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Dancers from the Moscow Ballet on the banks of the Grand Canal in Dublin on Thursday Julien Behal/PA Wire

Top readers' comments of the week

Here’s our round-up of the funniest, most thought-provoking and interesting comments you lot made this week. Did you make it in?

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.

There was a lot of talk this week about the Marie Stopes clinic opening in Belfast, Fianna Fáil bouncing back into second place in opinion polls, and whether Irish people will sign up to video their sex lives to try and counter and myths of the porn industry. Then there was the case of the missing dog who came home, women drivers, and the Germany guy who tried to jump through ice and failed. Failed badly.

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

One of the speakers at the Dublin Web Summit encouraged Irish people to upload videos of themselves having sex in a bid to counter the myths of the porn industry – and apparently Irish people rushed to sign up. Steve Herron explained why he did:

I’ll be honest. I signed up. I like the fact that they are trying to take the sleezyness and nastyness out of porn. They are trying to make it something a loving couple can enjoy together, rather than a shameful secret a man has to hide from his partner.

Creamy Hamstrings was slightly more… sceptical:

Yeah, hold on. I’ll try to convince the girlfriend now! “no love its not a porn, its an amateur love video. Now, you just hold that thousand island dressing, I’ll get the midget from next door who owns those 2 donkeys. Also, have you seen my leather hockey mask? Just remember though, its a love video..”

Dubliners will be voting in 2014 on whether the city should get a directly elected mayor or not. Chuck Farrelly had an important question:

Cut to the chase; will he have a batphone?

A plane had to make an emergency landing at Dublin Airport on Friday – but luckily it was able to find it, as Dermot D pointed out:

Alan Shatter must be relieved the pilot didn’t try landing at Airfield in Dundrum

Is mathematical ability something you’re born with? Readers had a good discussion about this under this column on Thursday. Barry O’Brien gave his story:

Up until Junior Cert I thought I was brutal at maths. Whenever I asked a question the teacher looked at me as if I had two heads and asked in amazement how come I couldn’t understand it. After the first year I stopped asking questions or paying attention.

I went into Leaving Cert and had a new teacher. He was able to explain things properly and made an effort to actually teach and not embarrass, it was then realised I wasn’t actually bad at maths but that a crappy teacher had made me think I was.

That was over ten years ago but now I’m doing an online course on logic and am signed up for courses on algebra, calculus, and algorithms. I’m hoping to start a degree in physics in the next couple of years.

The head of RTE Digital spoke at the Dublin Web Summit this week about how she wants to see all of RTE move to digital. Albert McEinstein had a question:

Does this mean the Rte symphony orchestra will only be allowed use keyboards and those Rolf Harris xylophones?

This is long but good. On this article about whether an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy blends faster (important question, right?), Hakuin Murphy said this:

I got talking to this guy at a trade show by chance.
Asked him why he was there.
“Oh I do these videos on Youtube where I blend things in a blender”
“Interesting, is it popular?”
“We’ve got about half a billion views – its the most successful viral marketing campaign in history”
“Really? And do you make money from that?”
“Well, Nike just gave us $80,000 to blend one of their shoes.”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” I said, “You’re the first guy I’ve ever met who makes his living from Youtube videos. You guys are like unicorns”
“Oh I don’t make my living from the videos” he said.”I own the company. Our blenders are in every single Starbucks on the planet,”
Guy is minted, but was a nice down to earth Mormon father of seven who seemed like he knew how to enjoy his wealth.
Apropos nothing in particular….

On the same article, Peter ‘Nocky’ Naughnane brought up some older technology:

My Nokia 5510 (circa. 873bc) would wreck that blender.

On a story about adoption, one user said kids would be bullied if they had parents who were different. Donncha Ó Coileáin had this response:

Niall, kids get picked on for having glasses, for having ginger hair, for being poor, for being rich, for being Polish, for being from another street/town/county, for not having the right runners, for not being good at hurling, for being good at their schoolwork, for being bad of their schoolwork, for having same-sex parents, for having one parent, for being adopted, for living with their grandparents, for having strict parents……. You get the idea.

Bullies look for someone who is different. That is all.

A whole lot of rain hit parts of the country earlier this week. This is what Waterford train station looked like (the tracks are somewhere under all that water). There were a lot of good comments from readers but these were the best. From Alan Costello:

They’re calling it platform 9 and 3/waters now.

*badum tish*

And from Martin John McGroarty:

irish ferries honouring all tickets

(Image: Irish Rail)

Spot any good comments? Let us know! Mail any suggestions to christine@thejournal.ie

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20 Comments
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    Mute Réada Quinn
    Favourite Réada Quinn
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    Feb 25th 2012, 10:45 AM

    Show up at your local protest against the Household Tax. Most protests at 12 noon. Show this government that we are not willing to be bled anymore to pay Troika Taxes. Save your blood for the Irish Blood Transfusion Board.

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    Mute Eileen Gabbett
    Favourite Eileen Gabbett
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    Feb 25th 2012, 11:09 AM

    There are over 40 protest actions organised around the country on Saturday. We call on people to connect with their nearest one, which are advertised on nohouseholdtax.org or through our 1890-98 98 00 helpine.”

    CAHWT protests Sat Feb 25th:

    DUBLIN:

    City Centre – meet GPO at 12 noon. Mass leafleting of shopping areas.

    Cabra/Stoneybatter – Meet at 12 at Phibsborough Church for protest at clinic of Joe Costello/ Paschal O’Donoghue TDs.

    Coolock – Northside shopping centre 12.30

    Finglas – protest & leafleting at shopping centre 12 noon

    Blanchardstown – 1pm at Council offices, Blanch Town Centre. Bin your govt booklet.

    Swords – Fingal Council offices, Swords Main St 12 noon – Bin the Booklet back to Phil.

    Balbriggan – Town Hall 12 noon – Bin the Booklet back to Phil.

    Ringsend – meet at Library 11.30am

    South west inner city – 12 noon at constituency office Catherine Murray TD, Tyrconnell Rd.

    Ballyfermot – White line picket (and bin the leaflet. Assemble shops, Ballyfermot Road 2pm.

    Lucan – mass leafleting. Meet at Superquinn 12 noon.

    Tallaght – mass leafleting at The Square 1pm. Picket Pat Rabbitte Clinic Tallaght village 2pm.

    Dun Laoghaire – meet 2pm at the Church Wall

    Dundrum town centre – 12 noon.

    MUNSTER:

    Cork:
    City centre – rally at Daunt Square 2pm “bin the booklet”.

    Mallow – march assembling 2.30pm at Killarney Rd to march to Town Hall.

    Limerick:
    Assemble 12pm Pery’s Square, marching to City Hall:

    Clare:
    Ennis – protest march at 2pm from the O’Connell Monument.
    Waterford:
    Protest rally 3pm in John Roberts Square.

    LEINSTER:

    Kildare:
    Newbridge – assemble St Conleths Church 12 noon-protest to Martin Heydon TD’s office.

    Maynooth/Kilcock – protest 12 noon at The Square, Maynooth Village.

    Wicklow :
    All Wicklow protest Sat 25th @ 12 noon from Bray town hall march to clinic of Anne Ferris TD

    Wexford:
    Wexford town -1pm White line protest on bridge.

    Gorey – 2pm Protest on Main Street. Assemble outside Pettits supermarket.

    Enniscorthy – march and rally at office of Government chief Whip, Paul Kehoe TD starting 10 a.m. Fairgreen (opp.Pettits supermarket).

    Carlow:
    Assemble 12 noon at Croppies Grave, ’98 Street, Graiguecullen and from there march through Carlow town, finishing at the Liberty Tree.
    Kilkenny:
    2pm at the Courthouse, Parliament St

    Westmeath:
    Mullingar – meet at The Square 12 noon.

    CONNACHT:

    Galway:
    Assemble at the Browne Doorway, Eyre Square 2pm for mass binning of leaflet and march to TD clinics.

    ULSTER:

    Donegal:
    Donegal town, Dungloe, Ballybofey, Buncrana, Ramelton, Letterkenny – Information stands in all towns.

    Gweedore/Gaoth Dobhair – meet 12 noon Páirc Gnó Ghaoth Dobhair (outside Dinny McGinley’s ministerial office) and marching to his TD’s office in Machaire Chlochair.

    Fál Carrach – meet 12 midday at the crossroads for speeches and then a protest march through the town.

    Monaghan:
    Car cavalcade throughout county towns to hand out leaflets.Leaving from Monaghan town @ 10am from Peter’s Lake carpark via Clones; Ballybay; Carrickmacross and on to Castleblaney and then back to Monaghan. Supporters from each town will be giving out leaflets just before cavalcade arrives.

    LOUTH
    Dundalk & Mid / North Louth

    Ardee will be carrying banners down the main street and leafleting as they go. Meeting @ 12 and going until 2

    For the rest of the area, everyone is meeting in ‘the square’ Dundalk where there will be stalls from 1-4 from which the leaflet will be distributed.

    Drogheda activity: West Street Drogheda stall from 1.30pm onwards. Members of the group will be distributing leaflets across the town on the day and from early morning on the market.

    Please check the website http://www.nohouseholdtax.org for late notifications of other protests

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    Mute Jean Horgan
    Favourite Jean Horgan
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    Feb 25th 2012, 10:17 AM

    THE JOURNAL, KEEP ME AWARE OF ALL THE NEWS, BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!

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    Mute Garreth OMahony
    Favourite Garreth OMahony
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    Feb 25th 2012, 10:02 AM

    Can anyone name all of the movies from the Lego clip.

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    Mute John Moriarty
    Favourite John Moriarty
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    Feb 25th 2012, 10:50 AM

    Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark
    Ghost
    Grease
    Dr No
    Titanic
    The Sound of Music
    Singing in The Rain
    The Seven Year Itch
    ET

    5
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    Mute Sasha Musgrave
    Favourite Sasha Musgrave
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    Feb 25th 2012, 3:39 PM

    Everybody in the country must partake in the protest, as it is important that we let the government know that we are totally against the charges they are imposing on us, and they are punitive, which is what they are. I am very sad that I am not taking part in the protest, and the reason that I am not is as a result of the economic crisis, is that I had an argument with my long term unemployed 44 year old husband, and had to leave home, but I had planned to go to Kilkenny today but life has become too unbearable at home, as I am on the dole too, but I am hoping that there will be another one, and I will make sure that I attend in the near future.

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