EVERY WEEK, TheJournal.ie offers you a selection of statistics and numerical nuggets to help you digest the week that has just passed.
3,000 – The number of extra secondary school teachers the government will need to hire by 2025, according to the TUI, which says the growth in population will mean need for extra teachers simply to keep up. The union also this week threatened to ballot for strike action if the government tried to cut teachers’ allowances.
690 – The combined number of votes received in Dáil and Seanad elections last year by Diarmaid Ó Cadhla. We don’t know how much he spent on his elections because he refuses to disclose statements. In fact, he’s demanding that he be prosecuted for not doing so – because he says election laws are unconstitutional.
130 - The estimated number of times that Apple could have bought Instagram for, using only the cash it has on hand around the world. The tech manufacturer has around $30 billion on hand in the US, and another $100bn tied up around the world, which it can’t really get at for fear of a hefty tax bill.
152,881 - The number of times that Facebook could have bought a lock of Michael Collins’ hair instead of buying Instagram. A lock of The Big Fellow’s hair is being auctioned next month and is expected to reach between €3,000 and €5,000.
39 out of 40 – The number of Iarnród Éireann trains which arrived within 10 minutes of the advertised time in the first quarter of 2012. That, the rail company says, is the most punctual its services have ever been.
135 miles – The distance that the MS Balmoral had managed to travel away from Ireland before having to turn around again. The ship, retracing the ill-fated journey of the RMS Titanic, turned around when a passenger had a suspected heart attack.
55 per cent – 11 out of 20 people reckon they’re saving less than they ought to, according to a study published on Tuesday. 19 per cent of people try to put away €200 or more per month.
92 years - The age that Charles Manson will be the next time he’s offered a chance to seek parole. The mass-murderer didn’t show for a hearing this week, and won’t get another hearing for 15 years.
€30 – The amount that insurers claim they have to add to the price of every motor insurance policy, in order to cover the costs incurred by the actions of uninsured drivers.
12 hours – The amount of time for which a perfectly live baby lay in a morgue in Argentina. Doctors said the child had been stillborn and the baby was only found when its mother – who wasn’t let see it after she gave birth – insisted on seeing it.
87 per cent – The proportion of Irish Catholics who believe priests should be allowed to marry, according to a survey commissioned by the Association of Catholic Priests. 77 per cent say women should be eligible for the priesthood.
2.2 per cent - The amount by which the cost of living rose in the 12 months to March 2012. Education prices are up by 9.4 per cent in that year.
€0 – The amount spent by the Department of the Taoiseach on make-up for Enda Kenny since he took office. That’s in comparison to the €441 per week that Bertie Ahern spent during his 11 years of power.
6 seconds – The amount of time that a busy recruiter will spend reading your CV if there’s a large number of applicants for a job. Here’s what they’ll take in in that time.
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