A Taiwanese woman on a water slide gets a splash of water to cool down in summer heat at Taipei Water Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, July 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

THINGS WE LEARNED:

#QUINN: Seán Quinn Jr is to serve his three-month sentence in the Training Unit of Mountjoy Jail – a semi-open, low security prison – following his first night in the main prison. Meanwhile, an arrest warrant for Peter Darragh Quinn is still in place this evening after Gardaí failed to locate him at any of his know addresses in the Republic; it is believed that he may be at his home in Fermanagh, however no international arrest warrant has been issued.

#COLORADO: Authorities in Colorado are preparing a series of controlled detonations inside the booby-trapped apartment of James Holmes, the 24-year-old man accused of a mass killing at a crowded cinema on Thursday night. Twelve people were killed and 38 injured in the shooting. Police are continuing to question Holmes, who reportedly bought 6000 rounds of ammunition online in the run-up to the attack.

#BEACHES: Clare County Council has lifted restrictions relating to public bathing and other water activities at the popular Lahinch, Kilkee and Spanish Point beaches as concerns about a possible e-coli scare subside. After receiving advice from the Health Service Executive, the council said it is no longer prohibited to swim or surf at the locations.

#NAMA: An uncompleted housing estate in Co Carlow is to become the country’s first Nama social housing project following the approval of a sale to housing association Respond. The housing association has purchased 55 dwellings at the Oakley Estate in Tullow, Co Carlow, at a cost of €2.5 million and plans to work with the local council to provide housing for around 93 families in need.

#STANDARDS: The vast majority of Irish people think that corruption is a major problem in the country, according to the Standards in Public Office Commission’s annual report for 2011. A substantial minority of respondents (36 per cent) believed that they were personally affected by corruption in their daily lives, and a further 65 per cent said they believed that bribery and abuse of position for personal gain was widespread among politicians at national level. Commenting on findings, Chairman of the Commission, Mr Justice M P Smith said that progress in reforming Ireland’s anti-corruption legislation was an “absolutely essential” step in regaining the people’s trust in public institutions and in restoring Ireland’s international reputation.

THINGS WE LOVED:

• Figuring out just why Call Me Maybe is so damn catchy…
• The Laya Healthcare Street Performance World Championships taking place in Dublin’s Merrion Square today.

‘Lizardman’ performs at the Laya Healthcare Street Performance World Championships in Merrion Square in Dublin this afternoon. The event continues tomorrow (Sunday) and is free to the public. Photo: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

THINGS WE SHARED:

• After spotting her mugshot in the local paper Bad & Busted, Georgia woman Tonya Fowler called 911… to complain about the not-so-flattering picture being used. Police informed Folwer – who had been arrested for wasting police time when the offending mugshot was taken – that the number was 911 for emergencies, injuries or violence.
• A freshly published edition of the Contemporary Chinese Dictionary has been roundly criticised by rights campaigners over the omission of a widely used term for “gay”. One of the compliers of the dictionary said they did not want to draw attention to that meaning of the word “tonghzi” – the primary meaning of which is a form of which is “comrade” and much-loved by the Communist party.
• Microsoft has apologised after developers uncovered a reference to “big boobs” hidden in the software code used by the company. Yes, really.
• Finally – this terrifying kitten. Watch out.

by itsudonamor