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Tuesday Jul 01, 2008
How much booze do you really drink?
After seeing a recent Government alcohol campaign on TV the other day, I wondered whether the scales for measuring alcohol units were actually very clear at all. We may order 'a pint' or a 'double whisky and Coke', but in actual fact the strength of drink and measure you receive can greatly affect the number of units you drink.
It all becomes a little confusing, so I took to the streets and soberly asked your opinion for our latest Vox Pops video...
It also makes me wonder if we should all adapt our language and start asking at our local for, "Two and a half units of bitter, please."
Posted by Chris ( 4:45 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Monday Jun 30, 2008
Car functions and basic car maintenance
When the editorial team started thinking of what new video tours to produce we had a huge list of options to cover. We started our video tours off with a tour of a GUM clinic, but thought we'd move away from sexual health to something very different and a bit more practical. So... what is it we're allowed to start doing at 17 and hopefully by the time we are 24 are much more comfortable with? Driving!
We've produced two videos with expert advice from the Driving Standards Agency and RAC to help you when you get in a car for the very first time. So if you're having cold sweats just at the thought of remembering where all the pedals are and where your hands should sit on the steering wheel, then fear not, we've just uploaded TheSite.org's Learning to drive: car functions video, using YouthNet volunteer actors who feature on screen and in the voiceovers, and my very own little Ka in the starring role 
But when you've finally passed your test and you're out on the roads on your own (yikes), what on earth do you do about filling up with petrol, oil and water? And what do you do if a bulb goes? If you're lucky enough to have someone to help you out then great, but for those of us who don't and aren't keen on being swindled by your local garage for simple service checks, then watch the Basic car maintenance video to get an idea of the elements you'll need to maintain, and how often. Luckily for me when I took my test all those years ago (11!) I didn't have to do the 'Show me, tell me' part of the test, but nowadays it's a necessity, so if you're learning, make sure you prep up well in advance on various safety checks before the day of your test. And if you're driving instructor hasn't mentioned this to you yet, maybe it's time to find a new one...
Don't forget, if you want to cast your vote or comments on the videos then visit TheSite.org on You Tube.
Posted by Julia ( 1:48 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Friday Jun 27, 2008
Culinary kings
If you're anything like me in the kitchen (utterly useless) a few cooking lessons wouldn't go amiss. It's not that I'm ignorant about ingredients or that I don't know any good recipes, it's because I'm the most impatient person ever when it comes to eating. If a tasty meal comes to mind I want it immediately. When I want chips I'll zap them in the microwave and then blast them in the oven at full heat. They normally come out burnt as hell but I've found that ketchup masks the charcoal taste very effectively. It drives my housemate crazy! He's constantly turning on the extractor fan and spraying air freshener so the neighbours don't think we're on fire.
Last year TheSite.org met Lloyd and Daryl, two up-and-coming chefs who had been working on Jamie Oliver's Fifteen apprenticeship scheme. The scheme, for 18-24 year-olds, takes budding chefs and trains them up to a professional standard. Most of the apprentices were unemployed or out of education before joining the programme and now have a bright future in the restaurant industry.
It's been five years since the scheme started and Fifteen have recently started accepting applications for this year's apprentices. If you want to apply you can fill in an online application form here. The deadline is July 15.
Posted by Chris Denholm ( 9:18 AM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Wednesday Jun 25, 2008
Who can stop the violence?
Next week Channel 4 launches a new series of programmes called Disarming Britain. The cynic in me says that they are “cashing in” on a series issue; but I also passionately believe that talking about what is happening is a huge part of the solving the problem. And it is a problem: 15 young people have been died as a result of gun or knife violence since the start of the year.
Last night on the train home I listened to the BBC Radio Five Live Simon Mayo interview with Barry and Margaret Mizen, the parents of Jimmy Mizen who was killed last month on his 16th birthday. It was the most humbling piece of audio I’ve heard in a very long time. Sadly it’s no longer available as a podcast, but it should be heard by any young person before they choose to carry a knife or gun.
I hope that Disarming Britain does what no-one else really seems to be doing; and talking to the young people affected by the violence. Too much of what I’ve seen and read in the papers is from commentators staring over their walls and looking in to the estates rather than from the people who are actually living with gang violence around them.
The Disarming Britain promo is very impressive, as a piece of film. Whether the series will make a difference is another matter.
Posted by Olly ( 11:01 AM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Friday Jun 20, 2008
School prom... anything to write home about?
I love reading news about the UK from other places (well, tbh I'm a news junkie so I like reading news regardless).
But this is a story about the increase in UK teenagers having proms from the US-based Wall Street Journal. The story suggests that we've "seen the events in movies like American Pie and television shows such as The O.C., and they want the chance to dress up and rent limousines".
Back when I left school, we had a sixth-form ball at the local hotel. We dressed up in black-tie---well, some people did---and convinced the bar-staff we were all eighteen.
So, are proms anything new, or have we just changed the name and made them more commercial?
PS. The story also suggests that Britain is a "land of school uniforms, rigorous exams and ivy-covered school halls".
Posted by Olly ( 8:40 AM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Wednesday Jun 18, 2008
Teenage kicks...
I get a bit annoyed by Fergal Sharkey. Yesterday he was in all the papers and stuff being quoted in relation to a survey by the University of Hertfordshire that suggested the average teenager's iPod/other mp3 player has 800 illegally downloaded tracks on it.
His quote was roughly that back in the day he was swapping tapes of stuff behind the bikesheds, but that was sort of OK, but look at the bad kids these days downloading stuff. Does he not remember the infamous Home Taping is Killing Music campaign, which pretty much said the same about home taping as the music industry is saying about downloading now?
What's that betting that had a young Mr Sharkey had the facility to quickly copy a track as an mp3 he would have been happily doing so?
The music industry does appear to be like a spoilt child who's had their toys taken away. Their cheese has moved, it's time they not only recognised that but actually acted on it rather than running around complaining.
Posted by Olly ( 8:57 AM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Friday Jun 06, 2008
Home health testing kits
Let's be honest, going to the doctor is a bit of a drag. The idea of testing yourself for something you're convinced you have sounds very tempting. But in reality, are the tests reliable enough? I'm known among my close friends and family for being a bit, well, over dramatic, when it comes to my health. When my other half told me about Spike Milligan who wrote 'I told you I was ill' on his gravestone I actually laughed so hard and for so long he thought I had totally lost it. So did the other people on the train. But it sounded just like something I could imagine wanting to say back to people who didn't believe me when I told them my worries (mild diabetes was the last one – this turned out to be a hormonal sugar craving, phew!) Then there's my early arthritis (sleeping on a mattress on the floor syndrome) Anyway...
So when I published the latest two articles on Home health kits and DIY STI kits it got me thinking how if I was to do a bowel cancer test, for example, and it came up abnormal, how would I react? I would probably be demanding an emergency doctor's appointment there and then! But why go through the trauma of testing at home in the first place? The result I may or may not get could in fact not even mean I have cancer and so I would have spent an unimaginable night or two panicking that my days were numbered. It's seriously not worth the stress. But when it comes to STI kits, I guess these can be a bit more helpful if it's for conditions that won't kill you, but at the same time how far do you go? Is getting an HIV test result through the post the best way of dealing with things if it's bad news? I think for the majority of us, if we're looking for answers we should see the experts first, especially if you're that worried about it that you've sought a home testing kit in the first place. Save money and get good advice exactly when you need it, that's what I say!
Posted by Julia ( 1:25 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Wednesday Jun 04, 2008
Abortions
The topic of abortion has been widely reported recently because of the push to cut the abortion limit from 24 weeks to 12, 16, 20 or 22 weeks. However, this has now been rejected by MPs; for the time being anyway. Many people think that 24 weeks is too late to abort a baby, especially when a small proportion of babies survive when born earlier than the 24 week limit. At the same time, babies born at 23 weeks or earlier are apparently no more likely to survive than they were a decade ago. It’s not surprising that you may think it’s immoral to abort a foetus when it has the chance of surviving, but after interviewing a couple of family planning advisors, I realised there was far more to it than that.
According to the FPA, many young women find themselves in denial when they realise they are pregnant or are having some sort of a personal crisis. This often means that by the time they get to the doctors to discuss abortion and are put on the waiting list, often it’s too late to have an abortion - especially if their only option is with the NHS and they can’t afford to go private. Then there’s the selection of women who don’t know they are pregnant until it’s too late. It’s for these reasons that MPs decided to stick with 24 weeks.
But at the same time, if it happened to me, what would I do? I guess that at 28 years old I am regarded as old enough to be a parent, but for many women including myself, it may still not be the right time; you may not have the money, the support of your family or partner, or the wish to put your career on hold.
Whatever choice you make, if it happens to you, finding out what actually happens during an abortion is kept relatively hush-hush and that’s why we’ve expanded our content to include information about the actual procedure and about the recovery afterwards so you know what to expect. Ultimately, the choice is yours, but by knowing what to expect hopefully that will help you make the decision that is right for you.
Posted by Julia ( 9:33 AM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Friday May 30, 2008
Two steps forward, how many back?
We're all fascinated by this story in a local paper in South London on a council spending £15k to replace a few steps. The reason has nothing to do with safety; it's because nearby residents don't like the fact that young people sit on them.
The council has decided to spend time, effort and money to remove the steps and make it as uncomfortable as possible for young people to hang around. They are even proposing not to install a handrail so teenagers can't lean against anything.
In their defence the council says the work is part of a package of improvements that also include trying to make a local park safer so that young people have somewhere else to go.
Even so, it does seem like a bit of a drastic measure. And as many of the comments have pointed out, the issue is not that young people are hanging out there – it's that there is a small number who are causing problems.
It's great to see a number of young people taking up the issue and we'll be watching to see what happens.
Who thought concrete steps could be so fascinating...
Posted by Olly ( 2:02 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Wednesday May 14, 2008
Were we right to publish it?
Every so often, we have to take difficult decisions about what we publish; and what we choose not to. We've always taken a stance that our site users make their own mind up about the information that we publish; which is why we try never to preach about drugs, crime or safe sex. That stance means that we rarely hold back on providing information and true stories providing they are based on fact and honestly-held opinion.
But sometimes that is not enough, and we've had a engaging debate as to whether to publish an article we commissioned on prostitution. According to the Home Office, nearly one in 20 men aged 16-43 have paid for sex in the last five years; and in London that figure nearly doubles. There are about 80,000 individuals involved in prostitution in the UK, roughly the same number as those who work in the social housing sector. And although soliciting, brothels and kerb-crawling are all illegal; the actual act of paying or accepting payment for sex isn't.
So when we interviewed an escort who described how much money she got paid, how safe and in control she feels and how her biggest problem is clients with smelly breath; there was a collective expression of concern. The reality is that this is highly atypical of the sex industry; and the majority of prostitutes are there because of a dependence on income to pay for drugs, or increasingly through being trafficked or tricked into coming to the UK. Many prostitutes are victims of violence and rape whilst working, and again according to the Home Office, 75% were forced into prostitution before they turned 18, and 95% are involved to support theirs, or their partner's, drug problem.
The last thing we wanted to do was publish a story that glamorised the sex-industry, or glossed over the horrific experiences that leads people into prostitution. ITV came in for plenty of criticism over the Billie Piper fronted Belle Du Jour, and that was labelled as entertainment. But we're not about entertainment - we're here to provide information.
But conversely there are claims (and research) that more and more female students are turning to the sex industry to help fund their way through university. We're here to reflect the realities of being aged between 16-24 in the UK. The drug trade is equally full of horrific and brutal statistics---albeit the majority not in this country---and yet we publish information on drugs because we know that many young people in the UK use them.
So we have published the story. Because ultimately we're not here to tell people how to live their lives.
I'd be interested to know if you think that was the right decision.
Olly
Posted by Olly ( 11:49 AM ) Link to this post | Comments[4]
Friday May 09, 2008
Poke that!
I love social networking websites because I get to find out about cool events that would otherwise fall outside of my radar. I hate them because I occasionally get weird messages from people I met randomly three years ago that quite frankly fall under the category of spam. Just this week I got a long rambling message from someone which included the sentence:
COULD YOU POSSIBLY TO TELL ME WHAT ARE YOU DONG THESE DAYS? WHICH FILM YOU HAVE SEEN AT LAST,WHICH BOOK INFLUENCED YOU RECENTLY?, ARE YOU HAPPY (IN THE PIC I CAN SEEE YOU GOT SLIGHLY WEIGH ,BUT YOU LOOK REALLY GREAT).
Got slightly weigh? Thanks for that, but what's with the SHOUTING?
For your chance to tell us what you love and hate about social networking sites, click poke that to complete our latest survey.
Imagine if people's behaviour on social networking websites was mirrored in the real world. Here's a video from the BBC's Wall which gives a scarily accurate picture of why some people's actions online are pretty ridiculous, not to mention downright offensive, at times.
Posted by Helen ( 2:38 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Wednesday May 07, 2008
Young people aren't interested in politics?
They say rap about what you know... well, these two American teenagers appear to have decided to rap about their love of the political magazine The Economist. Have a listen here.
It'll cheer up your Wednesday afternoon...
Olly
(Hat tip: The Guardian)
Posted by Olly ( 10:59 AM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Festival fun
I'm a festival virgin. It's not that I don't want to go to a random field, party and watch the biggest names in music, it's more to do with the fact that I'm about as useless camping as condoms in a convent. The last time I made an attempt to set up a tent I ended up sleeping under the stars with my camping buddies using my car as a makeshift home for the night. The thing with camping is you've either got it or you haven't. Some people enjoy the outdoor experience but I'd much rather be at home with my slippers on and a hot cup of cocoa in hand. Perhaps one day I'll pluck up the courage to go to one.
If you're a wannabe festival-goer like me, check out our new festival section on TheSite.org. There's load of tips on everything festivally from how to pull to advice on avoiding mud.
You can also watch or read our vox pops on your own festival experiences as we ask you what your most memorable moment is, your festival nightmares and who you'd like to see play at your dream festival.
Posted by Chris Denholm ( 10:54 AM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Wednesday Apr 23, 2008
What's in your ears?
I’ve found a video of what we get up to in TheSite.org office:
Lip Dub - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger from amandalynferri on Vimeo.
(Ok, it’s not quite like that, but boy I’d love it to be. I totally love the fact these people made that video).
But we do have something sort of similar. On Friday afternoons, we tend to gather for a short presentation on a particular subject before having a little relaxation time where people can chat socially and reflect on what they achieved over the week. It’s a good opportunity to get to see your colleagues in different light to the usual name that appears in your inbox demanding something be done by yesterday.
One of the highlights of this downtime is that we get to play music in the office. Generally our office is quite quiet: although the techie people appear to like opera which occasionally they have playing in the background, so it does tend to make the place feel a bit like a hotel lobby. But on Friday afternoon we get to play music. And that means we need someone to choose the music.
This week, big Jim V asked if I’d like to do the honours. What then should I inflict my colleagues with? A quick look at my Last.fm account suggests that most of what I listen to is, erm, of the chilled variety: Jack Johnson, Tom McRae, Air etc (which is what I tended to listen to when I was working at my previous job). All very nice but not exactly the sort of music you want to kickstart your weekend.
(Oh and the Sugababes is my guilty pleasure and I’m not going to apologise for that).
At the moment I’m particularly loving the new Guillemots album (their gig @ Somerset House was my favourite of last year). I also really liked the new Portishead single when they played it on Jools Holland. And a couple of weeks back I saw this guy play and thought he was brilliant. All of them great, but again not the riveting anthems you want before we head to the pub or wherever.
So, anyone got any great ideas for music we should play in TheSite.org office this Friday? Current favourites, old classics or undiscovered treasures of MySpace?
Otherwise I’ll be inflicting my nineties indie favs: stand up Sleeper, Wannadies and classic Charlatans.
Olly
Posted by Olly ( 9:48 AM ) Link to this post | Comments[4]
Friday Apr 18, 2008
Being a newbie...
Starting in a new job is always a daunting experience. It's like the first day at a new school, except there generally the other people are all new at the same time and you aren't replacing someone who had their way of doing things that people understood and were used to.
So it's with some relief that I've got to the end of my first week at TheSite.org, covering for Hannah whilst she is away on maternity leave, surprisingly confident about what I'm supposed to be doing. That's in no small way the excellent (and extensive) hand-over notes that Hannah left---I do now feel a bit guilty about what I left for the person replacing me at my previous job---and the excellent team who I'm working with.
Life at TheSite.org never stands still, so on my third day I was inducting our newest member of staff, Chris Chapman, who is joining us to create lots more audio and video content. Multimedia is very much my background as well; so (literally) watch out for more of that coming your way soon – be it on your computer, your iPod or whatever other way you like to get video in front of your eyes and sound in your ears.
Being maternity cover is an interesting role. You aren't simply there to hold the fort - TheSite.org needs constant developing so a year of just twiddling thumbs and answering emails isn't good enough. But you're also aware you are sat in someone else's seat, and eventually they'll want it back. You can't totally go in a different direction to what they were doing, as they won't be very impressed when they return. So, other than chucking out some old magazines, updating the voicemail and introducing a constant supply of Haribo to the desk; I'm not planning on too much revolution in the office.
I can't wait to meet loads of TheSite.org users; be it on the boards, via email or in person if you get involved through our many volunteering opportunities. Without liking to sound like an old crusty, I do remember TheSite.org back in the late 90s when I was at uni and doing a digital media degree (this is when I had to explain to most relatives what the internet was). I am genuinely excited that after years of being aware of how great TheSite.org is; I'm now in a position where I get to influence what it does.
Feel free to send your feedback, comments, suggestions or even random crap that you think will make me laugh.
Olly
Posted by Olly ( 2:38 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[3]