Can we please just ENJOY Christmas for once?

As if there weren't enough to worry about in the world, now we're being alerted to terrorists using prepaid gift cards to fund their operations. Law enforcement's main concern is open cards, which are linked with major credit card companies and can be used to withdraw money at an ATM, even if the card holder has no account there. It's admittedly interesting and frightening, and also convenient that the story comes out around Christmastime when gift card sales go through the roof.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the way American news agencies tailor their coverage for the maximum scare potential. Ever seen the 11 o'clock news? Did you sleep after it? Of course not. Compare it to the BBC news which lasts about 20 minutes, including weather coverage (as opposed to the U.S. hour), has no fluff pieces and simply tells the facts. And you get informative world news. Imagine that.