Is Facebook homophobic?

According to Mashable, Facebook is under attack for being anti-gay, after it was revealed that anyone whose surname is “Gay”, a relatively common Anglo-Saxon name, is barred from joining the social networking site.

Admittedly, you can apply to their customer support team, if you desperately want to join Facebook, but that’s not really the point, is it?

I have a friend whose name is “High” and she had a similar problem. After weeks of us moaning, because she wasn’t on Facebook, she contacted customer support and they relented and allowed her to join.

OK, so they’re not completely discriminating, but what’s the big deal with people having these surnames? Are they seriously worried that people will start to make a mockery of the site? With more than 31 million registered members, I’m not sure that the odd “Gay”, joke or not, is going to bring down the Facebook empire?

Does this mean they would stop former German professional footballer Stefan Kuntz from joining, because his surname is potentially dodgy?

Considering how silly some of the Facebook groups are, it seems that they’re being excessively protective.

If people want to subvert the site, they will. I have a friend who has created a profile for her pet rabbit Stella. Loads of us are now connected to her and it’s just a little in-joke. Do you think the whole fabric of Facebook will crash around its ears, because of it?

RIP Mike Reid

He had a colourful life: was a petty criminal in the 60s and spent time in Brixton prison, found fame on The Comedians in the 1970s, then was a kids’ favourite in the 80s presenting Runaround.

However, he was most famous for his portrayal as Frank Butcher in EastEnders, which revived his career in 90s, after the arrival of alternative comedy.

We’ll miss him…. g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-gooooooo!

What does it take?

I’m not obsessed by recycling (see previous entry), but sometimes I find it tough to understand what’s so difficult about it.

Most councils give you a box or bags in which to put your bottles, paper, plastic, cans, whatever and they then collect every week or two from outside your front door.

I live in a coach house, that is attached to a building made into flats and I just don’t get it when people like my neighbour consistently getd rid of their bottles in the rubbish bin. I mean, why? How tough is it to put them in an orange bag? Can you seriously not have heard or read how important it is to recycle stuff?

I could assume something sweeping like, “he’s too young to understand it”, but the guy’s in his mid-20s and owns his flat, so he can hardly be accused of lack of responsibility.

What’s more irritating is that the orange recycling bags are put in the entrance hall every week before collection… and he has to walk past them to get to his front door.

I know, I should get a life and start worrying about other more important things… but hey, isn’t the environment important enough?