A glance at the week that was
The numbers
$200 millionThe global record-breaking first-day sales of the Halo: Reachvideo game
67The percentage of Irish who believe that same-sex marriageshould be legal, according to a survey
11The percentage of Junior Cert students who failed both French and Spanish at ordinary level
Billions shy
There was unsettling reading in the Comptroller and Auditor General's report this week into public spending. For example:
- Between the start of the economic crisis and last July, bankshad been given or pledged €24 billion.
- The HSEpaid an unexplained €876,000 into an unauthorised Siptu account.
- The Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation is looking into why Fástrainers were paid for courses they didn't provide.
- Former minister for tourism John O'Donoghueproceeded with the building of the Convention Centre Dublin in 2005 despite being told costs would outweigh benefits by up to €217 million.
"This is all wrong, isn't it?" Oscar Wilde, inviting a young male editor to dinner in a letter to be auctioned later this month
Once bitten?
Nine shark-attack survivors from five countries are trying to save the shark from extinction. Each year 73 million are killed for their fins, for soup. Having been potential shark foodthemselves, these survivors don't blame the animals. A third of shark species are threatened with extinction, so the survivors want the UN to take up the issue. Krishna Thompson, a Wall Street banker who lost a leg in a shark attack in the Bahamas in 2001, said he had learned to appreciate all God's creatures. "I feel that one of the reasons why I am alive today is to help the environment and support shark conservation."
We now know
Falling in lovemakes you lose two friends. People have six intimates on average, but when they form a romantic attachment the inner circle drops to five, one of whom is the new lover, reports Prof Robert Dunbar of Oxford University.
Snailshave a homing instinct, as long as they're only 100m from home. So to get rid of a snail, move it at least that distance from your garden wall, advises BBC amateur scientist of the year Ruth Brooks.
To lose weight, eat less. Exercise makes no difference, say scientists at Aberdeen University. Forgoing one small sandwich equals a one-hour run.
