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EVERY WEEK (starting today), TheJournal.ie will offer you a selection of stats and numerical nuggets to help you digest the week that has just passed.
2 – The number of bailouts that major bank Citigroup believe Ireland should negotiate – with a second one waiting in the wings in case things haven’t improved after the first. Both the government and the NTMA have ruled out seeking a second deal.
€720 – The amount per year that parish priests in the diocese of Cashel and Emly have been asked to contribute to a fund which covers the cost of child protection there. Curates have been asked to pay €600 to the voluntary fund.
38 – The number of Irish towns which are ‘clean to European norms‘, according to a survey of Irish Business Against Litter. Two areas – including north inner city Dublin – are ‘litter blackspots’. Trim is Ireland’s cleanest town.
240,000 – The number of Irish households who don’t plan on paying the household charge, according to a RedC opinion poll commissioned by Paddy Power.
28 – The number of weeks left until the London Olympic games – where preparation has not only been overshadowed by the continuing lockdown on the ticket sales website, but by the news that police had still managed to secretly sneak a bomb into the complex.
16 - The number of years since the last time an Irish gymnast made it to the Olympics. Step forward, Kieran Behan.
-0.0122 – The interest rate that Germany is currently paying on six-month loans – meaning that Germany is now actually making money by taking out loans.
25c – The extra tariff being levied on all Ryanair bookings from next week, which Ryanair blames on a new ‘EU tax on carbon emissions’.
2 – The age, in days, of Blue Ivy Carter before she had appeared in her first single. The new child of Beyoncé and Jay-Z lent vocals to her father’s song ‘Glory’, a celebration of her own birth.
€23,383 – The ‘leader’s allowance’ received by 12 independent members of the Seanad – who aren’t required to explain how they spend it.
7,500 – The number of e-voting machines the government is putting up for sale. There are also over 20,000 pieces of related paraphernalia being flogged off, as the government draws a line under the botched €55m experiment.
17 - The minimum number of clues that must be contained in a Sudoku puzzle to ensure it can be solved. That fact comes to you via UCD mathematician Gary McGuire.
10 - The number of IFTA nominations for TV crime drama Love/Hate, the most of any TV series this year.
950 - The number of jobs being cut by Ulster Bank – with 600 going in the Republic of Ireland and another 350 in the North.
301 - The age, in years, of the ‘St Francis Abbey’ brewery in Kilkenny – the home of Smithwick’s. It is to close next year as part of Diageo’s move to centralise brewing at an expanded complex in St James’s Gate.
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Good idea this
I cant believe that someone thumbed this Down. Come on folks “its a bit o craic”
I jest, but its saturday night so here goes………….
2 – The number things men cant do in multi tasking
€720 – the cost of any good lawyer to defend posts on here.
38 – My age last year
240,000 – The number equates to what most politicians REALLY get
28 – The number of weeks it takes to get a answers to political questions
16 – The number of years since the last time an Irish gymnast made it to the Olympics. Step forward, Kieran Behan. (CANT OUTDO THIS NOR WOULD I TRY- FAIR PLAY)
-0.0122 – The interest rate that Germany is ensuring that no Irish state will ever get
25c – The extra tariff being levied on every day the household charge isnt being paid!
2 – The age, of most political advisor’s and their peers
€23,383 – The ‘leader’s allowance’ to SQUANDER AS THEY SEE FIT
7,500 – The number of e-voting machines the WANT TO PUT INTO PUBS
17 – The minimum number of clues TO THE PROGRAMME FOR GOVERNMENT
10 – The number of BIFO nominations for crime AGAINST THE STATE
950 – The number of jobs NOT BEING CREATED BY THE STATE
301 – The age, in years, when u might get a pension or work..
Ciaooo & Good night All.
A+ for extra work on a saturday night. :)
Gavin, the one sure thing about this type of article is that few may challenge you on it hahaha.
As patrick say, not a bad idea, pity im stil reading it on Saturday Night at 9.30, I will get a life soon.
Nice feature but FYI the strict definition of a prime number is that it’s only divisible by itself and one…all even numbers greater than 2 for example are not primes :-)
We wrestled with our consciences for the name; our justification is that ‘prime’ in this case is a synonym for ‘premier’, ‘best’, ‘most important’…
@Gavan SORRY I WAS WRONG. typical
Yeah, by the looks of it, no one on staff is from an engineering or scientific discipline.
They probably all have journalism background. Typical!
@Gavin Sorry thumbs are going down on this so I better be serious. Factual Article and worth reading to remind up of the week that was in a figurative sense. Ahemmm
@sluazcanal
lol, all I’m asking is a secondary school level of understanding
Dave – I assure you I have a secondary level of maths understanding. In a previous life I was an international mathlete.
This is how we came upon the name:
Susan Daly: “Do you have that ‘week in numbers’ piece done yet?”
Gavan Reilly: “Literally just finishing it this minute.”
SD: “What are we going to call it? It can’t just be ‘the week in numbers’. How about ‘Seven numbers for seven days’?”
GR: “But there are way more than seven numbers in there…”
SD: “Oh.”
GR: “There’s … [counting] 13.”
SD: “Hmm. ’13 something for 7 days’… No… Is there anything you can do with 13 and 7?”
GR: [clutching at straws] “They’re both prime?”
SD: [light-bulb moment] “You could call it ‘prime numbers’!”
GR: “Done.”
And that, dear readers, is where the name ‘prime numbers’ came from. Next week we’ll just go back to calling it ’13 something for seven days’…
But what happens if there are 14 things Gavin??? Then 13 something for seven days won’t work…. lol ;-)
Must say I really enjoyed reading the conversation tho!! sorry you have to work on the weekend ;-)
If there are 14 things, we’ll make up three more to bring it to 17 ;)
Hi Gavin. Still and all a great article. If you add 1 to the (integer) totals you pretty much would get away with the whole prime number thing :-)
Nice idea
M
Uhmmm.
I would like to bring to your readers attention a most disturbing revelation.
The following website shows you the amount of debt that Ireland is accumulating (EVERY SECOND)!!!
http://www.financedublin.com/debtclock.php
You might have been worried about household charges, property tax, septic tank charges etc.
Think on.
If this country is to regain it’s sovereignty once again you will have to forefeit your t shirt never mind any of the known austerity measures.
Keynesian economics welcome you.
@Manfred interesting link, though my eyes are rolling. How accurate is this “rolling monitor” seems a little simple?
have your say