it is important to know which parts of the world are at war, when earthquakes and floods happen, when world leaders die or transfer power

I don't read any news sources, though I turn on the radio occasionally. Yet I can't avoid knowing these things from the blogs I read. I'm far, far from convinced I need to know them, though. There was something recently that I learned it in person, a week late, but I forgot what it was. I was surprised that I hadn't learned it, so my filter has more holes than I know, but it wasn't something I cared about.