THE NUMBERS 9 11 QUOTES OF THE WEEK "After further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause - a hormone imbalance that has been robbing me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy." GOOD WEEK Consumer sentiment BAD WEEK Limerick Waterford Crystal PLANET BUSINESS "The fact that he does not even show up to Macworld if he says he isn't that ill represents to me that he is not okay." Cloe, Yasmin, Sasha and Jade 50 18 million
- Number of air hostesses sacked by Air India for being "grossly overweight" and therefore "medically unfit" to fly, according to the airline.
- Number of days that carmaker Toyota will shut its factories in Japan in February and March as global motor sales decline steeply.
- Apple chief executive Steve Jobs (right) tries to reassure the tech rumour mill that he is not dying, but merely human, as he explains why he can't give this year's keynote address at the Macworld conference.
Despite all the doom-and-gloom headlines, consumers found reason to be cheery about the economy in December - or at least a smidgen cheerier than in previous months - according to the findings of the IIB/Economic and Social Research Institute consumer sentiment index. Interest-rate cuts, pre-Christmas sales and lower oil prices all improved consumers' perception of their personal finances - at least until they get their Christmas credit-card bills.
Yesterday was "one of the blackest days for Limerick in recent history", according to Fine Gael TD Kieran O'Donnell - a sentiment that was shared by many after computer manufacturer Dell decided to shift production to its factory in Lodz, Poland, with the loss of 1,900 jobs. Dell contributes €140 million to the region's economy in wages alone and its decision to move has put immediate pressure on State agencies to create new jobs in the city.
"I must now either get a partner with adequate capital, sell or stop work finally," wrote George Gatchell - then owner of Waterford Crystal - in 1850. Fast forward more than 150 years and Waterford Wedgwood's current proprietors have found themselves in effectively the same predicament. The company went into administration this week, circa 225 years after George and William Penrose set up the original Flint Glass Works business.
- A member of the "Apple community" is unconvinced by the published sick note.
The Bratz dolls and their manufacturer, MGA Entertainment, have won a temporary reprieve from a Californian court, which has decided that the big-eyed dolls can remain on sale in 2009 despite a victory by Barbie-maker Mattel in a major copyright infringement case. But revenue from sales of Bratz may still go to Mattel instead of MGA. Last year, a court ruled that Bratz designer Carter Bryant had developed Bratz while working from Mattel.
- Percentage extra that men pay to get their hair washed, cut and blow-dried in Dublin compared to other parts of the State, according to the CSO.
- Number of mince pies sold by Marks & Spencer this Christmas - enough to get a planeload of Air India cabin crew sacked, but too few to prevent job losses.
