Out of touch

My usual morning routine involves reading a news page (I happen to use Yahoo, might change some time), skimming over headlines and reading anything interesting. One of the sections I browse is "Full Coverage" which sort of collects stories under categories. So, instead of a half-dozen different headlines on the bombings in London, you get "London Bombings." Same with "Iraq Conflict" and "Space Shuttle." This morning, the fifth topic down was "Niger."

And, you know what? As I read that, I realized I had no idea what events were unfolding in Niger.

And so, I clicked on the link to find out just how out of touch I am.

...

And, yes, I am a complete tool. People are starving to death due to massive drought, famine, and locusts.

I might not be the only one out of touch, though. The five news stories listed? All from non-US sources.

One story had this quote. "I had 50 cows. I sold 20 to feed my family and the rest are dead. Now I have two cows and two calves. I put my future in the hands of God." The countryside is littered with the corpses of cattle who have starved. It sounds hellish to me.

The Boston Globe asked almost a full week ago, "Does US care about Niger now?"

I'd have to say, from where I sit, it doesn't look good.