'Just a friend'

'Get out of the friend zone' screams this video, which explains a few simple rules about what makes a boy a 'friend' or a potential 'boyfriend'. (And boys, the video is designed to help you move from the first category to the other.) I hate it. I think that half of what she complains about is okay. Plus, I hate the idea that being 'just friends' just doesn't work! Can't a boy and a girl be 'just friends'? But then... it's been more than a few years since I dated! So put me in the picture with your comments!



(PS. The video is part of a YouTube series that deals with body image, relationship issues and stuff like that. Let me know if you like them or if you think I should erase the link for some reason. Thanks.)

Keep your feet on the ground. It's my money!

Fast forward a few years. You're earning money... and paying taxes. How do you want these spent?

Education? Health? Leisure facilities? Something to make you 'feel good', such as projects to erradicate poverty in Barcelona? Or better than Barcelona, in the so-called 'Third World'? Which would you go for? Local or global?

But then... what about having your hard-earned money spent on empty space. Black, cold, and uninhabited. And very far away. Would you be happy to have millions... no, billions spent on a space programme? What good would it do you? Or the homeless? Or the starving masses?



This November 1st the Discovery Space Shuttle retires. Many will mourn its passing. Will you?

Maybe you don't know much about the space programme. Here's a newspaper article and also a comment from a rather cynical American on Discovery's usefulness. The video is of the Challenger explosion which killed all crew members in 1986. The first 3 minutes says it all - note the school children invited to watch their teacher take to the skies.

One single Apollo mission to the moon yielded more scientifically than all the shuttle missions combined. Bear in mind the furthest away from Earth a shuttle has ever flown was 385 miles, and that was only on one mission out of 132. The majority of the time it flies about 240 miles high. Gee whiz, that is hardly space is it? 

Two wheels or four?

Known as the 'skateboarding capital of the world', Barcelona echoes to the sound of jumps all year round. There are people who come to live here, just to skate.

What makes it so special? This is what Red Bull extreme sports photographers say about Barcelona.

• Do you skate? What's the thrill?
• Is skating better than BMX?

At the start of the video, the guy almost castrates himself and at the end, almost gets run over. Is it fair when people complain about street sports?

"I'm not just a piece of meat"

Did you see the MTV awards? 

What do you think of Lady Gaga's 'meat dress' (which is kicking up a real stink in some media circles)?

To see pictures in more detail, try this link to an online newspaper. Alternatively, there's a Youtube video with comments.

Do you like Lady Gaga? 

Is she really any good or is she just clever at working the media?

... and does she have any dress sense?!?!