Doing my best to avoid the newspapers, I google the latest news with the briefest of search words or phrases. There are but three of them this morning, and they are all straightforward: Greece, Ukraine, and Japan. The Greek bailout is uppermost on my mind, but the ceasefire in Ukraine is not far behind. The earthquake in Japan is also quite worrisome. I go for the freshest articles on offer, but I favor institutions of renown, such as Reuters and the British Broadcasting Corporation. Still, I occasionally take a chance with the Cable News Network. So, what have I learned? Predictably enough, nothing much. Greece may well be kicked out or the eurozone, which will create quite a chaos across the world, and not only the European Union. The next ten days will be crucial, for the current bailout agreement ends at the end of the month. The situation in Ukraine is dire, to say the least. Although the ceasefire is working across the contested east, there is a flashpoint that could well go out of control. There is no end to the crisis in view, though. It may take years before lasting peace is achieved in the troubled country. As far as the earthquake in Japan is concerned, there are no signs of another tsunami. Even though there has been some damage, it is far from unmanageable. And so on, and so forth. But why do I still insist on being informed? Am I anxious about world affairs, perilous as they are, or is this just a bad habit that is hard to eradicate? It is the latter, I would guess. Being informed is nothing if not a bad habit. Nonetheless, it will take me a while to get rid of it. Just like smoking and alcohol, it is a deplorable addiction.