A glance at the week that was
Guy dive
Every so often, we get one of those "parachutist survives fall" stories, and the lucky man at the centre of the latest is 31-year-old James Boole. He was filming another jumper as they plummeted towards a Russian mountain. The other guy was supposed to tell him when they were getting close to the ground, but left it a bit late and Boole hit the ground at almost full speed having fallen 2,000m. He broke his back and chipped some teeth, but he's alive and recovering. "People say it all the time, but I feel like the luckiest man in the world."
Sarges' serge
It turns out that no part of the Garda uniform will be made in Ireland. The 60 individual items will in fact be made in factories across the globe. Tunics and overcoats will be manufactured in the Czech Republic; caps in Sri Lanka; trousers, fleeces, waterproof reflective coats and socks in China; coats in Indonesia; jerseys in the UK; trousers in India and skirts in Portugal. And when you get collared, the Garda’s gloves will have been made in either China or Pakistan. They will all, though, be put together in a Monaghan factory.
We now know
- Ducks like water, according to a three-year study by the University of Oxford
- The Statue of Liberty will re-open to visitors from July 4th – the first time since the 9/11 attacks
- It costs just under $1 million a month to be Britney Spears, according to court documents
The numbers
3
The number of Irish players who have been forced out of the Lions Rugby tour to South Africa due to suspension or injury
€1,850
The cost of a “duck island” that a British MP claimed on expenses for his pond. He is to retire
47m
The age of the fossil Ida, revealed this week as the most complete primate fossil ever found