New Look and Feel to Survey Galaxy website

It has just been over a month now since we launched Survey Galaxy's new look and feel.

The majority of changes were to the Survey Galaxy Home page where we hope that new visitors will find all the information they require and navigation even easier.

In changing the rest of the site we have been careful to retain the Survey Galaxy simplicity and limited the changes to more relaxing colours and clearer navigation.

We hope new and old members will find the new layout to their liking but please feel free to give us your feedback as we always welcome constructive comments.

What are the Most Romantic Movies of all Time?

What romantic movie stands head and shoulders above the rest?

Were you moved by Titanic or do you hanker back to era of the black and white movie and all time classics such as Casablanca?

Which movie pairing had the most on screen chemistry, can Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet match the 40's pairing of Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart or Clark Gable and Joan Crawford from the 30's?

Participate in this weeks open survey What are the Most Romantic Movies of all Time?

Should Muslim Women Living in Western Societies Unveil?

The British Cabinet Minister Jack Straw, whose constituency has a large Muslim population, has provoked anger and indignation among broad sections of the Muslim community in calling for Islamic women to stop wearing the veil(niqab) covering their face.

Mr Straw says that the practise hindered community relations and was a visible statement of separation and of difference.

Mr Straw said that he had chosen his words carefully. "We are able to relate to people we don't know by reading their faces and if you can't see their faces, that provides some separation," and went on to say "Those people who do wear the veil should think about the implications for community relations."

Some of Mr Straw's supporters have added that this was an important issue that needed to be debated.

British Muslim leaders and fellow Labour MPs, have however pointed to a series of statements from ministers which they say have challenged attitudes towards multiculturalism.

Was Mr Straw right to bring the subject up for debate?

Should Muslim Women be encouraged to unveil themselves when they live in Western societies or do these comments only serve to demonstrate the lack of understanding and tolerance towards people with different faiths?

Participate in this weeks open survey Should Muslim Women Living in Western Societies Unveil?

How Superstitious Are You?

Are you in any way superstitious?

Do you believe old wives tales, omens and signs to indicate lucky or unlucky things ahead?

Would you wish on a shooting star or knock on wood after mentioning good fortune?

Participate in this weeks free survey How Superstitious Are You?

Did the Pope make a good point or a faux-paux?

In a controversial speech the head of the Catholic church Pope Benedict XVI was widely condemned for quoting a 700-year-old exchange between a medieval Byzantine emperor and a learned Islamic scholar "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".

Did the Pope agree with this view or was the point he was trying to make valid but lost in 'headline' sound bites?

Can the head of a faith that has through the ages had hideous crimes carried out in its own name be in a position to judge other faiths? Can the Islam faith be self critical?

Participate in this weeks free survey Did the Pope make a good point or a faux-paux?

What are the most important things in life?

What are the most and least important things in life?

Select from our short list the five that you think the most and least important.

Participate in this weeks free survey What are the most and least important things in life?

How will history view the Bush/Blair legacy?

The Bush/Blair era of interventionist policy is coming to a close as both play out their remaining days in office.

Together they have passionately argued that state sponsored terrorism posed a serious threat to the 'freedom' and 'way of life' that was enjoyed by the world's democracies.

However, many have argued that far from eliminating terrorism their foreign policies have failed at every level and are directly responsible for creating a new threat from home grown extremists, or at the very least, discourse between communities that previously lived in harmony.

As both governments continue with their fight against an unseen enemy, many have argued that the 'freedom' and 'way of life' that needs protecting is being destroyed by the very 'need' to fight terrorism.

Critics of Bush and Blair say that the previous administrations policy of containment proved far more effective and that home-grown threats are the direct results of their pre-emptive doctrine.

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger recently stated that "The diplomacy appropriate to denuclearisation is comparable to the containment policy that helped win the Cold War: no pre-emptive challenge to the external security of the adversary, but firm resistance to attempts to project its power abroad and reliance on domestic forces to bring about internal change."

Do you think that the 'interventionist' approach was and still remains correct, or do you think it was always seriously flawed?

Participate in this weeks free survey How will history view the Bush/Blair legacy?

Tom Cruise True Superstar or Mission Impossible?

In August Tom Cruise and Paramount, so long a partnership that seemed to have been made in heaven, announced that they were to part company.

A bitter and public divorce is now likely as Viacom Inc's Chairman Sumner Redstone belittled Tom Cruise by publicly evicting Cruise's production company from his company's Paramount Pictures studio.

In a war of words, Cruise's team have claimed that it was they that left while Paramount executives have given 'unreasonable behaviour', 'excessive demands' and unfordable salaries as the reasons for 'their' decision.

In recent months Tom has been seen bouncing on Oprah Winfrey's sofa to declare his love for a girlfriend who then it is rumoured gave birth in Scientology-demanded silence, where gossip would have it that he went on to eat the baby's placenta. Are these the actions of a 'weirdo', untrue gossip or just Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise?

Will the Tom Cruise cash cow be snapped up by a rival company, will he fade away or will he threaten the major players by finding funding for new films through new channels?

Were Paramount right to take a stand or will Tom Cruise go on to serve them humble pie?


Participate in this weeks free survey Tom Cruise True Superstar or Mission Impossible?

Are Honorary Degrees a Slap in the Face to Real Students?

It takes the majority of people time and sacrifice to study and successfully achieve an academic degree.

For those that succeed there is the public acknowledgement of receiving their degree dressed in the traditional gown and hat and the personal satisfaction of having achieved a qualification respected throughout the world.

However, for a fortunate few there is the Honorary degree handed out on a plate by the world's academic institutions.

Honorary degrees are not a modern day phenomenon, the first being awarded to the brother-in-law of Edward IV by England's Oxford University in 1478.

Are honorary degrees that are awarded to the famous and infamous valid recognition for people who took a different path through life or are they a slap in the face to real students?

Participate in this weeks free survey Are Honorary Degrees a Slap in the Face to Real Students?

Is Community Service Suitable Punishment For Famous People?

Boy George, the androgynous eighties pop icon, was ordered by an American court to complete five days of community service that required him to sweep the streets of Lower Manhattan.

He was joined by a gaggle of news photographers, reporters and fans that together prevented him from carrying out his assigned duties forcing the sanitation department to instead find a gated parking lot for him to clean.

Other stars who like Boy George have been given community service instead of custodian sentences have been George Michael, Winona Ryder and Halle Berry.

Is community service a suitable punishment for people in the public eye or is it a punishment that is just not appropriate to the rich and famous?

Participate in this weeks free survey Is Community Service Suitable Punishment For Famous People?

Is Hizbullah a Terroist Organisation?

As the Israeli military action against Lebanon continues unabated and with no end in sight, UN proposal put forward to cease hostilities are viewed by the Lebanese government as one sided and have described one proposal 'agreed' by the UN council as simply "a recipe for more confrontation".

Despite the past rhetoric from Hizbullah calling for the destruction of the Israeli state few will be prepared to argue that Israel faces a real threat of destruction or occupation from Hizbullah, Hammas or Iran.

Israel is however actively engaged in the destruction of a nation, bombing Lebanon back "by 20 years", as the Israeli military put it, and is in occupation of Palestinian land.

Much has been said and reported to label Hizbullah as a terrorist organisation and the root cause of Israel's military escalation but how true is that accusation?

This weeks survey tests your knowledge of Hizbullah and asks if you view Hizbullah as a terrorist organisation or a legitimate resistance movement?

Participate in this weeks free survey Is Hizbullah a Terroist Organisation?

How should recreational drugs be classified?

A number of countries have recently looked at the systems used for classifying drugs.

A recent UK report stated that they found "The system for classifying drugs is inconsistent, irrational and "not fit for purpose".

The same report was highly critical of the police, the Government and its advisers and called for the classification system to be put on a scientific basis, according to the harm a substance causes.

The committee that compiled the report took advice from a panel of drug experts and concluded that alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than ecstasy, LSD and cannabis, based on a "rational" classification system that the committee strongly supported.

The committee took into account research conducted by the University of Bristol who assessed a list of 20 drugs, legal and illegal, in nine categories and weighed up the physical harm, tendency to induce dependence and the impact on families, communities and society.

Using a "rational" ranking method showed that some legal substances were much riskier than those deemed most dangerous, the current Class A drugs.

Others that have been demonised, notably ecstasy, are near the bottom of the table of risk. Even though it is legal alcohol was high up the new scale because it is involved in more than half of all visits to accident and emergency departments and orthopaedic admissions. Alcohol often leads to violence and is a frequent cause of car accidents.

Another legal drug tobacco is estimated to cause up to 40 per cent of all hospital illness and 60 per cent of drug-related fatalities.

By the experts' method, alcohol and tobacco would both be Class B drugs which in the UK currently includes Amphetamines, Methylphenidate (Ritalin), Pholcodine and carries a punishment for possession of up to five years in prison or an unlimited fine; Or both.

The committee want to see the classification of drugs routinely reassessed using a rational and court sentences for drug abuse stratified according to how far up the new scale a drug lies.

Do you think that the classification of drugs should be based on risk factors and not the present systems that tend to be inconsistent and the results of ad hoc judgments and historical accidents?

Participate in this weeks free survey How should recreational drugs be classified?

Are you a Holiday Junkie?

Are you a holiday junkie or do you find it hard to take a break?

This weeks survey asks how many days holidays you are entitled to and on average how many do you take.

Would you like more holidays and how much importance do you place on holidays?

With many wonders of the world to see, or world events to witness, which are the ones you have seen, or would you like, to see?

Participate in this weeks free survey Are you a Holiday Junkie?

Is Israel's Military Action Against Lebanon Justified?

After a Hizbullah attack where two Israeli military personnel were captured Israel retaliated by launching a major military attack on Lebanon and imposed a navy blockade.

Critics have argued that in their attempt to destroy Hizbullah Israel have set out to collectively punish the people of Lebanon.

This weeks survey asks if you think that the bombing of bridges, ports, power plants and Beirut airport are justified and if the Israelis are right to demand the return of two soldiers when they have themselves imprisoned many hundreds of Palestinians?

Participate in this weeks free survey Is Israel's Military Action Against Lebanon Justified?

Have you Joined the Podcast Revolution?

A Podcast is audio or audio visual content that is created and then saved in a format so that it can be downloaded from the web onto people's personal PC's, IPod or other audio players that support the MP3 format.

The term Podcasting is meant to rhyme with broadcasting and is a derivative of Apple's popular iPod platform. Individual websites and websites such as iTunes make it easy for you to subscribe to podcasts that are broadcasted on a irregular or regular basis such as daily, weekly, monthly.

There are Podcast that cover nearly every available subject both by amateurs and professionals. An audio Podcast can be likened to a radio show that can be downloaded to a portable device and played at anytime, for example when people are travelling.

This survey asks how familiar you are with Podcasting and which podcasts do, or may, interest you.

Participate in this weeks free survey Have you Joined the Podcast Revolution?

Stars with Glasses, Looking Cool or Just Ridiculous?

Jake and Elwood wore their Ray-Ban Wayfarer II sunglasses day and night, today designer sunglasses are de rigeur for anyone in the public eye.

But are some 'A' list celebs committing fashion hari-kari unaware that the public are laughing at them or are we rushing to the designer stores to emulate their style?

We have put forward a short-list of stars wearing their shades and ask you to rate them for being cool or ridiculous?

Participate in this weeks free survey Stars with Glasses, Looking Cool or Just Ridiculous?

Which are the best ever movie remakes?

If movie studios can't come up with an original ideal and they have exhausted the sequel they often turn to the remake.

Which re-made movies have been better than the original and which despite all the advantages of improved technology are those that should have been left well alone?

Which are your all time favourite top three re-made movies and which are the classic movies you would like someone to remake?

Participate in this weeks free survey Which are the best ever movie remakes?

Pro-whaling nations win vote to resume whale hunting

Global Warming has been talked about for many years but now it seems that many of the early predictions such as the melting of the Arctic ice shelf and extreme weather are now a reality.

Many political figures around the world have accepted that Global Warming represents an inconvenient truth that must be faced and many are campaigning serious to globally cut human generated greenhouse gas emissions.

The pro-whaling nations won their first vote towards the resumption of commercial whaling for 20 years.

The latest meeting of the International Whaling Commission backed a resolution calling for the eventual return of commercial whaling by a majority of just one vote.

Japan, who were pro-active in securing the victory said that the outcome was "historic".

Conservation groups expressed dismay at the outcome and have urged all nations to work harder to prevent the decision from being ratified. For the 1986 ban on whaling to be lifted it needs support from three-quarters of the commission.

Japan and other pro-whaling nations want to move the International Whaling Commission away from conservation towards managing whale numbers.

Most scientist agree that the numbers of certain species of whales have now reached pre-ban numbers and so could support controlled commercial whaling.

Do you think that the ban on whaling should be lifted?

Participate in this weeks free survey Pro-whaling nations win vote to resume whale hunting

How serious are the effects of Global Warming?

Global Warming has been talked about for many years but now it seems that many of the early predictions such as the melting of the Arctic ice shelf and extreme weather are now a reality.

Many political figures around the world have accepted that Global Warming represents an inconvenient truth that must be faced and many are campaigning serious to globally cut human generated greenhouse gas emissions.

Emerging countries such as China and India are reluctant to stifle their economic growth and President Bush has publically announced that he is only interested in focusing on technologies that deal with the issue.

Sceptics who argue that the global climate is merely in the midst of a natural cycle are now faced with strong evidence that indicates that global warming is accelerating proportionally to the human output in greenhouse gasses and that there will become a point when the damaged caused is irreversible.

How serious do you view the issues surrounding Global Warming and do you think your own government is doing enough to address the problems?

Participate in this weeks free survey How serious are the effects of Global Warming?

FIFA Football World Cup Finals 2006

The FIFA World Cup Finals kick off 9 June in Germany.

Will home advantage get Germany to the final, or will Brazil, the bookies favourites, continue to build on their legacy as the true masters of football?

Can England as the tournaments second favourite match their potential and claim the crown of the sport they invented?

Could it be the year of the outsider when a band of no hopers stun the establishment and show just what a funny old game football is?

What is almost guaranteed is a fair share of controversy, some breath taking skill and disappointment for thirty one teams and elation for one.

Who do you think, and who would you like, to win, and who do you really not want to win?

Participate in this weeks free survey FIFA Football World Cup Finals 2006