Friday Five News 19/2/16

Thank God for news websites.  I’m fed up with hearing doom and gloom on the TV but it’s a bit worrying when one of our daily newspapers, The Independent, announces it's switching to a digital only edition.  I do like to be able to pick up a newspaper and read.  However, in the absence of a paper trawling the BBC site can be enlightening and I can pick and choose what I look at.

The INTERNATIONAL  story that has dominated our national news this week is the ongoing saga over Britain’s membership of the EU.  David Cameron, the Prime Minister, is currently in Brussels trying to negotiate a better deal for us but progress seems to be slow.

We have been promised a referendum on whether we want to stay in or out of the EU but I feel that the ordinary people need to be really well informed before making such a huge decision.  It is certainly complicated and I can understand other European countries viewing us as this little island nation that wants the best of all worlds.  A seat at the top table without buying a ticket.   

Working together for the greater good would seem to be the way forward but with so much diversity between the member states, and an ever increasing number of members that is never going to be easy.  The whole idea seems to have got too big for its own self.

My common sense tells me that surely it’s better to be part of it and have a say in how things are managed when inevitably it will affect the UK if we are in or out.

This LOCAL  news item I’ve flagged up is a very sad and worrying story about cruelty to cats in South London. (Warning the article is quite upsetting.)  It’s hard to believe someone could be going around killing cats but it does seem to be being treated seriously which is a good thing in that hopefully it will lead to the individual being caught and stopped before they move on to bigger targets.

In SPORT:  there has been a lot of talk this week about the snooker player, Ronnie O’Sullivan, opting out of finishing a 147 break as he thought the prize money of £10,000 didn’t justify the effort.

(For those wondering if I’ve switched to a foreign language, a 147 break is the maximum you can score in a frame of snooker by potting all the balls on the table in the required order.  It’s obviously quite difficult to do and most tournaments, in addition to the prize fund for the winner, will have prizes for players achieving a 147 break.)

O’Sullivan clearly has more money than sense and it would have been nice if he’d won it and donated it to a good cause.

Following the BAFTAs and GRAMMY awards, focus now turns to the Oscars. But it seems some things are not all what they seem.   This ENTERTAINMENT led piece reports on how the Academy is suing a company over goodie bags that have been linked to the Academy Awards.  

I had heard about these goodie bags earlier this week and had been appalled at the contents and the cost of them - estimated at $200,000.  (Although what do you give movie stars who have everything?  Oh yes, a toilet roll costing $275 and that doesn't include someone to apply it which presumably might be needed! ) 

The show I saw this on definitely led me to believe these were official bags.  Now it seems not.  You just can’t believe everything you see on TV!

On a lighter note, under MISCELLANEOUS  I found this story about Tesco discontinuing the sale of crescent shaped croissants.  This seems very sensible to me as it is hard to get the chocolate spread on all of the croissant.  Then I noticed that the article was on the Chidren’s BBC Newsround page.  Not sure what that says about me.

All links are courtesy of the BBC website. Opinions are my own.