SEVEN DAYS

A glance at the week that was

A glance at the week that was

A clean break

Had enough of your life? Why not buy another? How does a car, a motorbike, a jet ski, a house and a job in a rug shop sound? For an estimated €246,000 it can be all yours. Ian Usher (44) from Perth, Australia, has decided he needs a fresh start, and on June 22nd he will be auctioning his entire life on eBay. "On the day it is all sold and settled I intend to walk out of my front door with my wallet in one pocket and my passport in the other, nothing else at all," he says. Selling his jet ski and motorbike? This is the most unusual mid-life crisis yet.

A toilet break

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After a year of battling red tape with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, Irish director and playwright Paul Walker's play, Ladies & Gents - a noir thriller based on a scandal that rocked Dublin in the 1950s - has eventually won approval.

The play is performed entirely in one of the covered men's and women's bathrooms in Central Park and the action takes place by the sinks and urinals, with the audience standing beside the stalls. Decent reviews have proven it's not a stinker.

We now know...

While the Irish economy continued strongly last year, it slowed noticeably in the last quarter. GDP was measured at 5.3 per cent in 2007, in comparison with 5.7 per cent in 2006.

Health officials in the Philippines have warned people taking part in Stations of the Cross to get a tetanus shot before flagellating themselves and being nailed to a cross.

Currently 11% of the world's population are living in Europe, this will decrease to 7% by 2050.

The numbers

$100Amount in "shared" tips Starbucks must repay its Californian baristas

€330mThe amount by which Ryanair's value decreased after an offload of airline stock prompted by a profit warning from Easyjet

280,000The number of passengers expected to travel trough Dublin airport over the Easter bank holiday weekend

Quote of the week

"I love  this job"

Eddie O'Sullivan after last  Saturday's defeat by England. He resigned as Ireland's rugby coach on Wednesday.