It depends on what the meaning of "name" is...

[Undertoad]

No, you've brought that up before and I agree. It's very much like a hobby to me. I could spend my time doing more productive things.

A lot of news stories are soap operas, and others are mystery stories, that play out in real time. But it holds my interest like a soap opera or mystery story.

[Griff]

I hate it when a perfectly good conspiracy theory dies. Now let's see how serious people are about retracting. Daniel Schorr on NPR's Weekend Edition dedicated a segment to it.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

No, you've brought that up before and I agree. It's very much like a hobby to me. I could spend my time doing more productive things.

A lot of news stories are soap operas, and others are mystery stories, that play out in real time. But it holds my interest like a soap opera or mystery story.

Nothing is more productive than doing something you enjoy.

Enjoying it, being entertained by the way it unfolds, is a legitimate reason to do it. What I'm asking is, are there any other reasons to do it?
Are there any benefits to staying on top of the real time news?
I suppose stock analysts/brokers/speculators would do well to be informed, maybe? Anyone else?

[Undertoad]

Mr. Armitage was one of the Bush administration officials who supported the invasion of Iraq only reluctantly. He was a political rival of the White House and Pentagon officials who championed the war and whom Mr. Wilson accused of twisting intelligence about Iraq and then plotting to destroy him.

This is the WaPo point, I quoted it once, I can quote it again until you read it.

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

The United States Senate confirmed him as Deputy Secretary of State on March 23, 2001; he was sworn in on March 26 of the same year. A close associate of Secretary of State Colin Powell, Armitage was regarded, along with Powell, as a moderate within the presidential administration of George W. Bush. Armitage tendered his resignation on November 16, 2004, the day after Powell announced his resignation as Secretary of State. Armitage left the post on February 22, 2005, when Robert Zoellick succeeded the office.

[Undertoad]

One winter I saw my neighbor breaking up an ice dam that formed in front of our sewer grate. I thought, damn, I can hardly be bothered to shovel my walk. He's always the first guy to do his, and I'm usually the last to do mine. But it's not enough for him to do his; once his is done, he starts doing the street.

And what's the point? In a few days there will be a warm period and that ice dam will be taken care of by itself. And if not we can call the local township and they will salt it until it's fixed.

If I asked him, I know he'd say he enjoys doing it, and would rather get some exercise and get away from the wife by chipping up some ice.

No reason to do it, except for a miniscule civic benefit. Two things we need in our society: A) clear streets and B) informed citizens. Well, fuck if I'm going out in that cold.