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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 essentials 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 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]
Wednesday May 07, 2008
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 16, 2008
The other end of depression
Feeling down or depressed can be a very different and personal experience, whether you're going through a rough patch or simply feeling bad but not exactly knowing why. How do you know if you're just a bit low or if you need further help? Do you really need antidepressants and what are the alternatives? And how can you keep positive when things around you are going crazy?
We've boosted our mental health content with six new fact sheets, two case studies and two podcasts to explore the 'other end of depression'. So whether you're getting through the worst of it, you've been feeling down for some time, or you don't know how to control your anger or mood swings, take a look at our latest articles for some useful tips, advice, and real life experiences.
Coming off antidepressants - includes a podcast – we speak to a GP and Bonnie who's struggled to come off antidepressants.
Understanding mood swings - includes a podcast – we speak to two experts who offer advice and techniques on how to control your moods.
Alternatives to antidepressants
Dealing with anger
Being positive
The positive side of depression
Fighting back from depression (True story)
Recovering from abuse (True story)
Posted by Julia ( 2:07 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Thursday Feb 07, 2008
Scary holidays
Scary holidays? We've all had at least one of them. If being between up by a bunch of 13 year-old Spanish boys (OK maybe that's a bit dramatic – being 'groped' and slapped on the ass), cracking my elbow and finding out my grannie had passed away while I was on a two-week package holiday with my ex staying in a hotel full of families and bawling kids when I was 21 wasn't scary enough, then I'd love to hear your stories! Still there's very different kinds of 'scary' and as our latest video vox pops reveal, from nearly being buried alive on a mountain to having to sleep in a cockroach-infested hotel room, that's far scarier than my holiday. Mine was probably more 'disaster' than scary!
Posted by Julia ( 3:09 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[1]
Thursday Jan 31, 2008
Leap year proposals
The shops are full of them, you can't find a birthday card for love nor money and your other half is dropping some serious hints. Yes, it's that time of year again with Valentine's Day just around the corner. As it's a leap year, if you're a woman and thinking of proposing then you've got quite a few decisions to make, and if you're a man, you better watch out!
Posted by Julia ( 4:32 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[1]
Friday Dec 21, 2007
Preserves prince
Every morning I have a set routine that I follow religiously before stepping out of my flat. Wake up, wash, and watch the BBC sports round up with a cup of tea and a slice of toast. I’ve followed this procedure as long as I can remember (which is probably a couple of years).
The toast has to be lightly browned, have a thin coating of butter, and be stacked with a mountain of strawberry jam the size of Everest. Sometimes I feel guilty about the damage I’m doing to my body digesting a tower of sugar disguised as jam.
Good job a young entrepreneur has invented a new jam with no added sugar and no preservatives. Check out his story on TheSite.org.
Posted by Chris Denholm ( 4:29 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Thursday Nov 22, 2007
Video killed the radio star
Or so they were singing back in the Eighties. It’s taken us a while to catch up since then, but the good news is we now have a dedicated Audio & Video section on TheSite.org.
Some of you may have already listened to our audio content, but as well as the audio guides, interviews and vox pops we were producing we’re now also making videos – yay!
You’ll also notice that some of the videos have a ‘Videojug’ logo underneath them. That’s because we’ve been given some videos to host by the lovely people over at the Videojug website.
We’ve made a handful of our own videos so far – these are:
A virtual tour of a GUM clinic
An interview with a young entrepreneur
And two lots of vox pops – What will you miss about uni? and Has uni prepared you for working life?
It’s all early days at the moment, but expect to see lots more videos that we’ve made coming soon. We’d love to know what kind of video content you’d like to see, so please post here or contact us with any ideas. As we’re so lovely we’ll do our best to oblige. Within reason.
Happy viewing!
Posted by Hannah ( 10:54 AM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Tuesday Nov 13, 2007
Learning to drive
This week we introduce a new diarist to TheSite.org. Joe is 20 years-old and is learning to drive, ah the memories. We'll be following his progress on the road until the day he takes his test - of course here at TheSite.org we're hoping he passes first time, even if it will make interesting reading if he fails, tee hee.
I think that learning to drive with your parents helping you is the greatest test of all. In my case there were plenty of tears, tantrums and car door slamming, as I was forced to pull over and hand back the reigns after each close shave. My first few driving experiences with my Dad involved him almost sitting on the handbrake in case I forgot where the brakes were. I was forced to brake for imaginary pedestrians and to turn my head fully into each mirror so he could make sure I was looking properly - never mind that I was a 17 year-old with an image to protect who didn't want to look like I had a serious head twitch. Little did I know that apparently I looked like a prat anyway because I used to sit so far forward with my face just inches away from the windscreen... until I mastered the art of looking slightly more relaxed.
With each week passing, as I took lesson after lesson, I would wash my Fiat Panda with great pride using a leather chemise to buff up the remaining paint and fill in the rust-coloured sections with Tipex. Tempting fate, I would also spend hours creating my driving tapes in preparation for the day I could legally drive on my own, sunroof down, bombing along in the sports cars of all Pandas, the Panda 1000 Super. I think I must have been the only person to have ever posed in a Panda.
My car was called Skippy for two reasons; firstly because for the first six months I was putting in leaded petrol instead of unleaded, resulting in a kind of kangaroo jump as I drove and frequent stalling; and secondly because if it was actually yellow instead of white it could have easily passed for a Skip with its boxy shape and harsh contours. It took me three attempts to finally pass my test once I had mastered my confusion with roundabouts. Skippy was my faithful companion for three years until the day I eventually had to hand her over to its new owner, the car pound, after paying them £20 to take her away. Oh the shame.
Posted by Julia ( 3:45 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Friday Nov 09, 2007
Angry adverts, Olympic opinion and discharge distress...
Hi there everyone,
We've decided to start publishing weekly updates again, just to keep you up to date with all of our new content. You'll still see content highlighted and special news and information here - but know you can also check back each week to see an overview of everything...
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Feedback from askTheSite
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"I'm really glad I found this service your answer has made me look at the situation in a different and better way i feel calmer now. Thanks a lot"
"The answer I received from your relationship councillor was so helpful. I appreciate it very much."
"Thank you for helping me out. You people should be proud of the efforts you put in."
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New Content
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Vox pop: London hopes
Rant: Random stoppers
Rant: Advertising angst
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askTheSite - New Q&As
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Posted by Jim ( 3:13 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Monday Sep 10, 2007
Sex and disability
This week we've published a brand new section in the Having sex area of the website: Sex and disability. It's become increasingly obvious that people with disabilities are often ignored by a large section of society that doesn't see disabled people as sexual beings. One big thing that we found out is that many disabled people don't feel their needs are being discussed or explored. We've created four new fact sheets that aim to answer more specific questions on sex and disability; whether you're physically disabled or have a learning disability.
You may want to take a peek at our two articles on dating and disabilities, written by well-known sex writer, Emily Dubberley. I've also been in touch with various organisations and have spoken at length to Dr Tuppy Owens, founder of Outsiders and a well-known activist for sexual expression and disability, who gave guidance on the two articles Having sex with a disability and Disability and sexual confidence. We've also been talking to 23 year-old Natalie who has found short-term relief from her illness through her sex life.
We hope the articles are of interest not only to people with a disability, but for anyone who may not know how to deal with disability and relationships and want some reassurance, information and advice, and sign-posting to useful organisations.
Posted by Julia ( 4:41 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Friday May 25, 2007
The smoking ban
There's around five weeks until the smoking ban comes into force and I can't wait! No more having to wash my hair the day I go out and then again the next morning, just because it reeks of smoke. Clothes can be worn the following day without the tell-tale signs of being a dirty stop out. When and if I get a cold I don't have to worry about going out to a pub or a bar and feeling ten times worse the next day because all the smoke has stuck to my sore throat. And on a girl's night out the cheesy chat up line of 'Do you have a light' definitely won't work, so yes guys, you'll have to think of something more original. What do you think about the ban?
Posted by Julia ( 2:51 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Tuesday May 15, 2007
Oh the joy of the housing market
*UPDATE - Well since I ranted about the HIPs on this blog, the government were forced to backtrack on its original plans and now you only have to be selling a house of four or more bedrooms in order to provide a HIP. Mmm now we're going to have people marketing their house as a 'three-bedroom plus storage room' to avoid having to get one!*
Buying a house when you're under the age of 25 is not an easy task. Unless you're earning a fair whack, you've come into some money, have very supportive parents or a well-off partner, it can be an almost impossible task.
I guess I can't moan too much though – I rent off my other half who bought a flat a couple of years ago when prices weren't quite as ridiculous for the space of a cupboard. Unfortunately, because of my huge love of clothes and shoes, we have to move to a bigger pad. You'd think my other half would be in a good position to sell up and buy a new property with little-old me, but now he has to fork out up to £500 on these new Home Information Packs and pay towards a new survey on the potential house (with huge wardrobe space, and a garden for my guinea-pig, of course).
The Government says HIPs will make the home buying process a lot easier, but hang on a minute - since they changed their minds about making the Home Condition Report a compulsory part of the pack, now many sellers will get away with putting their house on the market without letting buyers know about its major faults. For people like us who can't afford to get the top end of the scale surveys, some of these faults may not be revealed until you move in and the roof starts to collapse! (OK maybe an exaggeration, but you get the picture). Now The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says its seeking a judicial review of the decision to introduce HIPs, claiming that the Government failed to consult properly on the new law.
It will no longer be a case of, "Oh we want to sell, let's put it on the market tomorrow". Now the packs have to be compiled before you even think about advertising. Way too much bother. I guess on the bright side, the Government is fulfilling its aim to reduce carbon emissions. Soon buyers and sellers will know just how environmentally friendly their house, or potential house, is. Then I guess the ones at the top end in A will be able to ask for even more and the bad houses in grade G will be blacklisted. It's a shame the Government trials of HIPs weren't completed before June 1. This is going to be interesting...
Posted by Julia ( 12:14 PM ) Link to this post | Comments[0]
Friday May 04, 2007
Eco-conscious
I have to admit, although I have great ambitions to be environmentally-friendly, I'm not doing all that well, but things have to change. With the push for everything green and eco-friendly, there's no better time to start contributing to helping save our plant. But how green are you? Once I actually attempted to get a recycling bin once from my local council, but I was told they don't provide recycling bins or bags. Very helpful!
One thing that's always upset me is when you move house and dump everything down at the tip. The idea of it sitting on top of a landfill is so depressing. That's why when I moved house last year, I arranged for an environmental clearance company to take 18 years' worth of junk to a recycling centre, and anything that was worth selling to a charity shop.
Then there's the plastic bag problem. Every Monday myself and the other half do our weekly shop in Asda (rock 'n' roll!) and we use about eight bags. We get home and stuff the bags into the kitchen cupboard because we feel bad about throwing them away, but then we go back the following week and use another batch of new bags. Well it's going to stop! From next week we've decided to re-use our bags. I have to admit, the idea of pulling old, scrunched-up bags out of my pocket feels slightly embarrassing, but I think the benefit of knowing we're doing something for the environment will far outweigh any feelings of looking silly.
Posted by Julia ( 11:40 AM ) Link to this post | Comments[1]