Facebook homepage

[Jumbuck]

Can one change the layout of facebook's homepage?

The reason for asking is that whilst I'm registered with the site I just haven't use it up to now, but there is a possibility that it might be advantageous to do so in the near future.

To have all those pictures of ugly people staring out of the screen at me simply because they've been suggested as "friends" is too much and so I'd like to remove that section from the display. I've looked through the various settings to no avail - so how is it done ?