Millard was arrested Friday and charged with forcible confinement and theft over $5,000. But in court Wednesday, the murder charge was added and the theft charge was changed to theft of a vehicle.

"There is a story behind this which I can't get into but obviously it's more than it appears to be," Paradkar said Wednesday after Millard appeared in court. He said it would likely be months before his client gets a bail hearing.

Millard's family is well-known in the area and has a storied past in aviation. When Millard was 14 he became the youngest Canadian to fly solo in both an airplane and a helicopter. His grandfather and father were also pilots.

"He was not hurting financially," the lawyer said. "The police have confirmed he had sufficient funds to easily purchase the truck had he wished to do so."

Paradkar called Millard a "very humble person ... an intelligent person and unassuming," adding he was not a "rich brat."

Meanwhile, about a dozen bouquets were piled up outside the Bosma family home, some with cards and notes of condolence.

"To the Bosma family, our hearts are so heavy for your loss," one read.

"Dear Tim, I do not know you but I am sorry for what happened to you. Please rest in peace," read another.

Sharlene Bosma thanked the public for the huge outpouring of support from the people who have spent hours volunteering, giving them food, flowers and cards, and keeping the case top of mind on social media.

"We know and take some comfort in that Tim has touched so many people and any words that I choose will never be able to truly express our gratitude," she said.

"It pains me to do so, but I must ask for your support and prayers for the hours and the weeks and even the years that lie ahead for us because this will never really be over for us."

Bosma nearly lost her composure when she recalled how her husband would watch their daughter sleep or chase her through the house to tickle her.

"She will know how much he was loved by me and his family, his friends and even perfect strangers," she said as her voice trembled.

"Tim will always be loved and he will always be remembered. And I love you Tim."

The family has set up a trust account where donations can be made for Sharlene Bosma and her daughter at TD Canada Trust branch 2047 account 6332096.

I've made a decision - and we'll see how long it lasts - but I am banning news from my world for 1 week.
I want to see if I feel better after I do.
I want to see if my world falls apart if I don't hear another horrific story for 7 days -
Because truly I believe, had my grandmother still been around, this lover of news, would be doing this today

source

If you need me - I'll be in the backyard - there's a nice fresh patch of sand there - with my name on it.

You have a good day - and if you stay away from the news  -  I bet you'll have an even better one