YOUR 15 MINUTES: My Blow-Up Buddy and Me

Now I'm a strong supporter of promoting gender equality but do women really need a blow-up doll for companionship? "Buddy on Demand," a blow-up man, was launched on Tuesday to provide women with companionship. Not the kind of companionship a blow-up doll provides men -- the purpose of this doll is to make solo female motorists feel less nervous about driving at night. With this thing women don't have to worry about driving at night, they have to worry about people making fun of them for driving around with a blow-up doll. He fits in a car's glove box, appears at a flick of a switch and when a woman has finished using him, she can just pull the plug and he deflates. Women are now so cowardly they need to drive with a blow-up doll? Does he also fight off attackers? What ever happened to just carrying a handgun? "We're not saying that an inflatable man is the only answer but we do hope it will give women extra confidence and make journeys in the dark less fearful," said Jacky Brown, the spokeswoman for the doll. I don't think "Buddy on Demand" is totally useless though -- I'd blow that thing up and throw him in my front seat so I can drive in the HOV (carpool) lane. [source]