When I stole a taste of beer as a kid I spat it right out. I couldn't understand why anyone would want to drink it. As an adult I've had more than a few beers in my life, I still don't like the taste, but I will swill a can or two to be social.

News is like that for me: when I was wee I couldn't understand why anybody would want to hear or watch all those bad, bitter tales, and as and adult, I still don't like it, but I'll watch occasionally so that I won't say something stupid in social settings.

There are many people like me, I realize, who, for whatever reason, make almost no effort to stay abreast of current events. Even so, some of us manage to pick up some details about the happenings in our world. I don't read the newspaper, I'm ashamed to say. I just don't have the time, and when I do, I'd rather do something else. Anything else. So how did I manage to learn the following:

• Shortages of basic food grains, such as wheat and rice, have caused prices to skyrocket which, in turn, has resulted in widespread protests, riots, and general civil unrest in many developing countries.

• The FAA has approved the classification of a new type of aircraft, called a 'Buoyancy Assisted Air Vehicle', this aircraft can have far ranging affects on transportation, shipping, leisure, military, and many other applications.

• Global warming is being blamed for the rash of intense and sometimes deadly weather seen around the globe.

• A man in the midwestern U.S. has invented a device and process that targets then cooks cancer cells, leaving healthy tissue unaffected. The device uses high frequency energy similar to microwaves and it's currently going through clinical trials. The medical world is hopeful.

• Petroleum prices have reached all time highs and is causing major problems for all manner of transportation, including the shipment of food and goods, resulting in escalating prices of transported goods.

Lucky for me, and maybe you too, news comes in all manner of free podcasts. I don't have to relegate myself to the confines on CNN.COM. There are all sort of news outlets that can give me any kind of news I want or think I need, and do it in a way that makes it all easy to digest.

Take the Eye to Eye With Katie Couric series of podcasts, available at the iTunes Store; I'm not Catholic, heck, I'm not even particularly religious, but I knew that Pope Benedict XVI is visiting the US, and that he's an easy going, chummy kind of guy. What I didn't know was some of the controversy that is surrounding the Pontiff's visit. Ms. Couric interviews Father Thomas Williams and discusses the pope's tour, touching on several issues including the molestation charges many Catholic priest are facing.

Couric Eye to Eye with a smiling Fr. Williams

What bothers me about this interview, however, is that both Ms. Couric and Father Williams smile as they discuss the abuse charges, which, in my opinion, is far more telling than the words said during the interview.

Fodder for conversation by the water cooler? You betcha.

Eye to Eye With Katie Couric is a daily podcast and you can subscribe to it at the iTunes Store.

Need more news? Try World News from the New York Times. From the turmoil surrounding elections in Kenya (that's in Africa) to the Olympic protests by Tibetans around the world, New York Times covers it all.

I like how the Times reports the news. To my eye, the video and commentary is precise and seem more real somehow, as if you are actually there.

NYT Wold News reports on tensions in Tibet

Reporting news is not as easy as it looks, especially in strife-ridden areas around the world. But the Times seems to be able to pull it off. Check out the report Anxiety Near Tibet and you'll see what I mean.

There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to when new reports are posted, but there's a bunch out at the iTunes Store for you newsing pleasure.

If your nose for news prefers reports with a bit more technological bend to it then get some Discovery News. Each two to four minute report focuses on some aspect of technology. The reporting is serious, but easygoing.

Take the Electric Car Turns Up Speed episode; reporter Kasey-Dee Gardner smiles, laughs, and even giggles during her test drive of the Miles ZX405 Low Speed Electric Car.

Ms. Gardner giggles after test driving an electric car

To be honest, I'd probably giggle too if I had a chance to drive around in some bleeding edge technology. Maybe no giggles for the Miles vehicle, which is cool and all - if you're a soccer mom, but I'd definitely loose a few chortles behind the wheel of a Telsa Roadster. Yeah, baby! That's what I'm talking about.

Anyway, Discovery News offers lots of reports to view so you'd best get started.

OK, that's a wrap for this week. Stop by next Friday for more Free on iTunes.

More free stuff at the iTunes Store (with direct links):