A glance at the week that was
We now know
Growing old with a loving wife may lessen a man’s chance of stroke death, according to research
Even pop stars get grounded – teen sensation Justin Bieber revealed his mom grounds him for misbehaviour.
There are knickers in a twist over photographs of scantily-clad Miss USA contestants. “They’ve gone maybe a little over the top this year . . . But the girls are incredible,” said Donald Trump.
Breaking free
To lose one prison governor may be regarded as unfortunate, to lose two looks like carelessness – and a deeper problem. Following Dóchas governor Kathleen McMahon’s retirement, Mountjoy governor John Lonergan this week announced he’ll retire three years early after 26 years running the prison. Conditions are so “brutal” and “appalling” they foster inmate drug use, he said, while prison gangs and inmate bullying are fuelled by overcrowding, which makes the prison much harder to control.
"So far we have not been able to get anyone to do any dancing"
Eugene Mulligan of Sligo’s Bog Bar, on what looks like a lap-dancing pole in the middle of the shebeen-style bar.
Bedfellows
Lots of bromance and a touch of Ant and Dec at new British PM David Cameron and deputy Nick Clegg’s joint press conference. The Tory-Lib Dem coalition followed days of negotiations (welcome to our world). Gordon Brown stepped aside as Labour leader but Nick plumped for the Tories anyway, in a deal which saw the junior partner net five cabinet seats.
Provincial lot that we are, it didn’t take long to find Irish links: Cameron is descended from Waterford-born Dorothea Jordan and King William IV. Apparently.
The numbers
€2.7bnPledged to Irish Nationwide - but it may need more
62The age of Bulgarian psychiatrist Krasimira Dimitrova, who gave birth to twins Merry and Jacqueline after IVF. She had been told she was too old to adopt.
€51The national average cost of a GP visit, ranging from €35 in Tralee to €70 in Dublin 4
