What is it with the UK media? Why do they endlessly remind us of milestones that are grim reminders of any situation?
Particularly annoying is the incessant count of our Troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Last year, they were obsessed as the sad total approached 200. All the editors must have been standing by with stories to 'commemorate' the death of one of our brave guys or girls and sure enough, that was all we heard on the day the grim number was reached.
Following that it was '..the last death before Christmas..', '..the first death after Christmas..', '..the last death of 2009..', '..the first death of 2010..' and, today, we reached the milestone of '..more troops killed than in the Falklands war of 1982!'.
Even when it isn't a 'milestone', every death is follwed by '..that brings the total number killed to xxx..'
What's it all for? Is there a prize when a certain number is reached?
Or is it just theUK media's obsession with unpleasant news?