EVERY SATURDAY MORNING we like to take a look at all the best comments left on the site by you lot over the past week.

The news over the past seven days has been a mixture of the very serious – the publication of the expert group report into abortion and the UN recognising Palestine, for example – and the er, not so serious:  including this missing Wicklow snowman, last night’s Toy Show, and the train adventures of Mary Kate Fartypants. Indeed.

So here, in no particular order, are the standout comments from the week that was.

Missing: one snowman. Have you seen this 60 foot inflatable snowman which has gone missing from its home in Wicklow? Jason Walsh was helpful:

Wicklow Garda station are appealing for help from the public as they are currently snowed under with work.

Did you watch the Toy Show last night? Readers were sharing their favourite memories of it during the week and here’s two of the best. From Lorraine Brady:

I moved country in September…and this is one of the first times I’ve felt properly home sick…like I’ve missed my family and friends obviously but now I just miss Ireland and home…watching the Toy Show was the highlight of every child’s year! Getting to curl up on the sofa, being insanely jealous of the kids that got to be on it! And even as you grew up you still watched it because for almost 2 hours it lets you relive your childhood and really remember the excitement and feeling that Christmas used to bring when we were small.

And from David Walsh…:

I love it every year, but we will new watching it alone as the little ones are all grown up now and one is off dancing, one thinks its not cool and the eldest has flown the nest, but they will all return one day when they have kids of there own and I have lots of grandchildren to fill my sofa on that special friday night…….

A former model on the US version of The Price is Right won more than $7 million in damages this week after she was discriminated against by the show. Everlast McCarthy asked:

Do you reckon when the jury were delivering their verdict, she was chanting ‘higher.. Higher!!’

Is it the cost or the fear that’s stopping people from going to the dentist? Legalise Ireland has a theory:

I think for alot of people it’s a factor that they don’t want to go in the first place, due to a “fear” or just general dislike of the dentist. And then when they factor in the cost it just reinforces the thought in their mind that there is no need to go! Same applies for doctors really, people are waiting longer and longer before visiting the doctor to get a prescription. Paying €50 for a 5 minute consult when you need antibiotics for an infection which you basically diagnosed yourself is madness!

Which RTÉ presenter are you? This quiz asked readers to answer questions to figure out which RTE legend they’re most like – but Chris Massey didn’t even need to take the quiz:

I’m Pat Kenny because everyone thinks I’m dull and not funny

Irish people are among the least lonely in Europe and are generally happy with their lot, according to a big EU-wide survey this week. A lot of commenters questioned the effects of the recession. JayK had these thoughts about how Ireland is changing:

All my grandparents lived in the same houses they did when my parents were born, so everybody knew each other. When my grandmother was left alone she got frequent visits from the neighbours, to the point she complained that she as never left alone rather than that she was lonely.

That seems to be a trait of old Ireland though. Now that we’ve become so much more modernised and metropolitan we seem to be losing that. People travel much more and much further. My grandparents houses were even a short distance from their parents houses, so you had three generations in close proximity. Then my parents moved out of the city, then I moved out of the country. I don’t think the depth of community from old Ireland will survive in modern times, but hopefully I’m wrong.

What did you make of the new Jedward waxworks? This assessment by Jake Behan got the most thumbs up from other readers:

Jesus .. they look like the mannequins from the Jean Scene

The issue of bullying has tragically hit the headlines again this week. Shirley Boshell explained why she thinks the internet has made things much worse:

I believe cyber bullying is potentially a lot worse than physical bullying. The victim of physical can escape the bully when they close their front door but cyber bullying is more invasive. Even if they don’t turn on a computer, smartphone etc. their friends and other potential bullies can see any posts about them. Their friends may believe any lies posted and isolate them as a result and potential bullies will see them as fresh meat and jump on the bandwagon. I am sure some of the victims feel compelled to log on to see what is being said about them just so they will know what to expect the next day in school and to know what they are defending themselves against. It must feel like being stuck in a maze and not being able to find the way out.

Finally, we always appreciate when readers send photographs and videos our way (and comments! Don’t forget comments!). We ran an article this week about the moon and Jupiter shining unusually brightly in the sky – and David Jordan posted this photo he took. Impressive:

(Image: David Jordan/Flickr/Creative Commons)

Spot any good comments? Send them our way! Mail christine@thejournal.ie with suggestions for next week’s Comments of the Week