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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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Give me a break

Out and troubled

Age for the aisle

Discharge distress

Curing cannabis

Too young to move

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]

Friday Apr 27, 2007

Drug mugs

What do you think about drugs? Like our ranter, Hannah, I've not really dabbled with them, especially seeing as I'm allergic to stupid things like asprin, ibuprofin and anti-inflammatories, God knows what would happen if I popped a pill! 

Hannah's been telling us why she really can't understand why people want to risk their life by taking drugs.

Drug mugs

Posted by Julia ( 2:57 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Friday Apr 20, 2007

Fifteen minutes of fame

Have you had your moment in the spotlight yet? We wanted to find out what sort of things you've been up to that you're proud, or perhaps embarrassed, to admit to.

As for me, well I was one of those cheesy smiling girls in a Barbie advert at the age of 8. All thanks to my Dad who worked in the tv/film industry and dragged me in the studio for random ads whenever the child actors were playing up!

Fifteen minutes of fame

Posted by Julia ( 10:13 AM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Thursday Apr 12, 2007

Young mums

If you're a young mum, or plan on adding to your brood at a young age, financial, health and housing issues may be more of a concern to you. For information on health, exercise, financial support and more, read our new article, Young mums. We also hear from Annie, who had a baby at the age of 18.

Posted by Julia ( 4:35 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Thursday Apr 05, 2007

Sisterly love

Holly can't get over the fact that her little sister is all grown up and on the dating scene. For all of you out there with younger siblings, I'm sure you can relate to it (well maybe not the bit where she warns the new boyfriend away!)

Sisterly love

Have a great Easter all :wave:

Posted by Julia ( 3:44 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Wednesday Mar 28, 2007

Gambling vox pops

Have a listen and a read of our latest vox pops where we asked you about your gambling likes and dislikes. Personally, I just stick to a game of polker using 2p coins, much less stressful. Although I am partial to a game of Bingo, but only when visiting Blackpool or somewhere like that - it's far more acceptable playing Bingo up north than down south don't you think?!

You may also want to read our latest rant about liberalism, which has caused quite a stir in the politics and debate thread.

 

Posted by Julia ( 3:12 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Monday Mar 19, 2007

Gambling and you

We've published a new FAQ on gambling with the help of Adrian Scarfe at GamCare. It has lots of great advice if you think you have a problem with gambling, or know someone else who may have one. The fact sheet also offers advice on how to deal with a relapse and any withdrawal symptoms you may go through - something you may think is only related to people giving up drink or drugs.

You can also hear the whole interview by clicking on the audio link.

FAQ: Gambling and you

Posted by Julia ( 2:50 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Friday Mar 16, 2007

Sex on the brain

Are you always thinking about sex and when you can next get your leg over? We look into whether you have a sex addiction, or just a very healthy sex drive... Sex on the brain

Posted by Julia ( 11:58 AM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]