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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 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 serious 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 16^th 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[2]

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]