I HAVE spent the last week trying (and failing) to arrange my hair in such a way that it covers a huge zit on my face.

So it was a relief to find the Acne Support Group's website (http://www.stopspot

s.org/) and realise I was not alone in having an eruption the size of a small volcano stuck to the side of my nose.

The ASG site makes excellent reading, whether you just get the occasional blemish or suffer from serious acne.

It gives sensible advice, doesn't preach and best of all, it doesn't tell you not to squeeze your spots. Yes, the ASG understands that urge to pick at pimples - and tells you how to do it safely.

There are beauty tips and a problem page, and some lovely pictures of spots, from little red ones to big custardy yellow ones, to remind you you're not alone.

An American site, FaceFacts (http://www.facefacts.com/), covers similar ground. It's aimed specifically at teenage boys, who are more likely to have acne but less likely to seek treatment for it than girls, but girls will find it useful too.

You can e-mail acne-related queries to a dermatologist and there is a page especially for parents.

GM - and ping-pong with PM

THE jury's still out on genetically-modified food. Monsanto, which produces genetically-modified crops, gives the case for the technique at its UK website (http://www.monsanto.co.uk/index.html). Friends of the Earth gives the case against at its site at http://www.foe.co.uk. And on a lighter note, there is a ping-pong style game featuring a "genetically modified Tony Blair" in online magazine urban75 (http://www.urban75.com/Mag/

Paper chase

A CAMPAIGN aimed at increasing the amount of waste paper recycled in Britain has gone online.

PaperChain 2000's website is at http://www.paperchain2000.org.uk.

SEEN something interesting on the web? Let me know! Send an e-mail to vcowan@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.