IT’S SATURDAY MORNING so that means one thing here at TheJournal.ie: it’s time to take a look back at all the comments left on the site during the week and pick out the ones that most grabbed our attention.

It’s our way of highlighting the strongest, funniest and most thought-provoking things that you lot have said over the past few days.

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

Jedward are going to be doing their thing in the Eurovision final tonight. There were a few commenters not crazy about having them represent Ireland, but the vast majority of comments were positive about them. Tigerisinthezoo had this to say:

These guys are fairly handy at drumming up publicity. And always a smile on their face. Where do they get the energy? Ill just about manage a cartwheel if Robbie Keane scores the winner against Spain.

And WexfordGraphicDesign got over 800 thumbs up for this comment:

Well done Jedward! A lot of people hate them, but I think that’s a bit harsh, they looked like they had a bit of craic this evening, come on Ireland!

The Late Late Show is going to be celebrating its 50th birthday this Friday by looking back at all its best bits. A lot of readers weren’t convinced that there have been many good bits lately, but Adrian de Cleir had this useful guide for accepting the LLS into your life:

Late late show has always been my gage as to how old I feel.0 – 19: hating it and absolutely detesting it being on except for the toy show.
19-22:Then just not liking it, but appreciating why others might like it. From time to time an interview with a sportsman or interesting celebrity would capture my attention.
22-25: if someone else was watching it I wouldn’t mind too much at all. Almost a guilty pleasure.
25-28:slowly choosing to turn it on over other shows.
Now I’m 29,if im not out :ah yes the late late show is on.
I can see myself in a few years buying 2 cans of Guinness on a Friday evening and planning my night around it.

Ireland’s favourite painting was crowned on Friday as the Frederic William Burton’s The Meeting on the Turret. Marko Burns was unimpressed..:

Yawn. Sentimental biscuit tin art with nothing to say. More an illustration than a painting.

But Dhakina’s Sword was one of the (many) people who defended the painting:

You could easily glance at this painting and not notice its subtle beauty. It’s not beautiful in the obvious pretty sense. Its charm is deeper. The contrast of the soldier trained to fight, displaying the opposite emotion of love, while dressed for battle, is powerful. The object of his attention coyly goes past him, but still allows the soldier to steal a brief moment together. You could be cynical and say it’s corny, but I think it sends out amongst other ideas, that love is the most powerful force in the world.

The inventor of the first tv remote control died this week aged 96 (RIP Eugene Polley). Darren Brady had this suggestion:

They should try turning his batteries around and bang him off the coffee table. That normally works!

The government this week was blowing its own trumpet about its Springboard scheme that offers training for unemployed people. Some were cynical, but Andrew Canavan had positive things to say about it:

I think this is a great scheme. I just finished a 1 year course and have already secured a job as a direct result.I thought the lecturers were excellent, there was really good mix of backgrounds and everyone was in the same boat (older than the usual college population and recently made redundant) which helped hugely.

Glad to see they’ve widened the net to include those on Disability Allowance and the Carers’ Allowance as these are inherently hard to reach groups that get left behind.

FAS should of been scrapped years ago in favour of targeted and relevant training schemes for the unemployed but better late than never!!

Ever pulled a sickie to take advantage of the good weather (as some of the people in the photo above may have been doing in Stephen’s Green this week?) Damocles had his own unexpected story about having to phone in sick:

I once rang in sick because I was playing GTA before work and didn’t realise the time had gotten away with itself and it was 11 am.

This column about post-natal depression kicked off a big discussion among readers about how difficult is still is for parents to talk about how they can be affected after a child is born. Gina Brennan O’Reilly described the tragic story of what had happened to her grandmother:

my grandmother was committed in 1927..after the birth of her son who at the age of 24 days old died. she had post natal depression she never recovered she lived and died in grangegorman .. thank god women get proper treatment today

Wednesday’s column about parents bringing their children to be knee-capped by a republican group in Derry provoked a strong reaction. Ann-Marie Wallis described what she had seen among some people  from Northern Ireland now living in London:

That was a tough read. I have worked with many older Irish people in London….some of whom fled the Troubles back in the 70s and 80s. Many were threatened to leave by paramilitary forces in Northern Ireland and escaped to England with little funds and without support. I once met a man that was kneecapped, describing the scene was horrific enough….nevermind experiencing it.

Vigilantism is on the rise though, not just in NI but across Britain aswell. I hear the EDL are keen on using similar methods of force for drug dealers and other ‘social undesirables’. People look for security, and if someone perceives that they can offer this service, then they have the potential to flourish. Enormous trouble ahead if these groups are not nipped in the bud.

It’s a tough call, but this video of Prince Charles on the decks was one of the best videos we saw this week. As Eamon McGlade put it:

I command thee to shake one’s booty thus

Spot any good comments which you think should make it in next week? Mail suggestions to christine@thejournal.ie